Don't make me call it Shocktober: vol. VI

Remember that baby from the end of Bride of Chucky? (BTW, spoiler warning) Well, he's all grown up and psychologically disturbed. He decides to seek out his parents, Chucky and Tiffany. He finds them in Hollywood and they seek to paint the town red...yes, literally. For anyone who ever found Chucky scary, this is an insulting piece of crap. For the rest of us, it's a gruesomely funny hoot; an impressive directorial debut for series creator Don Mancini. Featuring appearances by John Waters, makeup artist Tony Gardner (Darkman) and Young Sherlock Holmes himself, Nicholas Rowe. It's that kind of movie, folks.

Though he continues to work steadily, this is, to date, the last film Pino Donaggio scored that has had any kind of profile in the States. Pity. Introduced in the "Main Title" is a hypnotic, circular eight-note theme on electronics. Toward the end of the track, Donaggio brings in strings and voices to give it a haunting feel.

Built on chopping strings that would give Bernard Herrmann pause, "Glen's Escape" weaves a musical web out of which one isn't sure they'll escape. However, electronics and voices seem to light a way out.

True to the film's unusual sense of humor, Donaggio features a pair of noteworthy motifs: an Asian-flavored melody in "Konichiwa" and "Made in Japan" and a synth-based twitching motif for Glen's reaction to the blood-soaked insanity around him, providing a musical exclamation point to cues like "Intestinal Fortitude" and "Ordinary Dolls". The main theme trails off into some saxophone licks upon our first glance at "Our Jennifer".

"Konichiwa" also introduces a longing vocal motif for the concept of family that Glen searches for. Sweeping strings toward the end of "Stark Raving Mad" give the theme a sort of nobility. On the flip side, a sort of stalking motif for pulsing synths and off-key piano asserts itself in "Paparazzo's Delight" and "Acid Trip".

Of course, Donaggio isn't afraid to play up the film's horror aspects, with the violent strings of "Joan Gets Fired" and the rolling piano of "A Nightmare on Nottingham Mews". Donaggio even provides a nod to his own work with the Carrie-esque string and bell combo of "Bad Girls".

Currently available for, perhaps, the lowest price you'll ever see at La La Land Records, this is worth getting, especially if you love Pino Donaggio.