My Favorite Themes - Part XXIII

Score: Stay Alive by John Frizzell (Alien: Resurrection)

About the film: A group of friends play a video game called "Stay Alive", and soon find that when their characters die in the game, their own deaths are not too far off. Given the violent video games in the marketplace today, this could've been an exciting ride. Unfortunately, it was watered down by the studio for the teen market. As it stands, this is a decent time-waster, but one can't help but lament the incredible botch of the film's interesting premise.

Title: "The Countess". The film's villainess (who, in a rarity for horror films, actually existed, as Elizabeth Bathory) is treated with a lovely piano melody augmented with electronic noises, a clever melding of the character's tragedy and the creepiness of the game. A terrific, tentative version starts off "Playing the Game", whereas the aforementioned rendition of the theme appears about 1:37 into the track. It recurs throughout in abbreviated guises (and is expanded upon in "Investigation"), but gets a superb, melancholic read in "Final Encounter".

Other themes of interest: One thing about John Frizzell is that he can get downright experimental with his use of electronics, and, being set around a video game, this score is no exception. However, there are a couple of melodies that work their way through: a secondary piano melody for the mourning of fallen players and a scratchy, slashing string motif for when a character is about to bite it.

Availability: Released on the label Nicabella Records, it should still be available, however limited, at BuySoundtrax.com.