| When Good Ghouls Go Bad |
| Composed by Christopher Gordon |
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Conducted and Orchestrated by Christopher Gordon Produced by Christopher Gordon Executive Producer: Robert Townson Release Date: 2001 |
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Christopher Gordon returns to the low-budget/TV film scene with a score that marks quite a departure from his work on such projects as Moby Dick and On the Beach. Then again, the film itself is a departure towards the horror/comedy side of things as opposed to heavy and somber drama that Gordon has worked with in the past. With such a drastic change in subject matter, I’m sure many are wondering whether or not Gordon can keep his quality of film scoring high while exploring the avenues that a film of this nature possesses. Thankfully, Gordon manages to deliver another fine score, but this one does have its stumbles. When Good Ghouls Go Bad comes across as something one would likely suspect as being scored by Danny Elfman, and in this respect Gordon’s score greatly succeeds. It definitely has the same signature feel as Elfman, but Gordon accomplishes this without having to resort to borrowing anything outright. There is a lot of quirky string work here and the rolling piano movements that Gordon scores with are quite a lot of fun. The opening track is easily the worst on the whole CD as it contains this really asinine little ditty of a song that makes no sense whatsoever and is sung in a way that mixes 30s style female trios with a male trio of altered lower pitch (for effect). If you can’t understand that last sentence just believe me when I say you can’t really describe it accurately and you just have to hear it for yourself. The second track is where the real action starts with what is probably the best track on the whole CD. Here, Gordon introduces the main theme, a few minor sub-themes, and runs them through a set of variations. The track is around three-and-a-half minutes long, but it is one of those cues that just doesn’t seem to last long enough. The thematic structure remains present throughout the score, which is really nice, but the themes don’t get as good as they are presented here. While the music remains fairly lighthearted in tone, there are a few places where the orchestra powers up and delivers some rather intense pieces (A Pile of Pumpkins). This can occasionally seem out of place in a score that is pretty much like a light-hearted version of The Others, but at the same time, those moments are scored quite well, so I shan’t complain too much. Overall, I was quite pleased with this score. I’m sure there are those who will find it quite annoying since it is such a drastic departure from what we are used to with Gordon’s work, but those looking for something different yet still retaining the thematic work and structure that Gordon has been known for will not be disappointed. ***1/2 |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 53:33 | |
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