The thing in October (part IV).

One thing you got to love about Christopher Young: even with the various genres he's dabbled in, like slick actioners (Entrapment, Swordfish), romantic dramas (Sweet November, Love Happens) and comic book adaptations (Spider-Man 3, Ghost Rider), he always has time for horror. Dating way back to the beginning of his career, Young has provided music for a number of horror films. His most recent is Drag Me to Hell.

Wanting a promotion that may go to a less-experienced co-worker, banker Christine (Alison Lohman) refuses an loan extension to the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver). As a result, Christine is visited by a parade of supernatural events, plaguing and teasing her for three days before she is dragged to hell. (Sorry to spoil it, but as I've read all over the web, 'it's the only ending a film with this title could possibly have'.)

I couldn't help but spoil the narrative for myself. The trailer really repulsed me. I'm an empathetic person, by nature, and as such, I couldn't possibly imagine how I would derive any enjoyment from a film where someone suffers disproportionate punishment for a minor transgression...and, in this instance, the definition of 'transgression' is getting stretched like taffy. (Then again, there are people out there - male and female alike - that pop boners aplenty over the ludicrous humiliations suffered by Meg on "Family Guy", so maybe I'm bitching to the wrong choir.)

One aspect of the film that can't be faulted is Young's score. Young gets right into the spirit with the opening cue, "Drag Me to Hell". Foreboding horns, creepy vocals and a delightfully disturbing solo violin playing the main theme. This music practically reeks of fire and brimstone.

"Tale of a Haunted Banker", the theme for Christine, I surmise, begins with a rolling piano figure familiar to fans of the composer's Untraceable and Urban Legend and adds strings and chimes, creating a lovely melody for the unfortunate lamb. Piano takes precedence in the theme's reprise in "Familiar Familiars" and "Brick Dogs a la Carte".

Much of the score falls into the category of 'we need to remind people that what they're watching is scary, so crank up the volume'. (Note: this is a shot at the film, not the music.) Young handles it with aplomb in tracks like "Auto-Da-Fe", "Loose Teeth", "Mexican Devil Disaster", "Lamia", "Black Rainbows" and "Ordeal by Corpse".

The score is widely available from Lakeshore Records and is worth a purchase.