Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth
Randy Miller
" feels like a giant step back from Young's music "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
With the departure of so many crew members (including the main actress and composer), it felt like Hellraiser was going one way only. And that was downhill. Creatively it was never going be the same again. And the question was, how would it turn out musically with the departure of creative mastermind Christopher Young? Hellraiser 2: Hellbound is a tough (even a downright improbable) task to equal, and the hard job for Randy Miller was to compete and create a world where Hellraiser and his Cenobites would feel at home in.
It was only evident that the themes would return since it is that defining sound which musically defines Hellraiser in all its doings. And yet Randy Miller or the producers didn't feel eye to eye on that subject matter. Why so little returns is beyond me, but suddenly it doesn't feel like a Hellraiser score anymore. It is understandable that a composer always carries his own style into an already established product. And to copy the entire sound for Hellraiser III wasn't the way to go either, because we film music fans demand originality. And yet big things are missing in Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.
Randy Miller opens with "Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth" and you can't ask for a more different tone from the Christopher Young scores. There's a rhythmic tone and a choir that states the choral fanfare of the second movie, and yet it doesn't feel like it is Hellraiser. It becomes clear in the following tracks. "Back to Hell" is a nice track all the same, going into action territory with enough spicy brass work to get things going. But it feels like a different horror score, despite the statement of the lullaby theme as a fanfare at the end.
Perhaps what really didn't need to change was the Cenobites' musical representation. Forget the atmospheric sound design, clangs and unnerving atonal music that Young created. Here you have basically a fully orchestral piece where nothing of the ugly danger is present that made Young's ideas so intense. Perhaps it is this what bugs me the most when listening to Hellraiser III.
The 13 minute "Pinhead's Protégés / The Devil's Mass" is for a long time a non stop orchestral action track, throwing in anything but Young's music. This until the end where Young's choral fanfare returns (including a terrible awkward and weak fanfare that ruins the rest of the good music). The choral fanfare in "Gothic Rebirth" is a nice piece though, albeit a bit short.
The growing "Mind Invasion" uses a part of the choral fanfare to quote its intentions, while the mysterious "The Pillar" is quite soft and unnerving. And perhaps of all the musical selections, "Elliot's Story" is the closest one that resembles Young's music. The string opening, the brief but welcome sound design, and the moment where Miller inserts the themes of Young into his music. It all feels more like Hellraiser in tone and it makes me sad that the entire score couldn't have been like this. It would have made it a far better musical soundtrack in the end.
Because you must be honest and true. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a fine score on itself, but it feels like a giant step back from Young's music. This because it doesn't contain the feel and the sound of the Hellraiser movies. But above all, there isn't a statement of the Cenobites sound design, despite the movie dealing the entire time around them. This is like throwing everything away what stands for something, just because you want to give it a new look. This is a shame because in moments it felt like Randy Miller actually could make it worth your while. It doesn't change the fact that Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a nice orchestral horror score. But it just doesn't sound like a Hellraiser score, and that was the general idea I think.
Tracklisting
1. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (2.11)
2. Back to Hell (4.38)
3. Cenobites' Death Dance (2.29)
4. Pinhead's Proteges / The Devil's Mass (12.51)
5. Come to Daddy (2.41)
6. Gothic Rebirth (1.05)
7. Emergency Room (6.33)
8. Mind Invasion (2.41)
9. The Pillar (4.08)
10. Elliot's Story (5.13)
11. Shall We Begin? (2.05)
Total Length: 46.40
It was only evident that the themes would return since it is that defining sound which musically defines Hellraiser in all its doings. And yet Randy Miller or the producers didn't feel eye to eye on that subject matter. Why so little returns is beyond me, but suddenly it doesn't feel like a Hellraiser score anymore. It is understandable that a composer always carries his own style into an already established product. And to copy the entire sound for Hellraiser III wasn't the way to go either, because we film music fans demand originality. And yet big things are missing in Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.
Randy Miller opens with "Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth" and you can't ask for a more different tone from the Christopher Young scores. There's a rhythmic tone and a choir that states the choral fanfare of the second movie, and yet it doesn't feel like it is Hellraiser. It becomes clear in the following tracks. "Back to Hell" is a nice track all the same, going into action territory with enough spicy brass work to get things going. But it feels like a different horror score, despite the statement of the lullaby theme as a fanfare at the end.
Perhaps what really didn't need to change was the Cenobites' musical representation. Forget the atmospheric sound design, clangs and unnerving atonal music that Young created. Here you have basically a fully orchestral piece where nothing of the ugly danger is present that made Young's ideas so intense. Perhaps it is this what bugs me the most when listening to Hellraiser III.
The 13 minute "Pinhead's Protégés / The Devil's Mass" is for a long time a non stop orchestral action track, throwing in anything but Young's music. This until the end where Young's choral fanfare returns (including a terrible awkward and weak fanfare that ruins the rest of the good music). The choral fanfare in "Gothic Rebirth" is a nice piece though, albeit a bit short.
The growing "Mind Invasion" uses a part of the choral fanfare to quote its intentions, while the mysterious "The Pillar" is quite soft and unnerving. And perhaps of all the musical selections, "Elliot's Story" is the closest one that resembles Young's music. The string opening, the brief but welcome sound design, and the moment where Miller inserts the themes of Young into his music. It all feels more like Hellraiser in tone and it makes me sad that the entire score couldn't have been like this. It would have made it a far better musical soundtrack in the end.
Because you must be honest and true. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a fine score on itself, but it feels like a giant step back from Young's music. This because it doesn't contain the feel and the sound of the Hellraiser movies. But above all, there isn't a statement of the Cenobites sound design, despite the movie dealing the entire time around them. This is like throwing everything away what stands for something, just because you want to give it a new look. This is a shame because in moments it felt like Randy Miller actually could make it worth your while. It doesn't change the fact that Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a nice orchestral horror score. But it just doesn't sound like a Hellraiser score, and that was the general idea I think.
Tracklisting
1. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (2.11)
2. Back to Hell (4.38)
3. Cenobites' Death Dance (2.29)
4. Pinhead's Proteges / The Devil's Mass (12.51)
5. Come to Daddy (2.41)
6. Gothic Rebirth (1.05)
7. Emergency Room (6.33)
8. Mind Invasion (2.41)
9. The Pillar (4.08)
10. Elliot's Story (5.13)
11. Shall We Begin? (2.05)
Total Length: 46.40