Scarcely three decades old, the enduring appeal of novelist Stephen King's horror oeuvre has already begun to foster remakes of the films and TV productions already based on his most popular works. This cable TV redux of King's 1975 tale of a small hamlet beset by vampires features an ominous, brooding orchestral and choral score that's a winning collaboration between newcomer Christopher Gordon and former Dead Can Dance mainstay cum film scorer Lisa Gerrard. The gothic seasoning she imparted to her previous collaborations with Hans Zimmer (most notably Gladiator) comes to the forefront on this score's haunting title aria (composed by Gerrard and partner Patrick Cassidy) and tracks like "Bloody Pirates" and "Free in Spirit." But it's the music of newcomer Gordon (Master and Commander) whose sheer scale and ambition belie the small screen format it was written for at nearly every turn. While the individual musical elements that Gordon uses to evoke suspense and horror may be familiar (spanning everything from jarring passages of 20th century modernism that evoke a feverish jam session between Ligeti and Penderecki to dashes of minimalism and spare, haunting passages for piano) the innovative ways in which he combines them make this a score a horror-score lover's creepy delight. --Jerry McCulley
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Absolutely Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!! Comment: I am a huge Steven King fan and Salem's Lot was one of my favorite favorite favorite books. So, when I heard that TNT was making a movie, I freaked, especially when I found out Rob Lowe was in it. Now, if you are a stickler for movies that follow the book to a T, then Salem's Lot is not for you. But the movie is absolutely wonderful! Majority of this is due to the wonderful music of Lisa Gerrard and Christopher Gordon. Their beautiful yet haunting melodies set the tone for the movie and made it one of the best vampire movies ever made. The Salem's Lot Score soundtrack is an awesome complation of 17 beautiful, haunting, and heart pounding songs, many with haunting vocals. And those of you who are Rob Lowe fans as well, there are exactly 6 pictures (beautiful pictures) of him throughout the cd booklet and case. Over all the CD is a must have, even if you haven't seen the movie. Any music lover should love this! Customer Rating: Summary: Haunting and atmospheric Comment: As far as I'm concerned, the album was worth purchasing for the opening piece, Salem's Lot Aria, which sends chills up my spine. The mood of the soundtrack reminds me of Ennio Morricone's score for John Carpenter's The Thing, as well as Elliot Goldenthal's work on Alien 3 and, appropriately, Interview With the Vampire. An excellent horror soundtrack.
