13 Scores of Halloween - Day 9

Continuing what I said earlier about composers having horror films on their resumes, another person to fall into this category is John Williams. However, the features he worked on were a bit more...upmarket; no masked slashers for him. It was a little hard choosing which of his late 70s efforts to focus on, The Fury or Dracula. I decided to go with the latter.

Count Dracula (Frank Langella) arrives in Carfax Abbey and, not long after, the death of a young woman, Mina. Her father, Dr. Van Helsing (Laurence Olivier) learns of this and figures out that the Count may be more than anyone knows. This version (directed by John Badham, of all people) plays fast and loose with the classic story, but it's still quite good, bolstered by fine acting all around.

Given how good the music is here, it's surprising that Williams had never seen a vampire film prior to working on this. There is only one theme to speak of, but what is done with it is incredible. It's an exciting and lush piece of music, ably setting the mood in the "Main Title and Storm Sequence".

"The Abduction of Lucy" is noteworthy for its string work; heart-racing at some points, eerily sliding at others. "The Love Scene" turns the haunting main theme into a soaring romantic melody for the entanglement of Lucy (Kate Nelligan) and the Count. "Night Journeys" ups the gothic ante, adding female voices and tinkling piano to the mix.

Even when not directly working with the theme, Williams weaves magic, such as the string and wind scherzo of "To Scarborough", the soulful trumpet solo of "For Mina" and the creepy strings of "The Night Visitor". "Meeting in the Cave" is quite creepy for its continually rising strings, as is "The Bat Attack" with its low end piano and skittering strings representing a flying bat.

The last two tracks are particularly fantastic. "Dracula's Death" plays the main theme as melancholy, as if the hero were being killed, and the orchestra thrashing about is wholly appropriate (if you've seen the film). The beginning of the "End Credits" showcases a fluttering flute (an interesting match for the film's unintentionally amusing final shot) before moving into a beautifully solemn rendition of the main theme.

Unfortunately, the Varese Sarabande soundtrack is out of print and goes for ludicrous prices on the collector's market. Unless a re-issue is in the immediate offing, one must go to the film for this superb score.

Tomorrow: The Devil, you say...