31 Days 31 Scores
October 2nd
“The demon wolf is not evil, unless the man he has bitten is evil. And it feels good to be a wolf, doesn’t it?”
Happy October, my favourite month, and welcome to the 2016 edition of 31 Days 31 scores.
The 80’s and early 90’s saw a renaissance for the horror genre. Many what are now classic horror films come out of that time period. Included in that is the Mike Nichols directed 1994 film Wolf with music by Ennio Morricone. Morricone was no stranger to horror films as he had written music for such directors as Dario Argento and John Carpenter. Morricone is well known for, especially for his Argento scores, for making something out of almost nothing. In this case however, Morricone had a large orchestra to work with and more than likely a budget to match. The score is lush and full with many creepy elements that elevate the score. While the score does have a traditional feel to it. The score begins with an almost romantic feel with the cue “Wolf and Love”. From there it has some great creepy classic themes that run throughout the score with a vibe that is hard to beat. An unusual part of the score is a piano theme that runs its way through the score from time to time. While it sometimes distracts from the larger score it was an interesting choice for Morricone. Another interesting choice made by Morricone is his use of what sounds like muted trumpet in the cue “The Howl and the City”. The trumpet sounds like a howling wolf and is quite effective. It’s a shame that this score is not talked about more as it is a solid addition to the Morricone line up and is definitely worth the listen. The score clocks in at just under 65 minutes and was released on the Columbia/Sony Classical label.
Join me tomorrow for more 31 Days 31 Scores where “You thought it was a just a story… but it’s real.”