By Dan McGowan For me, the worry is that a film like They Shall Not Grow Old will descend into nostalgic ‘our boys’ propaganda, without decrying the horrors of warfare. Released on the centenary of the First World War – and screened by BBC2 on Armistice Day itself – I must admit that I approached the film with expectant vigilance. Instead, Peter Jackson’s restoration of … Continue reading They Shall Not Grow Old – A Human Depiction of War
By Graeme McKay Vladimir Nabokov told us that good readers shouldn’t look to emotionally identify with the protagonist of a story, and for the most part I managed to avoid falling into that trap while watching Lady Bird. Most of the film didn’t engage me very much, but the working class guilt was like a gut punch: a sometimes overplayed, but always interesting thread that … Continue reading Lady Bird: A Tale of Working Class Guilt
Australian composer Michael Fugucio, aka Vi-Res, is part of a new exciting generation of soundtrack composers whose styles echo that of the classic horror and sci-fi genre movies of the 70’s and 80’s. Vi-Res already has three releases under his belt; the Imaginary scores The First People and Sunstar, as well as the recently released Lost Score, his unused score for an upcoming Australian film. We … Continue reading Soundtrack City – An Interview with Vi-Res
The 70’s and 80’s were the golden era of Italian exploitation cinema. From the stylish gialli of Sergio Martino and Dario Argento to the infamously brutal cannibal films of Ruggero Deodato and splatter of Lucio Fulci, Italy was a hotbed for innovative, low budget and often extreme cinema. The same can be said for the soundtracks that accompanied these films as Italy produced some of … Continue reading Five Lost Italian Movie Soundtracks
As we reach October and Halloween is approaching rapidly, it once again feels like the right time to get into the mood of things and give you a list of some of my favourite horror soundtracks. I’ve decided to make this a list of 80’s scores only as it’s my favourite era of horror film and scores, and just for the sake of keeping it … Continue reading 1980’s Horror Soundtracks: Top 5
The release of Slime City see’s yet another forgotten film score resurrected from the lost vaults of obscurity and launched into the ever-expanding world of vinyl soundtrack reissues. The average soundtrack collector would be forgiven for having never heard of this obscure retro 80’s oddity, whilst others may think about giving it a miss due to the overwhelming onslaught of film scores flooding the market….but … Continue reading Slime City – OST Review
The score to the infamous German nasty Nekromantik was released earlier this year through the fantastic One Way Static records, another top reissue from the Belgian based soundtrack label. The film itself was infamously banned in numerous countries throughout the world due to it’s realistic gore, animal cruelty and an extremely odd threesome with a severely decomposed corpse. Jorge Buttgereit’s cult art-horror film was only … Continue reading Nekromantik – OST Review
Angst is a 1983 Austrian serial killer film written and directed by Gerald Kargl, the one and only film he ever made. Though little known, the film has gained cult status over the years due to its raw, relentless violence and avant-garde cinematography. During the filming of Angst, director Kargl plunged so far into debt that he was forced to give up on the film industry … Continue reading ANGST (1983) – The Austrian Cult Classic
Panos Cosmatos’ debut feature Beyond the Black Rainbow was released in 2010 and has gained a cult following amongst film connoisseurs and synth score lovers. Four years later and after countless bootlegs by fans, Jeremy Schmidt’s synth-heavy score was finally released in September 2014 through Death Waltz/JAGJAGUWAR to critical acclaim. Schmidt, a member of the Canadian Psychedelic rock group Black Mountain, was approached by Director Panos Cosmatos to score the … Continue reading Beyond the Black Rainbow OST Review
Movie soundtracks have become hot property in recent years. The resurgence has a lot to do with the great work that Sebastiaan Putsey of One Way Static is doing from his base in Belgium. Established in 2012, One Way Static Records is one of the leading re-issue labels for horror and cult themed soundtracks and has received a number of accolades for their outstanding work. … Continue reading One Way Static Records – Interview With Sebastiaan Putsey
