Poltergeist (2015)
Marc Streitenfeld
" They're NOT here, the musical melodies I mean! "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
When it comes down to remakes, it's either a silly idea to remake a good movie, or a silly silly idea to remake it by believing more advanced special effects will make it better. Poltergeist of 1982 was a good movie, a movie about a family who's haunted by a bunch of ghosts. Leading to a series of horrific events that terrorize everyone in the family, especially little Carol Anne who's abducted early on by the TV people. And it's up to the entire family (plus help of several specialists) to get her back. I'm talking of course about the original movie, considering the REMAKE (apart from the names) didn't do a goddamn thing to change all that. And as said, if you believe more advanced special effects will make it a better movie then you're bloody wrong.
Because special effects alone won't cut it. Poltergeist had the incredible combination of emotion, mystery, horror and humor that infectiously caught so many people off guard when it aired in June 1982. That translated to the music as well, one of the many great scores Jerry Goldsmith composed back in those days. It opened with the charming lullaby (the emotion), leading to a couple of upbeat rhythms for the humor, inevitably changing to the mystery and the horror which Goldmsith himself unleashed through orchestra and dazzling choir. What Streitenfeld unleashes here is not horrific music, but horrifuck music. If you can call this music to begin with.
Basically apart from the opening cue "Poltergeist Opening" (which has an appealing lullaby tune I might add) and a rhythmic change in "Let Her Go", there is barely something here that even remotely passes for music. All it does is create mood, ambiance and atonality that not even tries to convey any sort of emotion, fear or mystery. It does not even try to convey all of this by a musical idea, a theme, hell let alone a melody. "They're Here" basically says it all, a low breathing sound effect that probably stands for the TV signaling Maddy is what passes for music I'm afraid, and the first of many atonal outbursts that doesn't convey anything since it's not supported by music before and after it (safe for the brief lullaby returning).
Argghhhh why are we even listening to this? An occasional reprise of the lullaby theme, surrounded by countless droning effects of a synthesizer to create a 'musical' substitute of a sound effect, all drowning in a pool of cold, bleak and harsh cues that are only there to support the scene, not support the emotion behind it. That's the huge problem of today's music, they think they're supporting the film. No ought to tell (or suppose to be) their own story and elevate the emotion of the people by creating music that matches but also elevates the story. And it's easier to match those visuals if you characterize the characters or events through themes, ideas and returning melodies. Atonality is one thing, if you don't support it by musical ideas it drowns in its own pool of sorry'ness. Horror and mystery is another, but if you don't unleash some kind of melodic wonder you're creating a lifeless void, a lifeless experience. One Streitenfeld created rather easily here I'm afraid.
The howling effects in "Clown Attack" and "Home Improvements" show you how a bunch of noises are making the horror, not emotion that's underscoring the horror. A rare case of some melodic development is "Into the Portal" where Streitenfeld combines the howling effects with a developing emotional cue that creates the mystery, the horror and the sense something emotional is happening. Wow, we're actually experiencing some kind of music in this score. Of course that's all a thing of the past when "The Other Side" and "Let Her Go" (though in all fairness there are signs of some horror music with whirling strings and atonal brass) begin to unfold. And please don't get any hopes if you believe resolution can inspire Marc Streitenfeld to come up with something memorable in "Home Free".
If Marc Streitenfeld was asked to write something like this then I apologize to him personally for everything I wrote here. But something tells me this was Streitenfeld's intention all along, and then the sound of Poltergeist hurts the experience even more. Because then that means filmmusic has degraded itself to an all time low that it feels just as important as the SFX's that support the picture. Believe me, sounds are important for a reason, music needs to be important for another. And when music is no longer music but mood you're degrading the great art of all the composers who are now rolling over in their grave. It's a disgrace of a soundtrack, and I urge you to listen to Jerry Goldsmith's score instead.
Favorite Moment
Putting the one and only Poltergeist of Jerry Goldsmith on after this fiasco.
Track Listing
1. Poltergeist Opening (1.39)
2. They're Here (2.02)
3. Angry Spirits (1.37)
4. Electronics Awakening (1.45)
5. They're Not Pretend, Mommy (1.24)
6. The Storm is Coming (1.17)
7. Clown Attack (2.43)
8. Into The Closet (2.06)
9. Maddy is On TV (3.18)
10. You Have to Get My Sister Back (1.21)
11. A Poltergeist Intrusion (2.16)
12. Home Improvements (3.31)
13. Somebody Is With Her (1.47)
14. Take A Peek (2.12)
15. I Feel A Little Braver (0.56)
16. Into the Portal (2.06)
17. The Other Side (2.46)
18. Reunited (1.26)
19. Let Her Go (4.32)
20. Home Free (2.57)
Total Length: 43.41
Because special effects alone won't cut it. Poltergeist had the incredible combination of emotion, mystery, horror and humor that infectiously caught so many people off guard when it aired in June 1982. That translated to the music as well, one of the many great scores Jerry Goldsmith composed back in those days. It opened with the charming lullaby (the emotion), leading to a couple of upbeat rhythms for the humor, inevitably changing to the mystery and the horror which Goldmsith himself unleashed through orchestra and dazzling choir. What Streitenfeld unleashes here is not horrific music, but horrifuck music. If you can call this music to begin with.
Basically apart from the opening cue "Poltergeist Opening" (which has an appealing lullaby tune I might add) and a rhythmic change in "Let Her Go", there is barely something here that even remotely passes for music. All it does is create mood, ambiance and atonality that not even tries to convey any sort of emotion, fear or mystery. It does not even try to convey all of this by a musical idea, a theme, hell let alone a melody. "They're Here" basically says it all, a low breathing sound effect that probably stands for the TV signaling Maddy is what passes for music I'm afraid, and the first of many atonal outbursts that doesn't convey anything since it's not supported by music before and after it (safe for the brief lullaby returning).
Argghhhh why are we even listening to this? An occasional reprise of the lullaby theme, surrounded by countless droning effects of a synthesizer to create a 'musical' substitute of a sound effect, all drowning in a pool of cold, bleak and harsh cues that are only there to support the scene, not support the emotion behind it. That's the huge problem of today's music, they think they're supporting the film. No ought to tell (or suppose to be) their own story and elevate the emotion of the people by creating music that matches but also elevates the story. And it's easier to match those visuals if you characterize the characters or events through themes, ideas and returning melodies. Atonality is one thing, if you don't support it by musical ideas it drowns in its own pool of sorry'ness. Horror and mystery is another, but if you don't unleash some kind of melodic wonder you're creating a lifeless void, a lifeless experience. One Streitenfeld created rather easily here I'm afraid.
The howling effects in "Clown Attack" and "Home Improvements" show you how a bunch of noises are making the horror, not emotion that's underscoring the horror. A rare case of some melodic development is "Into the Portal" where Streitenfeld combines the howling effects with a developing emotional cue that creates the mystery, the horror and the sense something emotional is happening. Wow, we're actually experiencing some kind of music in this score. Of course that's all a thing of the past when "The Other Side" and "Let Her Go" (though in all fairness there are signs of some horror music with whirling strings and atonal brass) begin to unfold. And please don't get any hopes if you believe resolution can inspire Marc Streitenfeld to come up with something memorable in "Home Free".
If Marc Streitenfeld was asked to write something like this then I apologize to him personally for everything I wrote here. But something tells me this was Streitenfeld's intention all along, and then the sound of Poltergeist hurts the experience even more. Because then that means filmmusic has degraded itself to an all time low that it feels just as important as the SFX's that support the picture. Believe me, sounds are important for a reason, music needs to be important for another. And when music is no longer music but mood you're degrading the great art of all the composers who are now rolling over in their grave. It's a disgrace of a soundtrack, and I urge you to listen to Jerry Goldsmith's score instead.
Favorite Moment
Putting the one and only Poltergeist of Jerry Goldsmith on after this fiasco.
Track Listing
1. Poltergeist Opening (1.39)
2. They're Here (2.02)
3. Angry Spirits (1.37)
4. Electronics Awakening (1.45)
5. They're Not Pretend, Mommy (1.24)
6. The Storm is Coming (1.17)
7. Clown Attack (2.43)
8. Into The Closet (2.06)
9. Maddy is On TV (3.18)
10. You Have to Get My Sister Back (1.21)
11. A Poltergeist Intrusion (2.16)
12. Home Improvements (3.31)
13. Somebody Is With Her (1.47)
14. Take A Peek (2.12)
15. I Feel A Little Braver (0.56)
16. Into the Portal (2.06)
17. The Other Side (2.46)
18. Reunited (1.26)
19. Let Her Go (4.32)
20. Home Free (2.57)
Total Length: 43.41