Tremors - Bloodrush

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Being one of the best horror films out there, Tremors does accomplish several things with high prosperity. It is first of all a horror film that takes itself not serious while being overall serious enough to enjoy both its wit and scare. Secondly, the actors are a treasure to the movie and third, it is overall a movie you can see again and again. Wait, there is more, the cinematography was too good not to be noticed and the special effects are so simple, they look stunning nonetheless. True, there is one thing that the film has that is considered excellent and that is the music of Ernest Troost. Well, if I compare it with this release, then even I am wrong about that fact. The score as composed for the movie by Ernest Troost is here on the soundtrack but it isn't the score as heard in the movie, at least 50% percent of it. Strange and true movie music lovers will ask what is written by who. Robert Folk, still to this day uncredited as composer merely composed the last 30 or 40 minutes of music while portions of Ernest Troost's gloomy Texan atmospheric music crossed the line at times through it. People that liked the score at the end (including the wonderful suspense music when Val is ordered to stop while running to the cat (bulldozer) and the final music for the big cliff scene) shouldn't think that it is what they will get. You get the music for it alright but written by Ernest Troost and nobody else.

So, what is here is merely the more country based music with the horror score but also the music that was rejected from the scene. Its good to know what Troost has written for it but I surely wished the original music of the film instead. 'Titles / Opening Sequence' is already a good example of music not heard during the movie, the first 20 seconds or so are used but the rest covers the deleted scenes (as seen on the DVD). The better side of Tremors is the country based music, covering the Val and Earl theme and its more upbeat style. 'Val & Earl / Rhonda' states the theme first (with guitar and harmonica) and later the wonderful secondary theme is heard, most fully enjoyed as the pole vaulting music in 'First Attack / Pole Vaulting'. This was one moment I was dying to have in my possession. 'On the Rocks / Graboid / Uzi4U' and 'Val's Run / Don't Move / The Dozer Rescue' covers the alternate version of the Val and Earl theme, with great effect by the way in the second up mentioned track, because there it receives pure heroic form with swirling horns in advance. 'Journey Begins / Truck Attack / The Rocks' uses more the gritty scary music not heard during the movie for most of the time (some of it is used though) and 'Goin' Fishin / Stampede / Closing' is actually disappointing because it finishes with an electronically based climax (5 seconds or so) and nothing of the same heroic music as heard in track 7. Of course what Troost has written here is perhaps not bad but lacks in superiority as the music I fell in love with in the movie.

The commercial bootleg of Tremors also has a brief 4 track suite from Bloodrush. This is a piece that "complements the Tremors score well", as stated by Ernest Troost but was written for a feature that was actually never released. In a way, they belong with the more gritty tone of Tremors but there is basically nothing enjoyable of the music presented here. 'The Nurse' kinda reminds me of Poltergeist and 'The Struggle' uses in the begin swirling horns a la Battle Beyond the Stars but irritates for the rest of the time with the same horns driving you nuts at the end. It seems to be horror music but has more problems with its actual moody score than the fact that it is unreleased (probably for a reason). Anyway, they are found to complement the score and fill up the disc but that is all what I can say about Bloodrush. The fact that I can say much more of Tremors is also a disturbing fact. People that loved the score in the movie and think they are getting that score will feel the burden for sure. I knew that Robert Folk had written music for the movie but I thought I was getting away with it. So, the reason why the double release of Tremors and Bloodrush receives a negative rating is because it disappointed me really good. I really wanted the music of Folk because it is still after all this time pleasing heroic music that serves its counterpoint really well. I do know one thing, if they ever consider to create a score based on what's heard in the movie, they have an award winning horror score on their hands.

Tremors: ***
Bloodrush: **

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Tracks

Single Disc

Tremors

1. Titles / Opening Sequence (3.18)

2. Val & Earl / Rhonda (2.49)

3. Something's Wrong (7.00)

4. First Attack / Pole Vaulting (5.14)

5. On The Rocks / Graboid / Uzi4U (7.36)

6. On The Road / Miguel's Plan / Nester (3.18)

7. Val's Run / Don't Move / The Dozer Rescue (3.37)

8. Journey Begins / Truck Attack / The Rocks (3.00)

9. Goin' Fishin / Stampede / Closing (2.57)

Total Length: 39.11

Bloodrush

10. The Hospital (2.07)

11. The Nurse (2.21)

12. The Hallway (3.15)

13. The Struggle (3.47)

Total Length: 11.36

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