13 Scores of Halloween - Day 1

Now, a few days ago, I got a wild hair up my ass: 'Wouldn't be interesting if I spent the thirteen days leading up to Halloween talking about scores to scary movies?' Well, this is the first day of the thirteen, so let's get to it.

The year was 2003. A movie was released in the spring. It was a remake of a hit thriller from 1971. The trailer had appealed to me, so I decided to see it. The film was Willard. Box-office wise, history failed to repeat itself, but, in a weird way, the film appealed to me. A large part of that was due to the main character (Crispin Glover in an amazing performance). I don't care how this makes me sound: with the exception of Ron Stoppable ("Kim Possible"), Willard Stiles, with his loneliness, the way he feels helpless and his bursts of anger, reminds me of myself more than anyone that has ever existed.

Beyond the ultra-freaky empathy, there were other fine elements, such as the cinematography by Robert McLachlan, some amusing touches (check out the picture of Willard's father) and the score by the late, great Shirley Walker.

As with her seminal work on Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Walker created a score rich in melodies, though, unlike Batman, they're not immediately noticeable.

Mild spoilers!



Willard is represented by an enjoyable, accordion-based theme (introduced in the excellent title sequence). The same sequence introduces a five-note theme on horns, signifying his relationship with the white rat, Socrates (this melody is reprised, to touching effect, on recorder). There's also a skittering, almost cacaphonous woodwind and string theme for the rats that appears throughout. A very subtle, three-note motif for Ben can also be heard (the scene where Willard finds his mother in the basement).

Mr. Martin (R. Lee Ermey, who's fantastic), Willard's cruel boss gets a motif of descending horns. Its build-up at the end of the scene where he chastises Willard for falling behind in his work is particularly exceptional. In an interesting twist, it's used for Willard during the climatic barricade inside his home. Also of note is a descending string figure for Willard's sadness. I especially like its use late in the film, right before Willard takes his ultimate revenge.

Other highlights: the bouncy wind scherzo when Willard takes his rats out for the first time and some harsh string playing for the rampaging rodents. Coupled with Walker's distinct orchestrations late in the film, it makes for an exciting piece of music.

The score isn't available, at least, not through the usual channels. I suggest taking a chance on the film. The marketing pushed this as a horror movie, when, if anything, it's a chamber drama with intermittent rat attacks (making it something of a cheat in talking about scores from horror movies, but I don't care). You may well end up pleasantly surprised.

Tomorrow: Terror in suburbia.