the haunting jerry goldsmith poster large

JERRY GOLDSMITH'S HAUNTING SCORE GETS DELUXE EDITION

Now available to pre-order from Varèse Sarabande and Craft Recordings is Jerry Goldsmith's score for The Haunting. This is the very first time this has been released on vinyl, and it's getting a doozy of a release. Check out below what's coming on October 4th, just in time for Halloween!

Varèse Sarabande and Craft Recordings are thrilled to announce Jerry Goldsmith’s goosebump-inducing score for the supernatural thriller The Haunting is set to receive a Deluxe 2-LP vinyl release. Scheduled for release October 4th, and available for pre-order today, The Haunting (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is pressed on a Black/Gold/Grey Marble vinyl in North America, while the International pressing will be offered on Translucent Green vinyl. Both editions come packaged in a gatefold jacket, featuring brand-new cover illustrations from artist Sina Grace, liner notes and stills from the film.

The Haunting (1999) stars Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson and Lili Taylor. The film follows a group of people who gather at a sprawling estate in an apparent volunteer study on insomnia, only to find themselves plagued by paranormal events connected to the home’s grim history. Jerry Goldsmith’s spine-tingling score is the sort of soundtrack that elevates the film’s atmosphere to the next level, while simultaneously shining brightly as its own unique piece of art.

The Haunting began as a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, though the renowned author departed the project over creative differences. Spielberg stayed on, however, and pegged the legendary Jerry Goldsmith to handle the film’s sonic elements. Goldsmith was the perfect man for the job, with an endless filmography and a bevy of awards nominations to help prove his bona fides.

He composed scores for five films in the Star Trek franchise and three in the Rambo franchise, as well as for Logan’s Run, Planet of the Apes, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Patton, Chinatown, Alien, Poltergeist, Medicine Man, Gremlins, Hoosiers, Total Recall, Air Force One, L.A. Confidential, Mulan and The Mummy. Goldsmith was nominated for six GRAMMY® Awards, five Primetime Emmy® Awards, nine Golden Globe® Awards, four British Academy Film Awards and eighteen ACADEMY AWARDS® (winning in 1976 for The Omen).

In an interview that Goldsmith conducted with CJRT-FM’s radio show On the Arts in 1982, Goldsmith spoke about his approach to film scoring, a philosophy he would use to create the themes and motifs for The Haunting. Almost two decades later, his approach remained the same. He knew what made a good score, and he opted for servicing the film as opposed to showcasing his skills, a choice that only highlighted his brilliance.

He said: “Before I begin to write, I try and view the picture the very first time as if I were one of the audience. What am I feeling from this movie as part of an audience? Then, as I ruminate over my responses, I try to think about whether I’d feel those situations even deeper if I added music to it. That’s how I try to approach any film.”

Critics agreed with this approach, especially with regard to The Haunting. Writer Ian Lace wrote in his review of the soundtrack, “Goldsmith as usual impresses with much more than the tired ghost-film-music clichés. There are sour, echoing, remote off-key figures, slitherings, sudden thumpings and shudderings, and bird-like chirpings from a huge array of acoustical instruments suggesting a plethora of hidden menaces about to pounce.”

Jeff Bond, who wrote the liner notes for the release, summed it up well when he wrote: “Its evocative, restrained style showed Goldsmith’s evolution as he adapted to the exigencies of sound design and the needs of movie music through the 1990s and into the beginning of the 21st century.” He noted that the album is a perfect illustration of Goldsmith’s versatility and ability to work across a number of forms. Bond concluded: “Goldsmith’s career arc showed him moving from hardcore experimentation to romanticism by the early 1980s, and The Haunting’s mystery and lyricism was a milestone in that evolution.”

Click images to enlarge.

Track Listing:

Side A

1. Afraid

2. A Place For Everything

3. Hill House

4. First Look

5. In The Dark

6. The Carousel

7. The Yellow Light

8. Nell’s Story

9. A Broken String

10. Meetings

11. Portraits

12. The Curtains

13. Testing

Click images to enlarge.

Side B

1. Noisy Fireplace

2. Welcome Home Eleanor

3. Green House Tale / Bloody Feet

4. Crane’s Study

5. Curly Hair

6. The Picture Album

7. What Am I Doing

8. Out Of Bed

Click images to enlarge.

Side C

1. Return To The Carousel / What Do You Want

2. Twisted Stairs

3. Terror In Bed / Nell’s Room

4. Finally Home

Click images to enlarge.

Side D

1. Theme From The Haunting / Home Safe

2. Finally Home (Album Version)

You can pre-order the album by clicking one of the links below.

Cover
Cover

This page includes affiliate links where Horror DNA may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Want to share some news? Click here to hit us with it!

Steve Pattee
US Editor, Admin
He's the puppet master. You don't see him, but he pulls the strings that gets things done. He's the silent partner. He's black ops. If you notice his presence, it's the last thing you'll notice — because now you're dead. He's the shadow you thought you saw in that dark alleyway. You can have a conversation with him, and when you turn around to offer him a cup of coffee, he's already gone.
Other articles by this writer

OBEY - CONSUME

Join Us!

Hit the buttons below to follow us, you won't regret it...