Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
dessertatopn so far...
This dissertation I will explore the role of music in horror films and in what way this makes the film and the emotion come to life through the power of music.
This arises from my interest in filmmaking, where a study of music and sound has broadened my personal understanding of horror films and the emotions and feelings being conveyed in them. Music and sound enables the film maker to convey horror more intensely and gives greater power to the storyline. It is arguable that music can convey emotion more powerfully than sound effects or visuals do on their own. This can be measured by a simple experiment- if you were to watch a horror film without the musical backing it would undoubtedly be less frightening.
Psycho, the music was essential to the mood, and some extended scenes... like Marion's long drive to the Bates Motel... were entirely dependent upon the soundtrack. The music goes far beyond the famous screeching violins, and sets the unbalanced, trembling tone for the whole film.( http://benefitofthedoubt.miksimum.com/2008/09/hitchcock-theories-on-birds-and-psycho.html)
Most horror films have a wide range of music from any thing to actual song or an orchestra. Often people assume horror film soundtracks are fairly low brow
Are some sounds worthier than others eg classical rather than pop, symphony rather than a horror film sound track (Lastra, J. in Altman R, p74)
but many use highly complicated classical pieces of music for example if you take the new Omen that is a really good example of orchestra music, mainly Christian orchestra though as this makes it a lot more horrific as it is do with the child of Satan. The fact that they are using Christian music to portray the sheer horror makes it even worse because it could be argued that the devil and Christians don’t exactly go hand in hand .Also it could be seen as blasphemy as well using the music of Christians that is sung in “god’s house” to make the child of Satan look even more terrifying than he already is.
Another side of music in horror films are actual songs by recognised bands, using the construction of the song- verse, chorus, verse, pre chorus etc. It is rare that the whole song would be used but parts of the song will be selected to fit to the emotion that is being shown. For example the film Planet Terror which is a collaboration and dedication- a tribute- to all the other horror film that have been so influential to all other director. Music is used, for example when they come out of the police station and the zombie’s start attacking the station. The heavy metal riff comes in, which is more to add to the action part but still works with the horror aspect as kind of drives the horror into with this fast paced song.
This study will look at pieces of music as opposed to songs. Not all horror films use song. If you take Texas Chainsaw Massacre, at the beginning you see that a lot of the horror sound music is more a long droning sound but at the same time it has a structure to it and it is made into a piece of music.
In almost every horror film there is a musical motif for a character and this is probably one of the strongest points to be made about music in the film, as this gives you the idea of what is going to happen. You don’t exactly know its going to happened but you know it’s going to be some thing bad. For example when leather face kills the manger of the slaughterhouse and then picks up the chainsaw his motif kicks in to play and this you know this it the start of the Texas chainsaw massacre, and that does send a shiver down your spine as you that the worse is yet to come, and also in Dracula when Jonathon Haker goes into the room with the bed and starts to hear women’s voices and the motif for Dracula comes in, you know again something dreadful is going to happen. As he sits down there is a build of this music and then soon as they are about it bite him and feed on him Dracula comes in and that’s when the full horror of his music come in.
This study will present analysis of how horror is brought to life by music in 3 horror films by using audio visual methods.
film maker
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary antagonist the vampire Count Dracula.
In this film Dracula has a motif this first comes into plat at 1:00minuet in to the film when is off to was and carries out until he curses at god and stabs the cross on the alter, it then comes up numerous of times in the film, this certain motif for Dracula is very drone and use with orchestral instruments witch give you an image of grate evil and horror like Alfred Hitchoks psycho shower scene is use with high pitch violins to represent the stabbing but with this song its more slower and deeper but then build up to a fast and higher pitch witch can be representing the rage of Dracula and then this exploding in what he does in the intro it stab the cross with a sword, the second time this motif comes up is when Keanu reeves character Jonathan Harker laughs at Dracula’s portrait and Dracula then pulls out a sword on him. And then goes on to talk about blood-Dracula life force and how he is the last of his kind, but then Harker ask for forgiveness and then music dies down, not building up or exploding in hatred or anger so this proves my point about his motif
At 16:47 there’s this sad and hight pitched music that comes in although the violins deliver a sad and almost pathetic sound there is a the droning sound of a cello or double bass making the horror part of this stand out, the two work rather well together, creating the emotion of sadness but then reminding you that is Dracula and that he is evil and that is done by the low parts.
At 22:00-22:35 the camera pans over to the mina murryand then it all becomes dark an this weird music box music come in and a shadow goes over her the shadow is Dracula’s but its had a windy noise in the back ground making it more sinister and more horror like and the music comes to a slow down almost to a stop creating a more scary atmosphere putting a little more fear in the viewer.
24:13 this is a build up to what I call evil the music extremely sinister and slow getting louder and louder until then the insane man attack the doctor and then the music kicks in full blast.
28:12 Dracula crawls down the wall and this slow almost fantasy music comes in what make t fantasy is that the harp us pretty predominant in this part but still is weird seeing a man crawl down a vertical wall.
31:00-34:08 Again this motif of Dracula music comes in again when Jonathan Harker get seduced by the female vampire but this time is starts out soft with cellos and very smooth as he is get touched but the vampire then it get worse and as the situation gets worse the music get more louder and rough as the try to feed on him then when Dracula come in the fill blow evilness off the music comes in and dies down but then stars up again with the droning cellos again.
37:00-42:00the camera pans over the zoo and a similar sort of motif comes in but this time is different with a quire over the top of it sound like a hyme of some sort and then has a woman on her own adding to the intensity of this, also shows you Dracula in a were wolf form as well and lucy the red head has hear Dracula’s call and then gone out to find him in the garden, the music when she roaming around looking for is that of just 3notes (like “Halloween” and “jaw” bother there motif have just 3 note but work stupidly well and there are know around the world) and also this has a group of men song over the top of it, it is quite a slow sounding music but then it has short sharp notes when he close to the werewolf and then violins kick when he has bitten her, this could represent him sinking his teeth into Lucy’s neck this could be her turning point to evil?
49:50 the motif comes in again when Dracula dances with his love and she figures out who Dracula really is and he try to bite her and at the peak of the song he cannot bring him self to do it.
55:45 a very quite and soft melody is played but its still a bit airy and then thing take to worse and more evil essence
57:04 the music in this part practically has a lot of tensioning it you can tell just buy listening to the music and also puts fearing to the part of this.
101:02-101:53 wired music box music again but this time he is try to seduces her also sound like a carnival music…
116:47 again this is what I call a build of evil in this particular part Dracula is going to find his "love" but she gone to marry her fenoce and the music build up to a grate sense of evil and it has Christian orchestra feel and image to it but as it builds up it a final explosion of music loud and powerful as if all hell was let loose.
124:03 reminds me again of psycho with sharp stabbing notes but this time there driving a steak though her heart and then finally cut her head off but the music in this is not exactly the same it builds up and it does give the view a chill down your spine just from the music.
Dracula’s motif comes in nearly every time Dracula is angry or if some other vampire is feeding or going to reed on a victim, this is most likely that is shows a grate evil feeding on a human vampires are supposed to Satan angles or devils children, witch explains the evil and sinister music that come into the act of evil that
is done
more in-depth notes
at the begging Dracula is about to go to war he kisses Elesabeta this show a lot of passion, he then goes to war and the music builds up ad get mote intense just as the war does this is shown by him impaling and killing other soldiers, I came up with another idea fir the wall crawling part as well this has more fantasy aspects than I though as he is crawling down the wall it reminded me of spider man but he more like a super hero’s villain or bad guy , witch adds more fantasy to this part. When Lucy runs out into the garden to find Dracula she is lost in a trance and the music portrays this y the 3note of the toy piano it gave me the feeling that he was lost and not in this world more hypnotised , the red dress he is wearing can be to represent lust and red has connotation with love and position but also with anger, when Dracula bits her the Sharpe note indicate that the fangs are sinking through her skin, her conversion to evil.
Also when Harker is having some orgy with the other vampire probably Draculas wife’s or “bitches” when they are caressing him the notes are soft lie the way they are touching him but when they star to feed on him the tempo quickens and the motif for Dracula comes in, then Dracula burst in to the room and tells them top get away from Harker as he belongs to him, they the ask “do we not get to eat” then throws them a baby to eat this is when the motif is a at is full because this is a grate act of evil that has bin done..
When draucla ana mina are alone in the bedroom he tells her exactly what he is and a slow evil music begging to hit him in anger the music get launder and launder as she refuses to believe him, it then cuts to doctor van helsing blessing a fire soft long cello sound comes into show acts of good it almost sounds angelic/heavenly sounding when the tow are kissing soft music comes in to show that Dracula has a soft humane side to him even though he calls him self a monster, and the fact they want to be together is evidence of this, but the only way to do this is if he becomes a vampire to and he cant bring him self to do this, as we seen earlier on in the film, the music builds up when she is trying to drink from him, the blood music to show their passion for each other ot the strength of their love.
Original note from the chapter
chapter one-2:00
4:20-5:10
chapter two-2:30-2:50
3:35-3:54-musicbox
4:43-4:42-sound
chapter three-0:30-0:34-noise
2:00-2:38
4:20-4:38-romantic/sad
6:00-6:06-sound again
10:00-10:18-werid music box
12:55-13:11-creepy
14:28-14:30-sound
16:47-16:57-high pitched
chapter four-1:00-1:40
3:10-3:30-build up of evil
chapter six-0:43-end
chapter seven-0:56-strange to worse
2:15-2:22-marching
chapter 8-2:33 build up
chapter nine-1:30-1:40-sad music bout love
chapter ten- 3:46 motif? for darcular
6:00-6:12-sudctive music in away
chapter 12-0:20-0:43 motif again for vampires?
1:50-2:00-quite epic back ground music
4:50-5:10 mystic seduction
chapter 14- 5:00-5:16-motif
chapter 15-4:47-6:46-build up of evil again
chapter 17-0:50 suspense
chapter 18-0:32-1:20- seduction build up to nothing
2:40-3:10-sadness build up
5:30-5:45-senses of accomplishment
11:30- motif
chapter 19-0:56-weird mystical again
Texas chainsaw massacre
3:00-3:40 the music in this is so unbelievable sinister it sound like Satan him self has made this the pat in the film is were the mother has died and a tramp Luna Mea has found leather face in the bin as a babe so like an other fucked up Texan would do she took it home, the music really give u and idea and feel of what the TCM family are really like twisted! The music is realy long low note but some sort of melody behind them as a drum beat or as a few simple notes, the particular music, I think is leather face motif as it come into play when first get his chain saw and at the end when he is walking into the darkness.
11:50-12:44 after leather face has bin told to leave he goes to kill the manger this music adds to the killing but also to the action but im not looking at the action part when he hits the manager the music is a slow noise sort of music and this give me the idea that he not feeling about any thing that he is doing when it comes to killing, almost that he is in a trance and the music help to portray that.
12:55-137:17-this again I think is the leather face motif when he gains his legendary chainsaw the music is almost disturbing to a appoint hat he now taken the chainsaw and you know what he is going to do with it
16:56-17:225 the father or adopted father of leather face has killed the sheriff and has taken his cloths to become the sheriff him self the music that come into play when he is putting on the uniform is how to say wrong, as he has just killed the only sheriff and now is posing as the law him self witch is also wrong so you view knowing this think that is wrong and the music in this part back it up very well and add more fear and horror to it, as he is seen as a horror him self.
29:12-29:49 this again sound like the motif but then this add more horror to the face the she knows this “sheriff that that come to help just killed the biker and has now go off with her friends and she by her self.
42:20- 43:27the music in the seen is more scary than any thing as Dean and Eric are stuck and one is wanting to get away and but the sheriff is beating him so he has no energy this more or of a moral horror as it make feel how could some body do that to some one the music does emprises the beating that the boy is getting and the twisted the mother Luda is wiping the dirt from the girls forehead whilst she sing a nursery rhyme
59:00- this more gore but the horror aspect is still pretty strong through out this bit leather face cut the bike in half with a chainsaw again the music similar to the motif because it has the orestera feel to it and the heavy drone sound with the drums but its not till 100:0 that the actual motif kick in to the full blow power
101:48-103: 22gain the motif represents the horror and the actual twisted ness of Lethe face and how his mask came to be, with music so slow and horrifying this really put fear and horror into the viewer. It does give u the image of some thing satanic if not devilish. the orchestra give a more satanic feel it again some thing that is not ment to be. The music after the Chrissie friend has just seen her boyfriend get his face taken off is rather interesting, as I think it reminds me of some thing out of the resident evil games long mysterious notes and very deep.
109:55 the family is sitting down to have tea and the music creepy as fuck this kind of sound like leather faces motif but this has more violins in it and when “Hoyt” say grace It builds up with the drums and string combing in leading u to feel some thing bad going to happened but then he just stop saying grace.
113:32 this music’s would strik fear into any one its very jumpy the begging with sort abrupt notes and a strange drum beat sound very industrial.
115:55 this is were leather face is chasing the girl through the woods with his legendary chainsaw so the music needs to be fast and epic the violins to make you feel as if the music is running with and that every step is a stroke on the strings.
120:30-121:22 leather face finally get them all when you think its all over he in back seat of the car and put the chainsaw through Chrissie and the seat and then he walks off in to the darkness carrying his chain saw and then his motif kick and really dark and evil ending with this music as if say you’ll see him another day some time soon…
to say this is a prequel I don’t think that its to bad to be honest even though a lot of the music to influence the action and the violence and so much the horror it still deliver the horror in a way not as much as the original Texas chainsaw massacre
but if you take leather faces motif that is extremely evil I think witch make the horror aspect of it stand out a lot lot more. Also that long droning sound is very powerful as if you take the scene of were leather face has just kill the manager of the slaughter house, you feel almost that he is in a trance when he kills him and a sense of limbo that leather face has no sympathy for what he just like he is in a trance when he killing some as there no emotion portage through the music.
Also when the adopted father of leather face up on the uniform of the sheriff that he killed the music doesn’t make you fell comfortable, as if to say it wrong some body like him is wearing a uniform of authority, only because you know what he is like some fucked up twisted, and that get proven when he meet the biker girl at the crash site, he just shoots her with the shotgun.
More in-depth notes
When letherface kills the manager fast orchestral music comes in but only for the first 2 hits, this then startles the viewer and the blows to the head startles the manager as well this is why there is only a few seconds of the music
After this he see a chainsaw on the table the motif starts of this , the camera then pans down to a full view of the chainsaw and this is when the motif has its full power striking fear in to the viewer. Then you see him walk down the road like his “mother” did when she found him this could be to show a new mark in his life when all of this group is in the car this is a really good example of how music goes from diageic to non-digetic as the music comes when there going down the road it then quietens down to a almost bad sound but then you realise it coming from the radio now, when letherface gains his new mask slow sad horrible music comes in this contradicts it self as there is a grate act of horror going on hear, but on the other hand it can show the feeling or emotion that Chrissie is going through to watch her boy friend get his face take off and then this complied twisted man out it on him slef, the music is a variation of the motif to with where he is it’s a very dingy dark flooded celler and them music is grim and horrid to represent this.
psycho
When Marrion Crane boss see her in the car leaving with the money the music becomes very shape and very qui to represent panic
Again this I is seen when the police car is following her again to rep resent panic in her
The music in when she is about to go into the fruit cupboard is all over the place and then when Marrion find the body it quietens down and then after the scream the “stabbing violins come in”
When they are look for the money the music is very mysterious as it has long draw out high pitch noise that fade out and in witch create a sense of an enigma
This music almost sound “safe” at the begging with very gentle soft sounds
When the PI is heading to the house this very eerie music comes in and then as it quieten down this deep scary music come into play probably to represent the horror with is about to happen
When the Marrion goes in to the house the music is sounds as though its building up to some thing, kind off warning you some things going to happen
When the PI I get killed the music starts off soft and jumpy then I not a long draw out sinister music as he climbs the stairs then the classic psycho violin come in
This is probably one of the most renowned scean in horror history along with the music the violins add so much more atmospheric as you can feel the sharp blade of the knife your self
When the pi drives off from the hotel is again mysterious but has a sense of wrongness about it like in the Texas chain saw massacre when the father become the new sheriff and the smile at the end add to this
When the psycho is spying on the woman getting undressed the music becomes almost perverted with the strange long high-pitched notes and the plucking of the other stringed instruments.
When the woman who stole the money Marrion Crane is driving and think about what she has down the music again represents her fear and panic as to what she has done this is shown by the fast plunking and the fast notes
Even the title has got you up and ready with its fast all over the place panicky music
When Marrion take the money and puts it into her bag the music becomes very evil and sinister with low and height pitched note.
After he has just Marrion the woman the music the most evil through out this film as he doesn’t care what he has just done the music is very strong and full of body also it builds up t o be more loud s he leaves to get in his car
More in-depth notes
Even the title of this film is a bit psychotic as the sharp note run all over the place like a psycho, it then turns into a melody but then back into the strings all over the place unpredictable just like a psycho, also when her boss see her at the traffic lights
The music is a little variationoin of the title music, this sort of panicky music shows her fear and how scared she is this also happens 3 other time in the film with Marrion Cran,this is due to her guilty mind, as she stole a lot of money, well back in those days. Also when Marrion enters the house and then goes up to the mothers bedroom the music is soft and slow to show a sense of security and safety , as most children find that their mum and dads are the safest room in the house, the only thing that happens in the room is that she see a reflection of her self in the mirror and then when see finds out that it is only her refelction she is relived.
When the psycho walks out of a lodge and down the path with a sinister yet eerie feel behind it this gets deeper until the PI gets out of the car this deep loud sound is to show that the PI is on to the psycho knowing that he is up to no good.
The shower seen Marrion thinks she is nice and safe in the shower, this is even shown by her smiling and having her eyes shut when she is washing her self, sharp fast notes represent the stabbing of her, but then it repeats self to show he is stabbing her repeatedly this is more evidence that he is a psycho, but hen when the slow notes come in this is giving the viewer a sinking feeling as her hands slides down the tile that she is slowly bleeding to death.
Most people will probably agree that orchestral music is the most characteristic type of horror film music (and perhaps film music in general). It has been used since the birth of the genre and even today is the most popular type of music used in horror films, thrillers, and adventure films. One reason why orchestral music is so common in horror films is probably that the open-endedness and great dynamic range of the genre allows the composer to greatly vary his compositions to follow the events in a film. Another reason could be that it is very neutral and appeals to a wide audience, but perhaps the main reason is that powerful orchestral music simply works very well when there is a need to convey emotions and set a certain mood.
i feel that horror music in this genre has the most powerful and has so efmasist on the scene bin shown and to all other genre
Diegesis
Sound in film is termed diegetic if it’s part of the film, for example if a character in the film is listen to the radio the sound is resulted in deigetic, other wise if the music is in the back ground n the character cat hear but only the viewer can this is non-diegetic orin other terms extra diegetic
(examples Texas chainsaw massacre on the road goes from digetic to non/ and Dracula when he tries to bit bite her)
the terminologies of sound
part of cinematic process
original sound before transformation
transformation take place through recording
or reproduction
transformed=better, neutral, more appropriate for the medium
you can never reproduce the same sound because they will have take place at different times
sound is relevant to the horror genre often it is sound rather than music
w got
a sound may be good at representing one thing but less good at another like a photo mite be good at representing formal qualities but bad at representing an object
once you take out it original setting it becomes less authentic=metz?
As we grow up we learn to hear in a particular way, socially constructed-so we leanr what bone crunch scary sound make us frightened or what makes us feel comfortable
(show lether face new mask)
Cinema is a socially produced phenomenon
This can ork to way with putting the emotion in to the film one way can sway it to make you feel as though you are there because you are in such a big dark room and the sound is realy good at a cinema that you can forget were you, as some time you get sucked into the story, but on the other hand it can make you feel that you know were you just sat down in front of a big screen but this I think really happened only with poor films…
Are some sound worthier than others eg classical rather than pop symphony rather than a horror film sound trak
Like if take the classical phyco scean and replace it with britany spears instead I wont hav the same effect
(show 2 clips)
http://www.eng.umu.se/monster/john/sounds/horror_music.wav
this is an example of the sort of classic horror film the sound give u an image of some running away i think, with the sharp quick note this also can be seen in Alfred Hitchcock film psycho" the shower seen"
films witch use a short melody as a symbol for it monster such as Halloween series, witch is about a mad killer Michael Myers. the concept in Halloween in simpler to Friday the 13th, the difference begin that the auditory symbol consist of the 3 note piano melody created by Alan Howarth and is consider one of the most recognisable horror music compositions
http://www.eng.umu.se/monster/john/sounds/halloween.wav
Conclusion
I have come the conclusion that music puts so much emotion and feeling behind a film or a certain seen , from the notorious shower scan by Alfred Hitchcock to the seduction of Elizabeth in Braham stockers Dracula music had a grip on the viewer and take you there into the film as if you were there your very self.
I have look at three different film all from different time periods from the early 60’s to 2006 these all share the same genre but all have different styles of music but they all are horrifying and do a relay good job of making you feel either scared or in pure horror.
If take the earliest film “psycho” this was setting a milestone for all horror films either to live up to this or go home and try again, this film for it time was amazing and very influential thought out the years so many films have taken the music and used it to either represent a killing (the classic shower part) by either take the 3 note staccato or the high pitched violins to, for example if you take Dracula when Lucy is in the red dress and is looking for Dracula when he bites her the violins come in this is to represent the teeth sinking into her neck and in psycho the share high pitched note represent the knife going into Mariana. Also the title is used 3 times in the film to represent panic and to shower her fear , you can see this again in Texas chainsaw massacre the begging, the title music is a variation of letherfaces motif since the film it pretty much about him you can see why they use it a lot more.
The motif for all the films are done extremely well if we take psychos motif this comes into play when he is killing some body or he is the “mother” first time is when kill Mariana in the shower and then when he kills the PI, when he attack the victims the music some in almost straight away with music bin so sharp and fast the so is the killing, the music comes out of nowhere make the view jump, because they are not expecting it , also as if Alfred Hitchcock use’s the element of surprise on the viewer aging this is proven when Marina goes into the fruit cupboard and finds the corpse of his mother when she turns the chair round soon as you see the decrepit face of the mother the music comes in and then it builds up as the psycho burst into the room wilding the knife.
The motif in TCM is very different as it’s a build up and sounds extremely evil and twisted to represent the personality of letherface this comes into play again either when letherface is killing some on or he has bin called for we see this when he acquires his chainsaw and for example he kills the biker that infiltrated there house, the other music in it is extremely evil as well at e.g. When letherface is first found the music is unbelievable evil, this to represent the fact that Thomas Hewitt was found in a bin, that he was so deformed that not even any body in the factory would look after him as there own epically when his mother died in labour! Another horrifying piece of music in this film is when the new sheriff Hoyt is re-born the music as he is putting his uniform on has a grate sense of wrongness about it as he is now the new sheriff and only law enforcement in this small dammed town, and the fact you know what he is going to add to the fear and horror of this.
When he gets his new mask from Dean this is a variation of letherface’s , motif as is probably to mark his new mask and a new chapter in his life, because the mask he now has look more like the one in the original Texas chainsaw massacre , the music is so evil even more than his motif seems this is a variation and not his actual motif this could be to show how truly disturbing he actually is by the music changing slightly shows how letherface is changing as well by getting his new mask almost a new level of evilness and who truly sick he is.
Now Dracula’s motif is more to show his emotion as we see the first piece of music is his motif and as it starts out slow and soft with Chellos and other string instrument it then build up and all the other brass instrument come in and show the full power of it. Then again through out the film it comes in and it does make u scared for example when Harker is get seduced by the vampires he at then of that scean he throws them a baby to eat and the motif back up the shear horror of them eating a baby. The music in Draculas not just his motif is very deep and a lot of emotion attracted to it do with his past life for example how Elizabeth is a recantation of his wife centenary ago, through the music in Dracula it show his emotion as well as his fear, but also to put fear into the viewer.
Most of the music used in these horror films are orchestral and not actual song done by bands, this works very well as it had more of a fear/horror fact to them.
Bibliography
The horror genre-Paul wells
A new heritage of horror- David Pirie
Sound theory and practice- Rick Altman
Texas chainsaw massacre-the begging
Brahm strokes draculare
This arises from my interest in filmmaking, where a study of music and sound has broadened my personal understanding of horror films and the emotions and feelings being conveyed in them. Music and sound enables the film maker to convey horror more intensely and gives greater power to the storyline. It is arguable that music can convey emotion more powerfully than sound effects or visuals do on their own. This can be measured by a simple experiment- if you were to watch a horror film without the musical backing it would undoubtedly be less frightening.
Psycho, the music was essential to the mood, and some extended scenes... like Marion's long drive to the Bates Motel... were entirely dependent upon the soundtrack. The music goes far beyond the famous screeching violins, and sets the unbalanced, trembling tone for the whole film.( http://benefitofthedoubt.miksimum.com/2008/09/hitchcock-theories-on-birds-and-psycho.html)
Most horror films have a wide range of music from any thing to actual song or an orchestra. Often people assume horror film soundtracks are fairly low brow
Are some sounds worthier than others eg classical rather than pop, symphony rather than a horror film sound track (Lastra, J. in Altman R, p74)
but many use highly complicated classical pieces of music for example if you take the new Omen that is a really good example of orchestra music, mainly Christian orchestra though as this makes it a lot more horrific as it is do with the child of Satan. The fact that they are using Christian music to portray the sheer horror makes it even worse because it could be argued that the devil and Christians don’t exactly go hand in hand .Also it could be seen as blasphemy as well using the music of Christians that is sung in “god’s house” to make the child of Satan look even more terrifying than he already is.
Another side of music in horror films are actual songs by recognised bands, using the construction of the song- verse, chorus, verse, pre chorus etc. It is rare that the whole song would be used but parts of the song will be selected to fit to the emotion that is being shown. For example the film Planet Terror which is a collaboration and dedication- a tribute- to all the other horror film that have been so influential to all other director. Music is used, for example when they come out of the police station and the zombie’s start attacking the station. The heavy metal riff comes in, which is more to add to the action part but still works with the horror aspect as kind of drives the horror into with this fast paced song.
This study will look at pieces of music as opposed to songs. Not all horror films use song. If you take Texas Chainsaw Massacre, at the beginning you see that a lot of the horror sound music is more a long droning sound but at the same time it has a structure to it and it is made into a piece of music.
In almost every horror film there is a musical motif for a character and this is probably one of the strongest points to be made about music in the film, as this gives you the idea of what is going to happen. You don’t exactly know its going to happened but you know it’s going to be some thing bad. For example when leather face kills the manger of the slaughterhouse and then picks up the chainsaw his motif kicks in to play and this you know this it the start of the Texas chainsaw massacre, and that does send a shiver down your spine as you that the worse is yet to come, and also in Dracula when Jonathon Haker goes into the room with the bed and starts to hear women’s voices and the motif for Dracula comes in, you know again something dreadful is going to happen. As he sits down there is a build of this music and then soon as they are about it bite him and feed on him Dracula comes in and that’s when the full horror of his music come in.
This study will present analysis of how horror is brought to life by music in 3 horror films by using audio visual methods.
film maker
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary antagonist the vampire Count Dracula.
In this film Dracula has a motif this first comes into plat at 1:00minuet in to the film when is off to was and carries out until he curses at god and stabs the cross on the alter, it then comes up numerous of times in the film, this certain motif for Dracula is very drone and use with orchestral instruments witch give you an image of grate evil and horror like Alfred Hitchoks psycho shower scene is use with high pitch violins to represent the stabbing but with this song its more slower and deeper but then build up to a fast and higher pitch witch can be representing the rage of Dracula and then this exploding in what he does in the intro it stab the cross with a sword, the second time this motif comes up is when Keanu reeves character Jonathan Harker laughs at Dracula’s portrait and Dracula then pulls out a sword on him. And then goes on to talk about blood-Dracula life force and how he is the last of his kind, but then Harker ask for forgiveness and then music dies down, not building up or exploding in hatred or anger so this proves my point about his motif
At 16:47 there’s this sad and hight pitched music that comes in although the violins deliver a sad and almost pathetic sound there is a the droning sound of a cello or double bass making the horror part of this stand out, the two work rather well together, creating the emotion of sadness but then reminding you that is Dracula and that he is evil and that is done by the low parts.
At 22:00-22:35 the camera pans over to the mina murryand then it all becomes dark an this weird music box music come in and a shadow goes over her the shadow is Dracula’s but its had a windy noise in the back ground making it more sinister and more horror like and the music comes to a slow down almost to a stop creating a more scary atmosphere putting a little more fear in the viewer.
24:13 this is a build up to what I call evil the music extremely sinister and slow getting louder and louder until then the insane man attack the doctor and then the music kicks in full blast.
28:12 Dracula crawls down the wall and this slow almost fantasy music comes in what make t fantasy is that the harp us pretty predominant in this part but still is weird seeing a man crawl down a vertical wall.
31:00-34:08 Again this motif of Dracula music comes in again when Jonathan Harker get seduced by the female vampire but this time is starts out soft with cellos and very smooth as he is get touched but the vampire then it get worse and as the situation gets worse the music get more louder and rough as the try to feed on him then when Dracula come in the fill blow evilness off the music comes in and dies down but then stars up again with the droning cellos again.
37:00-42:00the camera pans over the zoo and a similar sort of motif comes in but this time is different with a quire over the top of it sound like a hyme of some sort and then has a woman on her own adding to the intensity of this, also shows you Dracula in a were wolf form as well and lucy the red head has hear Dracula’s call and then gone out to find him in the garden, the music when she roaming around looking for is that of just 3notes (like “Halloween” and “jaw” bother there motif have just 3 note but work stupidly well and there are know around the world) and also this has a group of men song over the top of it, it is quite a slow sounding music but then it has short sharp notes when he close to the werewolf and then violins kick when he has bitten her, this could represent him sinking his teeth into Lucy’s neck this could be her turning point to evil?
49:50 the motif comes in again when Dracula dances with his love and she figures out who Dracula really is and he try to bite her and at the peak of the song he cannot bring him self to do it.
55:45 a very quite and soft melody is played but its still a bit airy and then thing take to worse and more evil essence
57:04 the music in this part practically has a lot of tensioning it you can tell just buy listening to the music and also puts fearing to the part of this.
101:02-101:53 wired music box music again but this time he is try to seduces her also sound like a carnival music…
116:47 again this is what I call a build of evil in this particular part Dracula is going to find his "love" but she gone to marry her fenoce and the music build up to a grate sense of evil and it has Christian orchestra feel and image to it but as it builds up it a final explosion of music loud and powerful as if all hell was let loose.
124:03 reminds me again of psycho with sharp stabbing notes but this time there driving a steak though her heart and then finally cut her head off but the music in this is not exactly the same it builds up and it does give the view a chill down your spine just from the music.
Dracula’s motif comes in nearly every time Dracula is angry or if some other vampire is feeding or going to reed on a victim, this is most likely that is shows a grate evil feeding on a human vampires are supposed to Satan angles or devils children, witch explains the evil and sinister music that come into the act of evil that
is done
more in-depth notes
at the begging Dracula is about to go to war he kisses Elesabeta this show a lot of passion, he then goes to war and the music builds up ad get mote intense just as the war does this is shown by him impaling and killing other soldiers, I came up with another idea fir the wall crawling part as well this has more fantasy aspects than I though as he is crawling down the wall it reminded me of spider man but he more like a super hero’s villain or bad guy , witch adds more fantasy to this part. When Lucy runs out into the garden to find Dracula she is lost in a trance and the music portrays this y the 3note of the toy piano it gave me the feeling that he was lost and not in this world more hypnotised , the red dress he is wearing can be to represent lust and red has connotation with love and position but also with anger, when Dracula bits her the Sharpe note indicate that the fangs are sinking through her skin, her conversion to evil.
Also when Harker is having some orgy with the other vampire probably Draculas wife’s or “bitches” when they are caressing him the notes are soft lie the way they are touching him but when they star to feed on him the tempo quickens and the motif for Dracula comes in, then Dracula burst in to the room and tells them top get away from Harker as he belongs to him, they the ask “do we not get to eat” then throws them a baby to eat this is when the motif is a at is full because this is a grate act of evil that has bin done..
When draucla ana mina are alone in the bedroom he tells her exactly what he is and a slow evil music begging to hit him in anger the music get launder and launder as she refuses to believe him, it then cuts to doctor van helsing blessing a fire soft long cello sound comes into show acts of good it almost sounds angelic/heavenly sounding when the tow are kissing soft music comes in to show that Dracula has a soft humane side to him even though he calls him self a monster, and the fact they want to be together is evidence of this, but the only way to do this is if he becomes a vampire to and he cant bring him self to do this, as we seen earlier on in the film, the music builds up when she is trying to drink from him, the blood music to show their passion for each other ot the strength of their love.
Original note from the chapter
chapter one-2:00
4:20-5:10
chapter two-2:30-2:50
3:35-3:54-musicbox
4:43-4:42-sound
chapter three-0:30-0:34-noise
2:00-2:38
4:20-4:38-romantic/sad
6:00-6:06-sound again
10:00-10:18-werid music box
12:55-13:11-creepy
14:28-14:30-sound
16:47-16:57-high pitched
chapter four-1:00-1:40
3:10-3:30-build up of evil
chapter six-0:43-end
chapter seven-0:56-strange to worse
2:15-2:22-marching
chapter 8-2:33 build up
chapter nine-1:30-1:40-sad music bout love
chapter ten- 3:46 motif? for darcular
6:00-6:12-sudctive music in away
chapter 12-0:20-0:43 motif again for vampires?
1:50-2:00-quite epic back ground music
4:50-5:10 mystic seduction
chapter 14- 5:00-5:16-motif
chapter 15-4:47-6:46-build up of evil again
chapter 17-0:50 suspense
chapter 18-0:32-1:20- seduction build up to nothing
2:40-3:10-sadness build up
5:30-5:45-senses of accomplishment
11:30- motif
chapter 19-0:56-weird mystical again
Texas chainsaw massacre
3:00-3:40 the music in this is so unbelievable sinister it sound like Satan him self has made this the pat in the film is were the mother has died and a tramp Luna Mea has found leather face in the bin as a babe so like an other fucked up Texan would do she took it home, the music really give u and idea and feel of what the TCM family are really like twisted! The music is realy long low note but some sort of melody behind them as a drum beat or as a few simple notes, the particular music, I think is leather face motif as it come into play when first get his chain saw and at the end when he is walking into the darkness.
11:50-12:44 after leather face has bin told to leave he goes to kill the manger this music adds to the killing but also to the action but im not looking at the action part when he hits the manager the music is a slow noise sort of music and this give me the idea that he not feeling about any thing that he is doing when it comes to killing, almost that he is in a trance and the music help to portray that.
12:55-137:17-this again I think is the leather face motif when he gains his legendary chainsaw the music is almost disturbing to a appoint hat he now taken the chainsaw and you know what he is going to do with it
16:56-17:225 the father or adopted father of leather face has killed the sheriff and has taken his cloths to become the sheriff him self the music that come into play when he is putting on the uniform is how to say wrong, as he has just killed the only sheriff and now is posing as the law him self witch is also wrong so you view knowing this think that is wrong and the music in this part back it up very well and add more fear and horror to it, as he is seen as a horror him self.
29:12-29:49 this again sound like the motif but then this add more horror to the face the she knows this “sheriff that that come to help just killed the biker and has now go off with her friends and she by her self.
42:20- 43:27the music in the seen is more scary than any thing as Dean and Eric are stuck and one is wanting to get away and but the sheriff is beating him so he has no energy this more or of a moral horror as it make feel how could some body do that to some one the music does emprises the beating that the boy is getting and the twisted the mother Luda is wiping the dirt from the girls forehead whilst she sing a nursery rhyme
59:00- this more gore but the horror aspect is still pretty strong through out this bit leather face cut the bike in half with a chainsaw again the music similar to the motif because it has the orestera feel to it and the heavy drone sound with the drums but its not till 100:0 that the actual motif kick in to the full blow power
101:48-103: 22gain the motif represents the horror and the actual twisted ness of Lethe face and how his mask came to be, with music so slow and horrifying this really put fear and horror into the viewer. It does give u the image of some thing satanic if not devilish. the orchestra give a more satanic feel it again some thing that is not ment to be. The music after the Chrissie friend has just seen her boyfriend get his face taken off is rather interesting, as I think it reminds me of some thing out of the resident evil games long mysterious notes and very deep.
109:55 the family is sitting down to have tea and the music creepy as fuck this kind of sound like leather faces motif but this has more violins in it and when “Hoyt” say grace It builds up with the drums and string combing in leading u to feel some thing bad going to happened but then he just stop saying grace.
113:32 this music’s would strik fear into any one its very jumpy the begging with sort abrupt notes and a strange drum beat sound very industrial.
115:55 this is were leather face is chasing the girl through the woods with his legendary chainsaw so the music needs to be fast and epic the violins to make you feel as if the music is running with and that every step is a stroke on the strings.
120:30-121:22 leather face finally get them all when you think its all over he in back seat of the car and put the chainsaw through Chrissie and the seat and then he walks off in to the darkness carrying his chain saw and then his motif kick and really dark and evil ending with this music as if say you’ll see him another day some time soon…
to say this is a prequel I don’t think that its to bad to be honest even though a lot of the music to influence the action and the violence and so much the horror it still deliver the horror in a way not as much as the original Texas chainsaw massacre
but if you take leather faces motif that is extremely evil I think witch make the horror aspect of it stand out a lot lot more. Also that long droning sound is very powerful as if you take the scene of were leather face has just kill the manager of the slaughter house, you feel almost that he is in a trance when he kills him and a sense of limbo that leather face has no sympathy for what he just like he is in a trance when he killing some as there no emotion portage through the music.
Also when the adopted father of leather face up on the uniform of the sheriff that he killed the music doesn’t make you fell comfortable, as if to say it wrong some body like him is wearing a uniform of authority, only because you know what he is like some fucked up twisted, and that get proven when he meet the biker girl at the crash site, he just shoots her with the shotgun.
More in-depth notes
When letherface kills the manager fast orchestral music comes in but only for the first 2 hits, this then startles the viewer and the blows to the head startles the manager as well this is why there is only a few seconds of the music
After this he see a chainsaw on the table the motif starts of this , the camera then pans down to a full view of the chainsaw and this is when the motif has its full power striking fear in to the viewer. Then you see him walk down the road like his “mother” did when she found him this could be to show a new mark in his life when all of this group is in the car this is a really good example of how music goes from diageic to non-digetic as the music comes when there going down the road it then quietens down to a almost bad sound but then you realise it coming from the radio now, when letherface gains his new mask slow sad horrible music comes in this contradicts it self as there is a grate act of horror going on hear, but on the other hand it can show the feeling or emotion that Chrissie is going through to watch her boy friend get his face take off and then this complied twisted man out it on him slef, the music is a variation of the motif to with where he is it’s a very dingy dark flooded celler and them music is grim and horrid to represent this.
psycho
When Marrion Crane boss see her in the car leaving with the money the music becomes very shape and very qui to represent panic
Again this I is seen when the police car is following her again to rep resent panic in her
The music in when she is about to go into the fruit cupboard is all over the place and then when Marrion find the body it quietens down and then after the scream the “stabbing violins come in”
When they are look for the money the music is very mysterious as it has long draw out high pitch noise that fade out and in witch create a sense of an enigma
This music almost sound “safe” at the begging with very gentle soft sounds
When the PI is heading to the house this very eerie music comes in and then as it quieten down this deep scary music come into play probably to represent the horror with is about to happen
When the Marrion goes in to the house the music is sounds as though its building up to some thing, kind off warning you some things going to happen
When the PI I get killed the music starts off soft and jumpy then I not a long draw out sinister music as he climbs the stairs then the classic psycho violin come in
This is probably one of the most renowned scean in horror history along with the music the violins add so much more atmospheric as you can feel the sharp blade of the knife your self
When the pi drives off from the hotel is again mysterious but has a sense of wrongness about it like in the Texas chain saw massacre when the father become the new sheriff and the smile at the end add to this
When the psycho is spying on the woman getting undressed the music becomes almost perverted with the strange long high-pitched notes and the plucking of the other stringed instruments.
When the woman who stole the money Marrion Crane is driving and think about what she has down the music again represents her fear and panic as to what she has done this is shown by the fast plunking and the fast notes
Even the title has got you up and ready with its fast all over the place panicky music
When Marrion take the money and puts it into her bag the music becomes very evil and sinister with low and height pitched note.
After he has just Marrion the woman the music the most evil through out this film as he doesn’t care what he has just done the music is very strong and full of body also it builds up t o be more loud s he leaves to get in his car
More in-depth notes
Even the title of this film is a bit psychotic as the sharp note run all over the place like a psycho, it then turns into a melody but then back into the strings all over the place unpredictable just like a psycho, also when her boss see her at the traffic lights
The music is a little variationoin of the title music, this sort of panicky music shows her fear and how scared she is this also happens 3 other time in the film with Marrion Cran,this is due to her guilty mind, as she stole a lot of money, well back in those days. Also when Marrion enters the house and then goes up to the mothers bedroom the music is soft and slow to show a sense of security and safety , as most children find that their mum and dads are the safest room in the house, the only thing that happens in the room is that she see a reflection of her self in the mirror and then when see finds out that it is only her refelction she is relived.
When the psycho walks out of a lodge and down the path with a sinister yet eerie feel behind it this gets deeper until the PI gets out of the car this deep loud sound is to show that the PI is on to the psycho knowing that he is up to no good.
The shower seen Marrion thinks she is nice and safe in the shower, this is even shown by her smiling and having her eyes shut when she is washing her self, sharp fast notes represent the stabbing of her, but then it repeats self to show he is stabbing her repeatedly this is more evidence that he is a psycho, but hen when the slow notes come in this is giving the viewer a sinking feeling as her hands slides down the tile that she is slowly bleeding to death.
Most people will probably agree that orchestral music is the most characteristic type of horror film music (and perhaps film music in general). It has been used since the birth of the genre and even today is the most popular type of music used in horror films, thrillers, and adventure films. One reason why orchestral music is so common in horror films is probably that the open-endedness and great dynamic range of the genre allows the composer to greatly vary his compositions to follow the events in a film. Another reason could be that it is very neutral and appeals to a wide audience, but perhaps the main reason is that powerful orchestral music simply works very well when there is a need to convey emotions and set a certain mood.
i feel that horror music in this genre has the most powerful and has so efmasist on the scene bin shown and to all other genre
Diegesis
Sound in film is termed diegetic if it’s part of the film, for example if a character in the film is listen to the radio the sound is resulted in deigetic, other wise if the music is in the back ground n the character cat hear but only the viewer can this is non-diegetic orin other terms extra diegetic
(examples Texas chainsaw massacre on the road goes from digetic to non/ and Dracula when he tries to bit bite her)
the terminologies of sound
part of cinematic process
original sound before transformation
transformation take place through recording
or reproduction
transformed=better, neutral, more appropriate for the medium
you can never reproduce the same sound because they will have take place at different times
sound is relevant to the horror genre often it is sound rather than music
w got
a sound may be good at representing one thing but less good at another like a photo mite be good at representing formal qualities but bad at representing an object
once you take out it original setting it becomes less authentic=metz?
As we grow up we learn to hear in a particular way, socially constructed-so we leanr what bone crunch scary sound make us frightened or what makes us feel comfortable
(show lether face new mask)
Cinema is a socially produced phenomenon
This can ork to way with putting the emotion in to the film one way can sway it to make you feel as though you are there because you are in such a big dark room and the sound is realy good at a cinema that you can forget were you, as some time you get sucked into the story, but on the other hand it can make you feel that you know were you just sat down in front of a big screen but this I think really happened only with poor films…
Are some sound worthier than others eg classical rather than pop symphony rather than a horror film sound trak
Like if take the classical phyco scean and replace it with britany spears instead I wont hav the same effect
(show 2 clips)
http://www.eng.umu.se/monster/john/sounds/horror_music.wav
this is an example of the sort of classic horror film the sound give u an image of some running away i think, with the sharp quick note this also can be seen in Alfred Hitchcock film psycho" the shower seen"
films witch use a short melody as a symbol for it monster such as Halloween series, witch is about a mad killer Michael Myers. the concept in Halloween in simpler to Friday the 13th, the difference begin that the auditory symbol consist of the 3 note piano melody created by Alan Howarth and is consider one of the most recognisable horror music compositions
http://www.eng.umu.se/monster/john/sounds/halloween.wav
Conclusion
I have come the conclusion that music puts so much emotion and feeling behind a film or a certain seen , from the notorious shower scan by Alfred Hitchcock to the seduction of Elizabeth in Braham stockers Dracula music had a grip on the viewer and take you there into the film as if you were there your very self.
I have look at three different film all from different time periods from the early 60’s to 2006 these all share the same genre but all have different styles of music but they all are horrifying and do a relay good job of making you feel either scared or in pure horror.
If take the earliest film “psycho” this was setting a milestone for all horror films either to live up to this or go home and try again, this film for it time was amazing and very influential thought out the years so many films have taken the music and used it to either represent a killing (the classic shower part) by either take the 3 note staccato or the high pitched violins to, for example if you take Dracula when Lucy is in the red dress and is looking for Dracula when he bites her the violins come in this is to represent the teeth sinking into her neck and in psycho the share high pitched note represent the knife going into Mariana. Also the title is used 3 times in the film to represent panic and to shower her fear , you can see this again in Texas chainsaw massacre the begging, the title music is a variation of letherfaces motif since the film it pretty much about him you can see why they use it a lot more.
The motif for all the films are done extremely well if we take psychos motif this comes into play when he is killing some body or he is the “mother” first time is when kill Mariana in the shower and then when he kills the PI, when he attack the victims the music some in almost straight away with music bin so sharp and fast the so is the killing, the music comes out of nowhere make the view jump, because they are not expecting it , also as if Alfred Hitchcock use’s the element of surprise on the viewer aging this is proven when Marina goes into the fruit cupboard and finds the corpse of his mother when she turns the chair round soon as you see the decrepit face of the mother the music comes in and then it builds up as the psycho burst into the room wilding the knife.
The motif in TCM is very different as it’s a build up and sounds extremely evil and twisted to represent the personality of letherface this comes into play again either when letherface is killing some on or he has bin called for we see this when he acquires his chainsaw and for example he kills the biker that infiltrated there house, the other music in it is extremely evil as well at e.g. When letherface is first found the music is unbelievable evil, this to represent the fact that Thomas Hewitt was found in a bin, that he was so deformed that not even any body in the factory would look after him as there own epically when his mother died in labour! Another horrifying piece of music in this film is when the new sheriff Hoyt is re-born the music as he is putting his uniform on has a grate sense of wrongness about it as he is now the new sheriff and only law enforcement in this small dammed town, and the fact you know what he is going to add to the fear and horror of this.
When he gets his new mask from Dean this is a variation of letherface’s , motif as is probably to mark his new mask and a new chapter in his life, because the mask he now has look more like the one in the original Texas chainsaw massacre , the music is so evil even more than his motif seems this is a variation and not his actual motif this could be to show how truly disturbing he actually is by the music changing slightly shows how letherface is changing as well by getting his new mask almost a new level of evilness and who truly sick he is.
Now Dracula’s motif is more to show his emotion as we see the first piece of music is his motif and as it starts out slow and soft with Chellos and other string instrument it then build up and all the other brass instrument come in and show the full power of it. Then again through out the film it comes in and it does make u scared for example when Harker is get seduced by the vampires he at then of that scean he throws them a baby to eat and the motif back up the shear horror of them eating a baby. The music in Draculas not just his motif is very deep and a lot of emotion attracted to it do with his past life for example how Elizabeth is a recantation of his wife centenary ago, through the music in Dracula it show his emotion as well as his fear, but also to put fear into the viewer.
Most of the music used in these horror films are orchestral and not actual song done by bands, this works very well as it had more of a fear/horror fact to them.
Bibliography
The horror genre-Paul wells
A new heritage of horror- David Pirie
Sound theory and practice- Rick Altman
Texas chainsaw massacre-the begging
Brahm strokes draculare
Monday, November 17, 2008
the hood
i have finalymade my hoody cloak thing it came out alot better than i excspected and the material i used has a grate strucuter for suposrt n this is what it looks like also tere are some test pices i did but on ly for the shap i use a silky material beauces it was cheep to mess about it with n gt it the rite length and shape
Thursday, November 13, 2008
dessertation film two
Texas chainsaw massacre
3:00-3:40 the music in this is so unbelievable sinister it sound like Satan him self has made this the pat in the film is were the mother has died and a tramp has found leather face in the bin as a babe so like an other fucked up Texan would do she took it home, the music really give u and idea and feel of what the TCM family are really like twisted! The music is realy long low note but some sort of melody behind them as a drum beat or as a few simple notes, the particular music, I think is leather face motif as it come into play when first get his chain saw and at the end when he is walking into the darkness.
11:50-12:44 after leather face has bin told to leave he goes to kill the manger this music adds to the killing but also to the action but im not looking at the action part when he hits the manager the music is a slow noise sort of music and this give me the idea that he not feeling about any thing that he is doing when it comes to killing, almost that he is in a trance and the music help to portray that.
12:55-137:17-this again I think is the leather face motif when he gains his legendary chainsaw the music is almost disturbing to a appoint hat he now taken the chainsaw and you know what he is going to do with it
16:56-17:225 the father or adopted father of leather face has killed the sheriff and has taken his cloths to become the sheriff him self the music that come into play when he is putting on the uniform is how to say wrong, as he has just killed the only sheriff and now is posing as the law him self witch is also wrong so you view knowing this think that is wrong and the music in this part back it up very well and add more fear and horror to it, as he is seen as a horror him self.
29:12-29:49 this again sound like the motif but then this add more horror to the face the she knows this “sheriff that that come to help just killed the biker and has now go off with her friends and she by her self.
42:20- 43:27the music in the seen is more scary than any thing as bother teens are stuck and one is wanting to get away and but the sheriff is beating him so he has no energy this more or of a moral horror as it make feel how could some body do that to some one the music does emprises the beating that the boy is getting and the twisted the mother is wiping the dirt from the girls forehead whilst she sing a nursery rhyme
59:00- this more gore but the horror aspect is still pretty strong through out this bit leather face cut the bike in half with a chainsaw again the music similar to the motif because it has the orestera feel to it and the heavy drone sound with the drums but its not till 100:0 that the actual motif kick in to the full blow power
101:48-103: 22gain the motif represents the horror and the actual twisted ness of Lethe face and how his mask came to be, with music so slow and horrifying this really put fear and horror into the viewer. It does give u the image of some thing satanic if not devilish. the orchestra give a more satanic feel it again some thing that is not ment to be. The music after the girl friend has just seen her bitfriend get his face taken off is rather interesting, as I think it reminds me of some thing out of the resident evil games long mysterious notes and very deep.
109:55 the family is sitting down to have tea and the music creepy as fuck this kind of sound like leather faces motif but this has more violins in it and when “Hoyt” say grace It builds up with the drums and string combing in leading u to feel some thing bad going to happened but then he just stop saying grace.
113:32 this music’s would strik fear into any one its very jumpy the begging with sort abrupt notes and a strange drum beat sound very industrial.
115:55 this is were leather face is chasing the girl through the woods with his legendary chainsaw so the music needs to be fast and epic the violins to make you feel as if the music is running with and that every step is a stroke on the strings.
120:30-121:22 leather face finally get them all when you think its all over he in back seat of the car and put the chainsaw through her and the seat and then he walks off in to the darkness carrying his chain saw and then his motif kick and really dark and evil ending with this music as if say you’ll see him another day some time soon…
to say this is a prequel I don’t think that its to bad to be honest even though a lot of the music to influence the action and the violence and so much the horror it still deliver the horror in a way not as much as the original Texas chainsaw massacre
but if you take leather faces motif that is extremely evil I think witch make the horror aspect of it stand out a lot lot more. Also that long droning sound is very powerful as if you take the scene of were leather face has just kill the manager of the slaughter house, you feel almost that he is in a trance when he kills him and a sense of limbo that leather face has no sympathy for what he just like he is in a trance when he killing some as there no emotion portage through the music.
Also when the adopted father of leather face up on the uniform of the sheriff that he killed the music doesn’t make you fell comfortable, as if to say it wrong some body like him is wearing a uniform of authority, only because you know what he is like some fucked up twisted, and that get proven when he meet the biker girl at the crash site, he just shoots her with the shotgun.
3:00-3:40 the music in this is so unbelievable sinister it sound like Satan him self has made this the pat in the film is were the mother has died and a tramp has found leather face in the bin as a babe so like an other fucked up Texan would do she took it home, the music really give u and idea and feel of what the TCM family are really like twisted! The music is realy long low note but some sort of melody behind them as a drum beat or as a few simple notes, the particular music, I think is leather face motif as it come into play when first get his chain saw and at the end when he is walking into the darkness.
11:50-12:44 after leather face has bin told to leave he goes to kill the manger this music adds to the killing but also to the action but im not looking at the action part when he hits the manager the music is a slow noise sort of music and this give me the idea that he not feeling about any thing that he is doing when it comes to killing, almost that he is in a trance and the music help to portray that.
12:55-137:17-this again I think is the leather face motif when he gains his legendary chainsaw the music is almost disturbing to a appoint hat he now taken the chainsaw and you know what he is going to do with it
16:56-17:225 the father or adopted father of leather face has killed the sheriff and has taken his cloths to become the sheriff him self the music that come into play when he is putting on the uniform is how to say wrong, as he has just killed the only sheriff and now is posing as the law him self witch is also wrong so you view knowing this think that is wrong and the music in this part back it up very well and add more fear and horror to it, as he is seen as a horror him self.
29:12-29:49 this again sound like the motif but then this add more horror to the face the she knows this “sheriff that that come to help just killed the biker and has now go off with her friends and she by her self.
42:20- 43:27the music in the seen is more scary than any thing as bother teens are stuck and one is wanting to get away and but the sheriff is beating him so he has no energy this more or of a moral horror as it make feel how could some body do that to some one the music does emprises the beating that the boy is getting and the twisted the mother is wiping the dirt from the girls forehead whilst she sing a nursery rhyme
59:00- this more gore but the horror aspect is still pretty strong through out this bit leather face cut the bike in half with a chainsaw again the music similar to the motif because it has the orestera feel to it and the heavy drone sound with the drums but its not till 100:0 that the actual motif kick in to the full blow power
101:48-103: 22gain the motif represents the horror and the actual twisted ness of Lethe face and how his mask came to be, with music so slow and horrifying this really put fear and horror into the viewer. It does give u the image of some thing satanic if not devilish. the orchestra give a more satanic feel it again some thing that is not ment to be. The music after the girl friend has just seen her bitfriend get his face taken off is rather interesting, as I think it reminds me of some thing out of the resident evil games long mysterious notes and very deep.
109:55 the family is sitting down to have tea and the music creepy as fuck this kind of sound like leather faces motif but this has more violins in it and when “Hoyt” say grace It builds up with the drums and string combing in leading u to feel some thing bad going to happened but then he just stop saying grace.
113:32 this music’s would strik fear into any one its very jumpy the begging with sort abrupt notes and a strange drum beat sound very industrial.
115:55 this is were leather face is chasing the girl through the woods with his legendary chainsaw so the music needs to be fast and epic the violins to make you feel as if the music is running with and that every step is a stroke on the strings.
120:30-121:22 leather face finally get them all when you think its all over he in back seat of the car and put the chainsaw through her and the seat and then he walks off in to the darkness carrying his chain saw and then his motif kick and really dark and evil ending with this music as if say you’ll see him another day some time soon…
to say this is a prequel I don’t think that its to bad to be honest even though a lot of the music to influence the action and the violence and so much the horror it still deliver the horror in a way not as much as the original Texas chainsaw massacre
but if you take leather faces motif that is extremely evil I think witch make the horror aspect of it stand out a lot lot more. Also that long droning sound is very powerful as if you take the scene of were leather face has just kill the manager of the slaughter house, you feel almost that he is in a trance when he kills him and a sense of limbo that leather face has no sympathy for what he just like he is in a trance when he killing some as there no emotion portage through the music.
Also when the adopted father of leather face up on the uniform of the sheriff that he killed the music doesn’t make you fell comfortable, as if to say it wrong some body like him is wearing a uniform of authority, only because you know what he is like some fucked up twisted, and that get proven when he meet the biker girl at the crash site, he just shoots her with the shotgun.
dessertation film one
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary antagonist the vampire Count Dracula.
In this film Dracula has a motif this first comes into plat at 1:00minuet in to the film when is off to was and carries out until he curses at god and stabs the cross on the alter, it then comes up numerous of times in the film, this certain motif for Dracula is very drone and use with orchestral instruments witch give you an image of grate evil and horror like Alfred Hitchoks psycho shower scene is use with high pitch violins to represent the stabbing but with this song its more slower and deeper but then build up to a fast and higher pitch witch can be representing the rage of Dracula and then this exploding in what he does in the intro it stab the cross with a sword, the second time this motif comes up is when Keanu reeves character laughs at Dracula’s portrait and Dracula then pulls out a sword on him. And then goes on to talk about blood-Dracula life force and how he is the last of his kind, but then Keanu reeves ask for forgiveness and then music dies down, not building up or exploding in hatred or anger so this proves my point about his motif
At 16:47 there’s this sad and hight pitched music that comes in although the violins deliver a sad and almost pathetic sound there is a the droning sound of a cello or double bass making the horror part of this stand out, the two work rather well together, creating the emotion of sadness but then reminding you that is Dracula and that he is evil and that is done by the low parts.
At 22:00-22:35 the camera pans over to the woman and then it all becomes dark an this weird music box music come in and a shadow goes over her the shadow is Dracula’s but its had a windy noise in the back ground making it more sinister and more horror like and the music comes to a slow down almost to a stop creating a more scary atmosphere putting a little more fear in the viewer.
24:13 this is a build up to what I call evil the music extremely sinister and slow getting louder and louder until then the insane man attack the doctor and then the music kicks in full blast.
28:12 Dracula crawls down the wall and this slow almost fantasy music comes in what make t fantasy is that the harp us pretty predominant in this part but still is weird seeing a man crawl down a vertical wall.
31:00-34:08 Again this motif of Dracula music comes in again when Keanu reeves character get seduced by the female vampire but this time is starts out soft with cellos and very smooth as he is get touched but the vampire then it get worse and as the situation gets worse the music get more louder and rough as the try to feed on him then when Dracula come in the fill blow evilness off the music comes in and dies down but then stars up again with the droning cellos again.
37:00-42:00the camera pans over the zoo and a similar sort of motif comes in but this time is different with a quire over the top of it sound like a hyme of some sort and then has a woman on her own adding to the intensity of this, also shows you Dracula in a were wolf form as well and lucy the red head has hear Dracula’s call and then gone out to find him in the garden, the music when she roaming around looking for is that of just 3notes (like “Halloween” and “jaw” bother there motif have just 3 note but work stupidly well and there are know around the world) and also this has a group of men song over the top of it, it is quite a slow sounding music but then it has short sharp notes when he close to the werewolf and then violins kick when he has bitten her, this could represent him sinking his teeth into Lucy’s neck this could be her turning point to evil?
49:50 the motif comes in again when Dracula dances with his love and she figures out who Dracula really is and he try to bite her and at the peak of the song he cannot bring him self to do it.
55:45 a very quite and soft melody is played but its still a bit airy and then thing take to worse and more evil essence
57:04 the music in this part practically has a lot of tensioning it you can tell just buy listening to the music and also puts fearing to the part of this.
101:02-101:53 wirde music box music again but this time he is try to seduces her also sound like a carnival music…
116:47 again this is what i call a build of evil n this partical part dracula is going to find his "love" but she gone to marry her fenoce and the music build up to a grate sense of evil and reenge it has Christan orcestera feel and image to it but as it builds up ti a final exsplotion of music loud and powerful as if all hell was let loose.
124:03 remins me again of phyco with shapr stabbing notes but this time there driving a stek thiugh her heart and hrn finaly cut her head off but the music in this is not exactly the smae it builds up and it does give the view a chill down yoour spine just from the music.
Dracula’s motif comes in nearly every time Dracula is angry or if some other vampire is feeding or going to reed on a victim, this is most likely that is shows a grate evil feeding on a human vampires are supposed to Satan angles or devils children, witch explains the evil and sinister music that come into the act of evil that is done
Original note from the chapter
chapter one-2:00
4:20-5:10
chapter two-2:30-2:50
3:35-3:54-musicbox
4:43-4:42-sound
chapter three-0:30-0:34-noise
2:00-2:38
4:20-4:38-romantic/sad
6:00-6:06-sound again
10:00-10:18-werid music box
12:55-13:11-creepy
14:28-14:30-sound
16:47-16:57-high pitched
chapter four-1:00-1:40
3:10-3:30-build up of evil
chapter six-0:43-end
chapter seven-0:56-strange to worse
2:15-2:22-marching
chapter 8-2:33 build up
chapter nine-1:30-1:40-sad music bout love
chapter ten- 3:46 motif? for darcular
6:00-6:12-sudctive music in away
chapter 12-0:20-0:43 motif again for vampires?
1:50-2:00-quite epic back ground music
4:50-5:10 mystic seduction
chapter 14- 5:00-5:16-motif
chapter 15-4:47-6:46-build up of evil again
chapter 17-0:50 suspense
chapter 18-0:32-1:20- seduction build up to nothing
2:40-3:10-sadness build up
5:30-5:45-senses of accomplishment
11:30- motif
chapter 19-0:56-weird mystical again
In this film Dracula has a motif this first comes into plat at 1:00minuet in to the film when is off to was and carries out until he curses at god and stabs the cross on the alter, it then comes up numerous of times in the film, this certain motif for Dracula is very drone and use with orchestral instruments witch give you an image of grate evil and horror like Alfred Hitchoks psycho shower scene is use with high pitch violins to represent the stabbing but with this song its more slower and deeper but then build up to a fast and higher pitch witch can be representing the rage of Dracula and then this exploding in what he does in the intro it stab the cross with a sword, the second time this motif comes up is when Keanu reeves character laughs at Dracula’s portrait and Dracula then pulls out a sword on him. And then goes on to talk about blood-Dracula life force and how he is the last of his kind, but then Keanu reeves ask for forgiveness and then music dies down, not building up or exploding in hatred or anger so this proves my point about his motif
At 16:47 there’s this sad and hight pitched music that comes in although the violins deliver a sad and almost pathetic sound there is a the droning sound of a cello or double bass making the horror part of this stand out, the two work rather well together, creating the emotion of sadness but then reminding you that is Dracula and that he is evil and that is done by the low parts.
At 22:00-22:35 the camera pans over to the woman and then it all becomes dark an this weird music box music come in and a shadow goes over her the shadow is Dracula’s but its had a windy noise in the back ground making it more sinister and more horror like and the music comes to a slow down almost to a stop creating a more scary atmosphere putting a little more fear in the viewer.
24:13 this is a build up to what I call evil the music extremely sinister and slow getting louder and louder until then the insane man attack the doctor and then the music kicks in full blast.
28:12 Dracula crawls down the wall and this slow almost fantasy music comes in what make t fantasy is that the harp us pretty predominant in this part but still is weird seeing a man crawl down a vertical wall.
31:00-34:08 Again this motif of Dracula music comes in again when Keanu reeves character get seduced by the female vampire but this time is starts out soft with cellos and very smooth as he is get touched but the vampire then it get worse and as the situation gets worse the music get more louder and rough as the try to feed on him then when Dracula come in the fill blow evilness off the music comes in and dies down but then stars up again with the droning cellos again.
37:00-42:00the camera pans over the zoo and a similar sort of motif comes in but this time is different with a quire over the top of it sound like a hyme of some sort and then has a woman on her own adding to the intensity of this, also shows you Dracula in a were wolf form as well and lucy the red head has hear Dracula’s call and then gone out to find him in the garden, the music when she roaming around looking for is that of just 3notes (like “Halloween” and “jaw” bother there motif have just 3 note but work stupidly well and there are know around the world) and also this has a group of men song over the top of it, it is quite a slow sounding music but then it has short sharp notes when he close to the werewolf and then violins kick when he has bitten her, this could represent him sinking his teeth into Lucy’s neck this could be her turning point to evil?
49:50 the motif comes in again when Dracula dances with his love and she figures out who Dracula really is and he try to bite her and at the peak of the song he cannot bring him self to do it.
55:45 a very quite and soft melody is played but its still a bit airy and then thing take to worse and more evil essence
57:04 the music in this part practically has a lot of tensioning it you can tell just buy listening to the music and also puts fearing to the part of this.
101:02-101:53 wirde music box music again but this time he is try to seduces her also sound like a carnival music…
116:47 again this is what i call a build of evil n this partical part dracula is going to find his "love" but she gone to marry her fenoce and the music build up to a grate sense of evil and reenge it has Christan orcestera feel and image to it but as it builds up ti a final exsplotion of music loud and powerful as if all hell was let loose.
124:03 remins me again of phyco with shapr stabbing notes but this time there driving a stek thiugh her heart and hrn finaly cut her head off but the music in this is not exactly the smae it builds up and it does give the view a chill down yoour spine just from the music.
Dracula’s motif comes in nearly every time Dracula is angry or if some other vampire is feeding or going to reed on a victim, this is most likely that is shows a grate evil feeding on a human vampires are supposed to Satan angles or devils children, witch explains the evil and sinister music that come into the act of evil that is done
Original note from the chapter
chapter one-2:00
4:20-5:10
chapter two-2:30-2:50
3:35-3:54-musicbox
4:43-4:42-sound
chapter three-0:30-0:34-noise
2:00-2:38
4:20-4:38-romantic/sad
6:00-6:06-sound again
10:00-10:18-werid music box
12:55-13:11-creepy
14:28-14:30-sound
16:47-16:57-high pitched
chapter four-1:00-1:40
3:10-3:30-build up of evil
chapter six-0:43-end
chapter seven-0:56-strange to worse
2:15-2:22-marching
chapter 8-2:33 build up
chapter nine-1:30-1:40-sad music bout love
chapter ten- 3:46 motif? for darcular
6:00-6:12-sudctive music in away
chapter 12-0:20-0:43 motif again for vampires?
1:50-2:00-quite epic back ground music
4:50-5:10 mystic seduction
chapter 14- 5:00-5:16-motif
chapter 15-4:47-6:46-build up of evil again
chapter 17-0:50 suspense
chapter 18-0:32-1:20- seduction build up to nothing
2:40-3:10-sadness build up
5:30-5:45-senses of accomplishment
11:30- motif
chapter 19-0:56-weird mystical again
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
ed gein
this certain character in history has influenced loads of horror film that have bin made so i decided to so some research on him
and it has also come to my attention that most of the twisted and fucked character or fims are based in Texas whether that is because it such a desolate place or that were they are is a myster to me but its seem like a good spot to me
Edward Theodore Gein (August 27, 1906 – July 26, 1984) was an US killer and grave robber. His crimes generated widespread notoriety after authorities discovered Gein had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned gruesome trophies and keepsakes from them. He is often called a serial killer despite his conviction for only two murders.
When the police radied his they found
- Human skulls mounted upon the corner posts of his bed
- Skin fashioned into a lampshade and used to upholster chair seats
- Human skullcaps, apparently in use as soup bowls
- A human heart (it is disputed where the heart was found; deputy reports all claimed that the heart was in a saucepan on the stove, while some crime scene photographers claimed it was in a paper bag)
- Skin from the face of Mary Hogan, a local tavern owner, found in a paper bag
- A window shade pull consisting of human lips
- A vest crafted from the skin of a woman's torso
- A belt made from several human nipples
- Socks made from human flesh
- A sheath made from human skin
- A box of preserved vulvas that Gein admitted to be wearing
- An array of "shrunken heads"
and it has also come to my attention that most of the twisted and fucked character or fims are based in Texas whether that is because it such a desolate place or that were they are is a myster to me but its seem like a good spot to me
books!
i have bin reading "the horror genre from Beelzebub to Blair witch" by Paul wells
and i have found some rather interesting pages and one the have influenced me to use the film in my dissertation and i have scanned in a few page that i had enjoyed reading and that are very influential
the top scan: is just telling you how phyco was a mile stone for the horror genre and again about ed gein! it seem he has left quite a bit mark in the horror industry,probaily manily because he so fucked up and twisted!
second and third scans: 3rd one actually is suppose t be read first the the sencond one this just tells you a little back ground info on cliver bakcer and his creation of the ceniobites and how they are mutated and how and why
fourth and fifth: agaion the 5th ons is meant to be read 1st n the 4th one secons its just about the texas chain saw massacre after reading this i actualy went ou and bought "the begging" and have taken alot of infulence from it and ia am going to use it in my film i am making and also in my dessertaion
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