This might be a short LP – a 45 rpm LP always seems to jet by – but the way it’s composed, One Way Static’s reissue of The Boogey Man score by Tim Krog might as well be one singular track. Aside from the occasional short cue that comes and goes so quickly as to barely register, the score is so very well put together that one feels as if they’re listening to two larger works, rather than a collection on each side.
The Krog score varies between melodic themes such as the titular The Boogey Man and shorter, more atmospheric cuts like Nightmare or Explosion at the Well, which are essentially just synthesizer workouts that phase in and out with disturbing rises and falls.
The theme gets three different versions (more, if one counts its interpolation into The Boogey Man Strikes and Jake’s Theme), and each one is just different enough to justify inclusion. The primary version has a lengthy intro, but the second version cuts right to the melody, and really goes big. It’s astonishingly loud, and the verve with which it goes into the minor backing chords really makes it feel as if it’s the real deal, rather than a reworking of the theme. The back-masking in the middle really ups the discomfort level, as well.
The first side goes by rather pleasantly, but the second is a non-stop collection of tracks to make you fear for your well-being. Childhood wins the creepiness competition by utilizing music box minimalism, because there’s nothing so disturbing as that sound fading out into a synthesizer drone which quietly begins to pulse and rise, until the hair on the back of your neck begins to stand up. Then, suddenly, it disappears, and Jake’s Theme quickly and piercingly freaks you out.
Gloom is pipe organ gloom, while Music Box briefly lightens things before Fast Tracks, which seems to be a series of speedy wipes. We end with a third run-through of the theme, and then, it’s over.
As we listened to Krog’s score for The Boogey Man, we found ourselves simply flipping the LP over as each side ended, repeatedly going back to its well to re-listen again and again. It’s a wonderfully-mastered release, given that it uses the restored and remastered audio from last year’s Motionsound’s reissue.
The artwork’s simple, using images from the film. We’re also beginning to appreciate the gruesomely gory spreads One Way Static does inside the gatefold of their releases – it’s a unique hallmark for the label. The liner notes represent wonderful takes on the film itself from respected journalistic sources, as well as some intriguing historical perspective from the director.
THE BOOGEY MAN (1980) / COMPOSER: TIM KROG / LABEL: ONE WAY STATIC / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 9TH
