The Faculty
Marco Beltrami
" Guaranteed to jack you up! "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the promotional release
El Mariachi, Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, it were the breakthrough movies of stylist Robert Rodriguez. But to conquer the American audience, he had to present his flair a little differently. And so like the Scream hits of the period, he constructed a horror movie taking place on a school campus, but replaced the mask by pods, pods that were of Alien nature and took over the host so that they could invade the entire population unknowingly and rapidly. Sounds like Invasion of the Body Snatchers right? Of course it does, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the wicked humor, the captivating mood, the quirky cast and the excellent special effects of this little alien horror movie.
Of course only one man was capable of putting all that into one cinematic soundscape. And that was horror composer at that time Marco Beltrami. Because by the time, he already gave the world a horror mask with Scream, Scream 2 and Mimic. So The Faculty is more of that? Well no and I'll tell you why. Whatever lack there is of recognizable themes or standard Gothic horror music, there lies the twists, the unique methods and the interesting orchestrations that create this sheer noisy experience.
And it literally opens that way in "Playing with Scissors", a brief atonal sting that heightens the senses. The laid back "The Faculty: Extra Credit" already shows you a unique twist, presenting standard Beltrami maneuvers in a fascinating and stirring climax (listen to the Goldsmith hints here why don't ya). Same for the horrific hints of Poltergeist mixed in a fanfare-terrific and pounding exercise that is magnificently called "Alien at Heart"
The theme of track 3 returns shockingly rocking in "Too Cool for School", Deck the Halls", "Stanning Tall" and "Pop, Pop, Fizz, Fizz" are atonal attacks on the senses where Beltrami inserts enough musical sfx to keep it mysterious and interesting. And when the sfx lay down, all you get is rhythmic atonality in "Zeek & the Geek". No rest for the aliens in "Ridden Hard" and "Drugs Kill", especially when Casey injects a little home design in a creature that's just exploring her new body. The atonal climax by far is enough to handle, so some respite is needed with the piano based "Sleeping Booty" and the guitar / piano led "Hot for Teacher".
The Faculty has all the trademarks of a traditional horror score, but makes the experience all the more rewarding by keeping it slick, fast paced and just a touch of times daringly innovative. Marco Beltrami infuses both his typical stings in a zany, rhythmic and quirky experience that quite essentially spells out Robert Rodriguez strong points. A bonus side is also that all the tracks flow into one another, keeping the pace in the listening experience. And that's cool considering it only lasts about 29 minutes anyway. For a Beltrami enthusiast, The Faculty has very brief highlights, but an overall fascinating horror sound nonetheless. Making it a score that definitely works on the technical scale. And that's okay when it lasts just some 29 minutes anyway.
Tracklisting
1. Playing With Scissors (0.26)
2. Heavy Drinkers (0.37)
3. The Faculty: Extra Credit (2.55)
4. Prep Talk (1.23)
5. Alien at Heart (1.49)
6. Too Cool For School (2.36)
7. Hot & Scaly (1.30)
8. Roof Surfing (0.47)
9. Deck the Halls (1.10)
10. Casey (0.42)
11. Stanning Tall (1.45)
12. Singing In The Rain (0.21)
13. Pop, Pop, Fizz, Fizz (1.40)
14. She's a Breeder (0.48)
15. Worm Takes a Dip (1.31)
16. Zeke & the Geek (2.24)
17. Ridden Hard (2.19)
18. Drugs Kill (1.38)
19. Sleeping Booty (0.41)
20. Hot For Teacher (2.02)
Total Length: 29.15
Of course only one man was capable of putting all that into one cinematic soundscape. And that was horror composer at that time Marco Beltrami. Because by the time, he already gave the world a horror mask with Scream, Scream 2 and Mimic. So The Faculty is more of that? Well no and I'll tell you why. Whatever lack there is of recognizable themes or standard Gothic horror music, there lies the twists, the unique methods and the interesting orchestrations that create this sheer noisy experience.
And it literally opens that way in "Playing with Scissors", a brief atonal sting that heightens the senses. The laid back "The Faculty: Extra Credit" already shows you a unique twist, presenting standard Beltrami maneuvers in a fascinating and stirring climax (listen to the Goldsmith hints here why don't ya). Same for the horrific hints of Poltergeist mixed in a fanfare-terrific and pounding exercise that is magnificently called "Alien at Heart"
The theme of track 3 returns shockingly rocking in "Too Cool for School", Deck the Halls", "Stanning Tall" and "Pop, Pop, Fizz, Fizz" are atonal attacks on the senses where Beltrami inserts enough musical sfx to keep it mysterious and interesting. And when the sfx lay down, all you get is rhythmic atonality in "Zeek & the Geek". No rest for the aliens in "Ridden Hard" and "Drugs Kill", especially when Casey injects a little home design in a creature that's just exploring her new body. The atonal climax by far is enough to handle, so some respite is needed with the piano based "Sleeping Booty" and the guitar / piano led "Hot for Teacher".
The Faculty has all the trademarks of a traditional horror score, but makes the experience all the more rewarding by keeping it slick, fast paced and just a touch of times daringly innovative. Marco Beltrami infuses both his typical stings in a zany, rhythmic and quirky experience that quite essentially spells out Robert Rodriguez strong points. A bonus side is also that all the tracks flow into one another, keeping the pace in the listening experience. And that's cool considering it only lasts about 29 minutes anyway. For a Beltrami enthusiast, The Faculty has very brief highlights, but an overall fascinating horror sound nonetheless. Making it a score that definitely works on the technical scale. And that's okay when it lasts just some 29 minutes anyway.
Tracklisting
1. Playing With Scissors (0.26)
2. Heavy Drinkers (0.37)
3. The Faculty: Extra Credit (2.55)
4. Prep Talk (1.23)
5. Alien at Heart (1.49)
6. Too Cool For School (2.36)
7. Hot & Scaly (1.30)
8. Roof Surfing (0.47)
9. Deck the Halls (1.10)
10. Casey (0.42)
11. Stanning Tall (1.45)
12. Singing In The Rain (0.21)
13. Pop, Pop, Fizz, Fizz (1.40)
14. She's a Breeder (0.48)
15. Worm Takes a Dip (1.31)
16. Zeke & the Geek (2.24)
17. Ridden Hard (2.19)
18. Drugs Kill (1.38)
19. Sleeping Booty (0.41)
20. Hot For Teacher (2.02)
Total Length: 29.15