Don't be Afraid of the Dark
Buck Sanders and Marco Beltrami
" Don't be afraid to check it out! "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Director Troy Nixey got the directing job for Don't be Afraid of the Dark after some of his drawings landed with Guillermo Del Toro. And so Del Toro (who wrote the screenplay for the movie) thought that Nixey was the right man for the job. Yet even though the movie did reasonably well with critics and audiences, it lacked the edge Del Toro usually added to his movies. However the influence of Del Toro wasn't far away, especially due to the musical score of his known collaborator Marco Beltrami (and assisting composer Buck Sanders).
The 2 composers have worked together on The Hurt Locker and Max Payne before, and no one doubted the 2 wouldn't deliver on Don't be Afraid of the Dark again. In fact, I don't think there's a better composer for the gig than Marco Beltrami. Which brings me to the point that it's quite sad Don't be Afraid of the Dark lacks some gusto, especially when one eagerly wanted to compare it with Mimic and Hellboy (2 of Beltrami's crowing achievements).
The opening of the album promises a lot though. The utterly romantic main theme shines in "Gramophone Lullaby" and the unnerving rhythms fuel the delicious vocal work of that very same main theme in the outstanding (yet brief) "Don't be Afraid of the Dark Main Titles". This opening alone creates an anticipation that's rarely matched again. Sure, the music remains well written and functions incredibly well with the movie, but rarely do we receive that romantic blush, or that outstanding Gothic allure ever again.
The main theme played on a music box tone gone awry in "Lamb Lamp Lambency" and the main theme with nice violin accompaniment in "Sally's Lullaby" do give ample time for the main theme to be heard. But even better is the delicious mysteriousness of the romantic music that reaches a small crescendo in "Garden Music", or the sinister edge of the piano effect that raises a few hairs in "Into the Basement".
Don't be Afraid of the Dark rarely turns to the horrific, but when it does, it's loud, sturdy and effective. "Gardener gets Snipped" turns horrific near the end with a loud propulsive climax, a lonely vocal erupts an atonal surprise in "Bed Bugs" and the trio "The Library", "Goblins in the Garage" and "Goblin Trouble" heighten the senses with brass bursts, rhythm changes and uneasy creepiness. They tend to crawl towards the standard Beltrami maneuvers, but they sound deliciously horrific nonetheless. Especially the final one is 7 minutes of horror delight.
In between that the lovely main theme returns to sooth us in "Treesome", and after it we receive a proper (yet brief) orchestral finish in "Return to Blackwood".
Don't be Afraid of the Dark lacks the complexity Marco Beltrami can put in his horror music (Scream and The Faculty), and it forgets to elevate the sound with the Gothic twist we know he can deliver (Hellboy and Mimic). Basically Don't be Afraid of the Dark forgets to deliver the punch that makes a Beltrami martini special. Luckily Don't be Afraid of the Dark is still above par, because Beltrami is like Christopher Young. Even when he doesn't deliver his best, he's still better than most of them. But I have to admit that the first 10 tracks make a difference, considering without them it would have been standard Beltrami horror music.
Tracklisting
1. Gramophone Lullaby (1.27)
2. Don't be Afraid of the Dark Main Titles (1.23) Excellent track
3. Sally Arrives at Blackpool Manor (2.42)
4. Lamb Lamp Lambency (1.07)
5. Sally's Lullaby (2.14)
6. Garden Music (2.24) Excellent track
7. Into the Basement (3.20)
8. Sneaky Sally (0.50)
9. Silly Sally (2.11)
10. Tooth Fairy's Gift (1.24)
11. Gardener gets Snipped (5.32)
12. Treesome (2.46)
13. Don't Turn out the Lights (2.05)
14. Bed Bugs (1.43)
15. Shrink Rap (1.22)
16. Sally Leaves (2.51)
17. The Library (4.02)
18. Goblins in the Garage (3.59)
19. Goblin Trouble (7.35) Excellent track
20. Return to Blackwood (2.39)
21. Voices from the Pit (1.24)
Total Length: 54.50
The 2 composers have worked together on The Hurt Locker and Max Payne before, and no one doubted the 2 wouldn't deliver on Don't be Afraid of the Dark again. In fact, I don't think there's a better composer for the gig than Marco Beltrami. Which brings me to the point that it's quite sad Don't be Afraid of the Dark lacks some gusto, especially when one eagerly wanted to compare it with Mimic and Hellboy (2 of Beltrami's crowing achievements).
The opening of the album promises a lot though. The utterly romantic main theme shines in "Gramophone Lullaby" and the unnerving rhythms fuel the delicious vocal work of that very same main theme in the outstanding (yet brief) "Don't be Afraid of the Dark Main Titles". This opening alone creates an anticipation that's rarely matched again. Sure, the music remains well written and functions incredibly well with the movie, but rarely do we receive that romantic blush, or that outstanding Gothic allure ever again.
The main theme played on a music box tone gone awry in "Lamb Lamp Lambency" and the main theme with nice violin accompaniment in "Sally's Lullaby" do give ample time for the main theme to be heard. But even better is the delicious mysteriousness of the romantic music that reaches a small crescendo in "Garden Music", or the sinister edge of the piano effect that raises a few hairs in "Into the Basement".
Don't be Afraid of the Dark rarely turns to the horrific, but when it does, it's loud, sturdy and effective. "Gardener gets Snipped" turns horrific near the end with a loud propulsive climax, a lonely vocal erupts an atonal surprise in "Bed Bugs" and the trio "The Library", "Goblins in the Garage" and "Goblin Trouble" heighten the senses with brass bursts, rhythm changes and uneasy creepiness. They tend to crawl towards the standard Beltrami maneuvers, but they sound deliciously horrific nonetheless. Especially the final one is 7 minutes of horror delight.
In between that the lovely main theme returns to sooth us in "Treesome", and after it we receive a proper (yet brief) orchestral finish in "Return to Blackwood".
Don't be Afraid of the Dark lacks the complexity Marco Beltrami can put in his horror music (Scream and The Faculty), and it forgets to elevate the sound with the Gothic twist we know he can deliver (Hellboy and Mimic). Basically Don't be Afraid of the Dark forgets to deliver the punch that makes a Beltrami martini special. Luckily Don't be Afraid of the Dark is still above par, because Beltrami is like Christopher Young. Even when he doesn't deliver his best, he's still better than most of them. But I have to admit that the first 10 tracks make a difference, considering without them it would have been standard Beltrami horror music.
Tracklisting
1. Gramophone Lullaby (1.27)
2. Don't be Afraid of the Dark Main Titles (1.23) Excellent track
3. Sally Arrives at Blackpool Manor (2.42)
4. Lamb Lamp Lambency (1.07)
5. Sally's Lullaby (2.14)
6. Garden Music (2.24) Excellent track
7. Into the Basement (3.20)
8. Sneaky Sally (0.50)
9. Silly Sally (2.11)
10. Tooth Fairy's Gift (1.24)
11. Gardener gets Snipped (5.32)
12. Treesome (2.46)
13. Don't Turn out the Lights (2.05)
14. Bed Bugs (1.43)
15. Shrink Rap (1.22)
16. Sally Leaves (2.51)
17. The Library (4.02)
18. Goblins in the Garage (3.59)
19. Goblin Trouble (7.35) Excellent track
20. Return to Blackwood (2.39)
21. Voices from the Pit (1.24)
Total Length: 54.50