13 Scores of Halloween - Day 3

David Newman is one of my favorite composers working today. For a little over two decades, he's been providing exceptional music for a number of films. To my chagrin, most of them have been comedies. His comedy scores aren't weak (far from it), but he's capable of much more. Early in his career, he scored a variety of genres: comedy, drama, action, animation and horror. He has, to date, scored three horror movies: Critters, which is still scary after all these years; The Runestone, which seems to have disappeared from the face of the Earth and today's entry: The Kindred.

As she lays dying, a geneticist makes her son promise to destroy her notes. Upon arriving at the house, the young man and his associates find that mother's experiments have gotten a little...out of control. Somehow, this B-picture rated the talents of Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stefano as well as Oscar winners Kim Hunter and Rod Steiger (who, by all accounts, made a feast of the scenery). The trailer (the opening of which features some of Newman's score) may or may not endear you to the film.

Now, the notion of a lullaby to calm the creatures that appear in this film (no kidding) is a risible one, but the melody that Newman wrote is a beautiful one, proving quite malleable throughout the score. The "Main Titles" place the theme over a bed of chimes, strings and electronics, making for a creepy yet evocative piece of music. The other major theme is a five-note melody that, I imagine, figures in as a sort-of all-purpose theme for John, the hero of the story. A terrific version on atonal piano appears in "Melissa and Dr. Lloyd".

The majority of it is horror scoring, but what scoring! "Epilogue" and "Transformation" make for a pair of exciting tracks, the former with its strings, horns and winds building toward a huge climax, and the latter with its tense orchestral playing and cleverly distended synth reads of the 'lullaby' theme. "Nell's Death" is particularly unnerving and should not be listened to in the dark and "Harry's Van" skitters about with its strings and jumpy electronics.

The quieter cues are also worth mentioning: "John Goes Home" is a fantastic piece of traveling music, while "John's Revelation" is a gently unsettling cue, alerting that something is not right. "Amanda Dies" and "Amanda and John" could very well be the closest the film comes to heartfelt emotion and Newman's music reflects this beautifully.

Personally, "Hart Attack" (ha ha) is my favorite cue because it combines the best of both worlds: a bucolic start on woodwinds and piano gives way to a fiercely exciting piece of music.

This was originally released on LP in 1987, then re-released on CD in 2005. Both versions are impossible to find, and the film has yet to make the leap to DVD. Hopefully, the trailer can satisfy on both counts for now.

Tomorrow: My blue hell.