Critical consensus favors James Horner's earliest Hollywood scores for any number of compelling reasons, not least of which is the absence of self-plagiarism that undermines so much of his subsequent work -- 1983's Something Wicked This Way Comes is a potent reminder of the original, impassioned composer Horner used to be, heralding the introduction of motifs and ideas that would later reappear in better-known but lesser-quality scores. Enlisted after producers rejected Georges Delerue's original score, Horner creates multidimensional music that is by turns idyllic and sinister -- as the small-town lyricism of themes like "A Rare Day for the Boys" gives way to menacing, pitch-black melodies like "The Carnival After Dark," Horner proves his uncommon aptitude for evoking worlds outside the boundaries of reality. Eschewing the emotional blackmail of later scores, Something Wicked This Way Comes aims for the imagination, not the heartstrings, and succeeds brilliantly. ~ Jason Ankeny

Rovi