Review: Christopher Young – Drag Me To Hell Soundtrack
One of the best times I’ve had in a movie theater in a long time was earlier this summer, when I went to see Drag Me to Hell, Sam Raimi’s long-awaited return to the horror genre. For some reason or another, the soundtrack had been pushed back to come out nearly three months after the film’s release. But I guess in the days of mp3s, I should be happy that a music soundtrack gets released at all.
I could go on for pages as to why I loved this film, but this being a music site, I will stick to the soundtrack (which I usually cite very quickly when discussing the film, anyway). The film itself is a standard horror story that shouldn’t be too hard for anyone familiar with the genre to guess what’s coming next. However, most of it is comprised of scenes that involving building tension. You know what’s coming, you’re just waiting for it. That’s where the brilliance of the score and sound cues came in (especially in a huge theater with surround sound).
Christopher Young (who’s worked with Raimi before) composed a beautifully eerie score full of violin (which he cites as being traditionally associated with both Hungary and the devil) arrangements usually starting from quiet builds to loud cacophonous staccato climaxes. Its reminiscent of classic Universal horror.
