Frankenstein Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on Netflix is a masterful, and visually exquisite adaptation. As you’d expect from the director, the set pieces are breathtaking, and the casting—Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth—are delightfully weird, as they should be in a Guillermo del Toro […]

[no spoilers] Weapons I wouldn’t have seen Zach Cregger’s Barbarian had it not been for the recommendation of a few friends. Upon first glance, the film seemed to be about a woman’s chance encounter with a psychopath. I felt like I had “the gist” and […]

Daybreak With virtuoso cinematography and pacing, Nosferatu, keeps you in a trance-like state of awe until the final frame of the film. The movie crescendos in an extraordinary final scene, with an accompanying piece of music entitled, “Daybreak”. Maybe the trance never ends — as […]

[no spoilers] Goodbye Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a superb and long overdo remake of the 1922 gothic horror classic. The movie looks incredible, and is very well acted — especially by Lily Rose-Depp. I found the film to be an absolute romp: horrifying, arousing, macabre, […]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s signature brand of chaos is accompanied by the music of Danny Elfman — a name synonymous with quirky, unforgettable melodies. His music has long been a staple of Tim Burton’s imaginative and gothic worlds;  including Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Alice in Wonderland, and Corpse […]

Every 27 Years [Updated and reposted from 2017.] Every 27 Years is a hauntingly beautiful composition by composer, Benjamin Wallfisch, that was featured in the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King’s IT. The piece serves as a thematic undercurrent — hinting at the cyclical nature […]

The Gravel Road The Gravel Road is an incredible piece of music from M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village. The soundtrack is by the iconic composer, James Newton Howard. I remember seeing this film at a packed theater in 2004. At that point, M. Night was […]

The Pale Blue Eye I was REALLY excited to see The Pale Blue Eye – as the whole thing was shot around my hometown of Pittsburgh. Western PA is filled with well-preserved colonial sites that are located within state parks. Specifically, I spend a lot […]

The Haunting of Hill House I loved this Netflix series from writer/director Mike Flanagan. The music by The Newton Brothers almost acts like an additional character (or ghost). If you’ve seen the series, you’ll agree the music and film are inextricably linked. This is also […]

Blood Theme Dexter was an excellent Showtime series (2006 – 2013) set in Miami. The series centered on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a forensic technician, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer. The Blood Theme, by composer Daniel Licht, is […]

Blood Oath This is definitely my favorite piece from the IT score. I’m 45, so I remember when the book came out in the 80’s: Stephen King’s IT (the book) was figuratively and literally biggest thing in 1986. I remember going Christmas shopping at the […]

Werewolf by Night Werewolf by Night is the directorial debut film debut of (A-list composer) Michael Giacchino. It is a TON of fun. The “creature feature” is stylized in black & white with a run time of only 53 minutes. It’s an old-time monster film […]