Oooh, scary! music - Part I

It's not quite the 13 Scores of Halloween, but, all the same, I'll still be talking about horror scores this month.

Empire Pictures was rather lucrative in the 1980s, producing a number of genre films for the avid fan. Unfortunately, they were, more often than not, hamstrung by low budgets and cheesy ideas. For every Re-Animator or Trancers that became a cult classic, there were a number of films that ended up as objects of ridicule, like a Dungeonmaster or an Alchemist or a Crawlspace.

Despite such eccentricities as spying on his nubile tenants while he's hidden within the crawlspace and keeping company with a woman whose tongue he's cut out, Karl Guenther (Klaus Kinski) is just your average landlord...who happens to be the son of a sadistic Nazi doctor. Oh, and this new girl, Lori (Talia Balsam, daughter of Martin) moves in and, unlike the other chicks who are basically cannon fodder, suspects that something ain't kosher with Karl. Written and directed by David Schmoeller (whose finest film is - and if he doesn't return to filmmaking, shall forever be - Tourist Trap), this is less a film than a showcase for the wacky antics of Kinski's sadist slumlord. In some weird alternate universe, this could very well be a sitcom pilot.

(I almost feel guilty for slamming this film. If possible, try to track down the short film "Please Kill Mr. Kinski", where Schmoeller - who seems like a really nice guy - explains the hell that the star put him and others through making this film. In fact, it reminds me of a SNL episode: Kevin Spacey was doing a monologue and a crawl appeared that essentially said that he was a dangerous person to be around...though, in that instance, I can surmise that it was but a jest. One line from that crawl seems to perfectly sum up the Kinski-Crawlspace imbroglio: "Whenever you see him playing psychos, remember: he is one.".)

Three aspects stand out from this film. First is Giovanni Natalucci's art direction. The apartment block is the same one used in Troll, also released in 1986. The secret tunnels and ventilation systems looked fantastic. (At the IMDB, a goof is listed about the condition of the vents: not a speck of dust in them. Either this is a true goof or Guenther had more time on his hands than anyone could've imagined. In this - likely - instance, well-played, Messrs. Schmoeller and Natalucci.) Second, the sensitive performance of Sally Brown as Martha (the tongueless lass I mentioned earlier) really made one feel the character's suffering.

Third and foremost is the score by Pino Donaggio, which adds a crucial and much-needed sense of movement to the enterprise. The score is comprised of two main themes. One is a chopping string and horn motif - augmented with electronics - introduced in the "Main Titles" and reprised in "The Chase".

The other is a heartbreaking melody that, more or less, represents the suffering of Brown's Martha. A solo voice over klezmer figures in "Martha's Lament" and "Falling from Grace with the World", but a hopeful string-led version plays over the "End Credits".

There are two other themes that waft in and out of the score: a motif which, most obviously, represents Guenther's perverted hobby...or maybe, his perversion in general. This theme (on searching, swerving strings and electronics) appears in "Rats" and "Sorry, Kitty". The other sub-motif is a love - or, more appropriately, lust - theme with Body Double-caliber strings, saxophone and moaning female voice, popping up in such tracks as "Sorry, Kitty" and "Love Scene"*.

"Voyeurs" features primarily electronics, but they are noteworthy as the same kinds Donaggio would use in his score for The Barbarians. "The M&M Murders" also uses electronics, but to complement the cartoonish goings-on as Lori discovers that (surprise, surprise!) her fellow tenants are dead. (Amusingly, a whispering harmonica worms its way into "Blowpipe Blues").

Weirdly enough, director and composer collaborated on a few songs for the film. The piano-based "'Lovers Tonight' Rehearsal" is a remnant of this alliance.

The score was released long ago by Varese Sarabande on LP. I was lucky enough to obtain a CD transfer, but it hasn't been re-released...yet. In today's specialty soundtrack renaissance, just about anything is possible, so keep an eye open for this enjoyable score.

* - This isn't the actual track title, but I couldn't bring myself to type it out. Go to soundtrackcollector.com and look it up, if you like. There is no gruesome torture or dollar amount in existence that could get me to type it out.