Mirrors 2
Frederik Wiedmann
" erocs lanoitcnuF "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
Mirrors 2 is the sequel to the semi successful horror movie of 2008. In this direct-to-video release, there's another security guy who seems to see visions of a woman in the mirrors of the now renovated Mayflower department store. Even though there's no direct link to the first film, viewers will be able to enjoy the movie for what it is. That is until the horror transforms into a ghost story, leaving the tension trapped inside the mirrors.
After Javier Navarrete's moody yet very functional score for Mirrors, composer Frederik Wiedmann steps on board for the sequel. Wiedmann is no stranger to the horror genre, having composed music for titles like Return to House on Haunted Hill and The Hills Runs Red (both released by Varèse Sarabande). This time La-La Land puts Wiedman's functional score on the market.
The most reoccurring idea in the whole score is a solo vocal (performed by Kate Conklin and Katrin Wiedmann), representing both the haunting tragedy as the woman inside the mirrors itself. It's noticed in the first track "Main Title", while returning almost throughout half of the tracks after that. "Revenge" is the most notable moment where it actually fuels Eleanor's deed.
The most notable link to Javier Navarrete's score for Mirrors is the driving suspenseful use of the strings. It opens the rushing "Main Title", it fuels the deed in "The Murder" and drives the suspense in "Want a Slice" and "A Corpse in the Basement". The emotional and sorrowful "Kayla" is lovely and touching, while the mysterious use of the violin and solo vocal in "Eleanor's Lament" is functional. There's also a moment of jazzy piano and trumpet in the score, this representing the scene where Eleanor is drugged. That moment comes in "Loosing her Up".
But the main bulk of the score still turns out to be the horrific, suspenseful and mysterious material. Wiedmann isn't afraid to give the sound of Mirrors 2 an extra layer of sound effects, this mostly through the use of glassy effects. The opening "Slice" is a nice representation of this effect. The rushing suspense of "Run!" has all the expected ingredients, while "Broken Glass for Dinner" and "In the Basement" thrive on the atonal and the eerie.
The score ends decently enough with the soft resolving "It's Over" and the conclusive "Mirrors II", taking us back to the suspenseful use of the strings, the solo vocal and the resolving dramatic music.
Considering the album's tracklisting is out of order, it's expected that this was done to make Mirrors 2 a lot smoother in the listening experience. Overall I couldn't say there's anything wrong about that decision. In fact, while Mirrors 2 is incredibly predictable and functional, it is nonetheless a decent and very approachable score. In fact there aren't many different ways to score horror these days, and considering Mirrors 2 leans more to a ghost movie than a horror movie, expect it to run a lot smoother on the listening experience than Mirrors of Javier Navarrete.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (3.30)
2. Kayla (1.48)
3. Slice (2.29)
4. Alive (2.03)
5. Run! (1.59)
6. Who is Henry Schow? (2.01)
7. Eleanor's Lament (3.33)
8. Keller Returns (1.27)
9. Suspicious (2.16)
10. Loosing Her Up (2.04)
11. The Murder (1.24)
12. Want a Slice? (2.37)
13. At Henry's House (1.18)
14. A Corpse in the Basement (1.07)
15. Car Crash (1.21)
16. Max's Theme (1.24)
17. Broken Glass for Dinner (1.24)
18. Nightmare (1.04)
19. Revenge (1.28)
20. Arriving at the Crime Scene (1.07)
21. Reflection (1.20)
22. In the Basement (3.01)
23. Mirror Syndrome (2.13)
24. Breaking Glass (1.01)
25. It's Over (1.19)
26. Mirrors II (4.04)
Total Length: 50.22
After Javier Navarrete's moody yet very functional score for Mirrors, composer Frederik Wiedmann steps on board for the sequel. Wiedmann is no stranger to the horror genre, having composed music for titles like Return to House on Haunted Hill and The Hills Runs Red (both released by Varèse Sarabande). This time La-La Land puts Wiedman's functional score on the market.
The most reoccurring idea in the whole score is a solo vocal (performed by Kate Conklin and Katrin Wiedmann), representing both the haunting tragedy as the woman inside the mirrors itself. It's noticed in the first track "Main Title", while returning almost throughout half of the tracks after that. "Revenge" is the most notable moment where it actually fuels Eleanor's deed.
The most notable link to Javier Navarrete's score for Mirrors is the driving suspenseful use of the strings. It opens the rushing "Main Title", it fuels the deed in "The Murder" and drives the suspense in "Want a Slice" and "A Corpse in the Basement". The emotional and sorrowful "Kayla" is lovely and touching, while the mysterious use of the violin and solo vocal in "Eleanor's Lament" is functional. There's also a moment of jazzy piano and trumpet in the score, this representing the scene where Eleanor is drugged. That moment comes in "Loosing her Up".
But the main bulk of the score still turns out to be the horrific, suspenseful and mysterious material. Wiedmann isn't afraid to give the sound of Mirrors 2 an extra layer of sound effects, this mostly through the use of glassy effects. The opening "Slice" is a nice representation of this effect. The rushing suspense of "Run!" has all the expected ingredients, while "Broken Glass for Dinner" and "In the Basement" thrive on the atonal and the eerie.
The score ends decently enough with the soft resolving "It's Over" and the conclusive "Mirrors II", taking us back to the suspenseful use of the strings, the solo vocal and the resolving dramatic music.
Considering the album's tracklisting is out of order, it's expected that this was done to make Mirrors 2 a lot smoother in the listening experience. Overall I couldn't say there's anything wrong about that decision. In fact, while Mirrors 2 is incredibly predictable and functional, it is nonetheless a decent and very approachable score. In fact there aren't many different ways to score horror these days, and considering Mirrors 2 leans more to a ghost movie than a horror movie, expect it to run a lot smoother on the listening experience than Mirrors of Javier Navarrete.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (3.30)
2. Kayla (1.48)
3. Slice (2.29)
4. Alive (2.03)
5. Run! (1.59)
6. Who is Henry Schow? (2.01)
7. Eleanor's Lament (3.33)
8. Keller Returns (1.27)
9. Suspicious (2.16)
10. Loosing Her Up (2.04)
11. The Murder (1.24)
12. Want a Slice? (2.37)
13. At Henry's House (1.18)
14. A Corpse in the Basement (1.07)
15. Car Crash (1.21)
16. Max's Theme (1.24)
17. Broken Glass for Dinner (1.24)
18. Nightmare (1.04)
19. Revenge (1.28)
20. Arriving at the Crime Scene (1.07)
21. Reflection (1.20)
22. In the Basement (3.01)
23. Mirror Syndrome (2.13)
24. Breaking Glass (1.01)
25. It's Over (1.19)
26. Mirrors II (4.04)
Total Length: 50.22