Title: Lo
squartatore di New York (The New York ripper)
Year: 1982
Composer: Francesco De Masi
The giallo
genre was slowly fading away in the 1980s but there were still directors trying
to revive it with fresh ideas. The iconic horror director Lucio Fulci changed
the locale to America in his campy Lo
squartatore di New York which nevertheless featured such shocking and
gruesome murders that it had to be heavily censored in several countries.
Francesco De Masi made the score and even though his career was also slowing
down in the 80s, he still managed to compose colourful but cheesy music
suitable for an urban atmosphere.
The score
can be divided into two distinct categories, the first one being the 80s
pop/disco inspired cues and the other the music for the killer scenes. New York one more day perfectly sets the
mood for the hustle and bustle of the city with the catchy main theme that is
very 80s cheese but highly entertaining. The melody is carried through different
period-appropriate instruments such as electric guitars and synthesized
elements. New York one night is a
fine counterpart to the opening cue because the theme variations are more
subtle and mellow with their textures for sensual trumpets and saxophones while
still having similar drive and enthusiasm. In addition there’s also material
that’s clearly more source music in style such as Puertorico club which offers Latin-inspired rhythms, a sax solo and
shouting band members which probably serve their purpose in the scene but not
as well on the album. There’s also a romantic theme called Fay which is a lullaby-like, dreamy duet for a trumpet and
harmonica.
The
suspenseful cues begin with Phone call
which transforms the main theme completely, first performed by a mysterious
flute solo over dubious harpsichords and trumpets. The atmosphere starts to
warm up and turn more romantic before more dramatic, echoing saxophones appear
and the main theme moves to the electric guitar. The atmosphere becomes icy
cold in The ripper, which is an
effective thriller track even though there seems to be very little happening.
The intensifying feeling of dread is accomplished with flutes, keyboards,
electric guitars and subtle percussion and ingeniously applied main theme
variations. Slight unease is also added to the end of New York one more day’s reprise which disturbs the otherwise
laid-back feeling of the track. Where is
the ripper? clearly tries its best to be suspenseful but here the 80s
instrumentation sounds almost comical and hence the cue doesn’t reach the same
level as the previous killer cues. The score luckily closes with two brilliant
yet hair-raising moments: Suspense and
murder & Waiting for the killer.
The first one features jazzyish harmonies and concludes with a shocking main
theme statement and a musical knife stab before returning to the noir
atmosphere. The last cue combines the best of both worlds because there’s a
source cue feeling to the backing drum set and bassline but the echoing
saxophones and vibraphones simultaneously create a feeling of growing suspicion
which leaves the listener wanting more.
There’s a
great blend of acoustic and electric elements here, and the 80s synths and
effects are applied thoughtfully. I know that this score won’t appeal to
everyone because it’s a 1980s score after all and you shouldn’t be expecting a
large orchestral approach. De Masi’s technique shines through and there are an
abundance of catchy melodies and clever variation to the thematic material
which just makes me smile.
Rating: ****
Title: Una
tomba aperta… una bara vuota (Night of the scorpion)
Year: 1972
Composer: Piero Piccioni
The album’s
second score offers 20 minutes of more peaceful atmospheres after the
in-your-face attitude of its predecessor. It’s for a Spanish-Italian
co-production involving a man haunted by his previous, deceased wife and a
series of murders committed by a gloved killer. Piccioni made a very subtle,
beautiful score that is more reflective than murderous in nature.
Surprisingly
the score doesn’t open with a main theme statement but with sinister music that
clearly fits like a glove for a haunted house film. Helen where are you? is built around a repeating phrase for strings
while the atmosphere around it transforms along with instrumental changes, such
as ghostly organ or tremolo strings. Though the pace is slow there’s a mood of
cleverly rising suspicion and horror that makes my skin crawl.
The peace
is restored in It means love, the
film’s main theme. It’s a piece for piano solo over soft strings, that is just
so enchanting with its fragility. However below the peaceful surface lies
steadily pulsating undercurrent for drum set and bass which prepares us for the
impending doom. That pulse carries straight over to Haunting memories which combines it to the opening track’s ominous
string writing. The reprise of It means
love concentrates on the fragile strings while piano taking a background role
before coming more prominent during the end. The melancholic mood is almost
agonizing with its immense beauty.
Oddly the
mood moves rather elegantly to the complete opposite, namely Ghost chase that features sinister
strings which are almost as fragile at first as in the main theme but gain more
power as the piece progresses. Dreaming again
adds a real feeling of dread to the mix and makes me look over my shoulder as
is clearly sounds like someone creeping around in dark hallways. A quiet
electric organ takes over Moonbeans on
the ruins which is also built around a steady beat like the preceding track
but unfortunately isn’t as effective. The string melody from the opening track
is reprised though with piano and eerie, textural strings. The final track of
the score, Echoes of a name, is a
complete version of a melody that began track 18. It is a mysterious cue that
combines approaches heard in the suspense cues to jazz-inspired harmonies but
sadly leaves the album quite unresolved.
It’s
absolutely sublime how Piccioni has achieved so much with so little. This has
to be one of the all-time subtlest thriller scores but still a nail-biting
experience that holds you in its grip through the short duration. Besides the
killer main theme there’s even strange ethereal beauty amid the suspense which
really leaves the listener into a state of confusion as how to feel about the
score. And that’s a good thing without a doubt.
Rating: ****
Tracklist:
“Lo
squartatore di New York”
1. New York
one more day (02:53) *****
2. Phone call
(04:34) ****
3. New York
one night (02:43) *****
4. Puertorico
club (03:15) ***
5. The ripper
(03:26) *****
6. New York
one more day (02:09) ****
7. Fay
(03:36) ****
8. Where is
the ripper? (02:24) ***
9. New York
one night (02:36) ****
10. Puertorico
club (03:15) ***
11. Suspense
and murder (02:49) ****
12. Waiting
for the killer (02:43) *****
“Una tomba
aperta… una bara vuota”
13. Helen
where are you? (03:55) *****
14. It
means love (02:24) *****
15. Hunting
memories (02:17) ****
16. It means
love (02:35) *****
17. Ghost chase
(01:45) ***
18. Dreaming
again (02:17) *****
19. Moonbeams
on the ruins (03:14) ****
20. Echoes
of a name (02:00) ****
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