FORMAT: VINYL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Director Eric Power’s festival favorite, Attack of the Demons, is a mix of South Park‘s paper cutout animation style, Italian horror splatter, and hipster ennui, crafting a
film that’s silly, splattery, and not a little distressing. Anchoring the picture’s stunning visuals is the score by composer John Dixon, who uses a bank of synthesisers and a mess of guitars to craft an auditory identity to this eye-popping film.
While Dixon’s work leans at times toward latter-era John Carpenter film scores, with the main title theme’s mix of electronics and riffy guitars paying homage to the likes of In the Mouth of Madness and Ghosts of Mars‘ more metal leanings, that’s not a bad thing. Given the fact that Attack of the Demons takes a lot from Bava films – as in Lamberto, not Mario – the score is perfectly suited for a story whose plot revolves around a small-town music festival.
Switching between the mellow tones of Jeff & Kevin and Grandma’s House to the more energetically aggressive sounds of Cabin Assault and the main title theme, there’s a lot of variety to be had, but the consistently melodic approach Dixon takes gives Attack of the Demons a listenability even when divorced from the film’s visuals.
As a bonus, the soundtrack includes as its final track the song Sleeping Trees, by the character Natalie’s favorite band, Teek. Mixing acoustic and electric guitars, with a fuzzy, dreamy vibe, it perfectly encapsulates the 1994 setting of Power’s movie, and ends Attack of the Demon‘s soundtrack on a slightly hopeful note.
