Nightmare On Elm Street I & II, A

This two-fer release from Varese Sarabande pairs two of the more influential and interesting horror soundtracks of the slasher-film era. Charles Bernstein's score to Wes Craven's 1985 slasher cult classic A Nightmare on Elm Street is very much a product of its time, eschewing traditional orchestral approaches while employing state-of-the-art synthesizers and sound effects to convey the horror of Craven's suburban dreamscapes. Bernstein's unsettling cues utilize technology to strong effect, creating sinister atmospheres that effortlessly communicate the threat posed by the film's ghoulish antagonist, Freddy Krueger. The inorganic, dehumanized tones produced by the composer's synthesizers underscore the narrative's detachment from waking reality. That said, taken on its own terms the music is more than a little dated. While the best Hollywood scores boast a timelessness that transcends their origins, A Nightmare on Elm Street is immediately recognizable as a product of the mid-'80s, and whether that's a positive or a negative is left to the listener to determine. The follow-up passes the baton to Christopher Young, who to his credit introduces a radically different approach from his predecessor. Where Bernstein embraced electronics, Young employs acoustic instruments to create a sinister suite of dreamy, atmospheric melodies slashed by outbursts of dissonance that bring to mind Freddy Krueger's homicidal claws. His complex orchestrations boast a melancholy and depth rare for the horror genre, and while A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 offers little in the way of traditional thrills and chills, its subtle intensity very much rewards repeated listens. ~ Jason Ankeny