Dawn of the Dead (Promo)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

It isn't common for remakes do outdo their classics, and more when it concerns the classics of George A. Romero namely Dawn of the Dead, but that's just what Zach Snyder did. He made a truly fast and relentless horror scare that doesn't stop until the effect is reached, with outstanding but gruesome makeup effects, chilling horror but above all a superb cast that for once lets you care for those that fight for their lives. Forget such dribbles as Scream or I Know what you did Last Summer, here you care for the characters and then the suspense is even more engaging to uphold. So I for one absolutely loved this film, and it seems I'm not the only one, the clever tiny details alone are scattered throughout the film (often depicting back information that was heard in the original film of Romero) and shows Snyder had a lot of respect for the classic. Now, while perhaps just a plain old horror score that depicts the scare and the gore, still you have to admire Tyler Bates' effort for the movie. Bates sadly came in daylight with The Devil's Rejects, an effort that didn't do the composer any justice. It may have been for him a challenging, disconcerting and gratifying project, but for a film music buff, it was hell revisited, so people weren't interested in checking out Dawn of the Dead, even though Dawn came first. Still, Dawn of the Dead remained unreleased while in return The Devil's Rejects was in fact released. Talk about not knowing were your ass is. Because any fool will know what had to be released of Bates, and that is this effective and powerful score that takes a bunch of surprises if you compare it with the typical Beltrami horror scores of late. Of course, it will be dark, ominous and with its dissonant sound, but Bates still makes it interesting with his inclusion of ideas. 'Brainscan' in fact is the short opener, glass effects, beats and ominous play of the strings but the solo vocal still is briefly haunting. 'Vivian Attacks' however doesn't let the ominous mood rest for long, the brass depicting danger and the strong orchestral play (with electronic support) setting the rising of the dead in sturdy effect. Cool tracks are for instance, 'Anna's Escape' with its strong brass fanfares for the unthinkable that has happened, namely chaos and death while 'We're Going to the Mall' has after a brooding opening the actual real theme of the score, a even more ominous brass theme, but an extremely effective and appropriate one. 'Don't Give Him that Gun!' even uses that main theme briefly as a softer sub statement.

Most surprisingly, there is also room for softer material, and this of course due to the explanation of the virus outbreak as the building of the characters, 'America Always Sorts its Shit Out!' is moody with its string sound while the glass bells create a perfect atmosphere for 'How do you Think your God Will Judge You?', it sets the tone of the scene just strongly down. 'Its Only a Matter of Time' is even more surprising since it lasts for five minutes, laying down the ticking living moments of one of its characters with a fitting variation on the theme for piano and strings. Yet luckily what really cooks (in effective and pleasing order) is the action music, used for the attacks and the running away of the survivors, stuff like 'Truck over Zombies' (capturing a good up and down brass moment), 'That Dog's just Fucked Up', 'Subterrainian Sewer Attack' and 'Sailing the Sea of Zombies', it all captures rhythmic speed, blazing brass and fast relentless beats, but in the sense it really holds a melodic powerful feel for you to enjoy, these are really strong examples of what The Devil's Rejects should have been like. The great suspension builder for one of its best scenes is heard in 'We Need to do Something Now' while 'Fuckin' Figures' goes totally in the relentless pace with bringing no more melody, but real shocking electronic chase music, for once we allow it. 'Enjoy the Sunrise' lets the moody brass theme of the mall return, as a fitting close to a surprisingly effective and enjoyable horror album. What's even more surprising about my version is that various moody (read boring) tracks were deleted from the selection, since the full promo runs for about an hour, so an even better listening experience is promised from before hand. And more, I included 2 songs which worked very fitting in the movie's sense, namely 'When the Man comes Around' which was chosen specifically by the director, and 'The Hangman's Song', these show that when a director has his vision he can support music that actually enhances the flow of a film, even a horror one. Take it from me, Dawn of the Dead is no shit, its not Devil's Rejects but its an effective horror pleaser, a guilty pleasure of mine and a score that deserved more widespread attention then his recent nightmarish crap.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Brainscan (0.49)

2. Vivian Attacks (2.26)

3. Louis Blasts Bathroom Door (1.10)

4. Anna's Escape (1.45)

5. When The Man Comes Around: Johnny Cash (4.26) Excellent Track

6. We're Going To The Mall (2.39)

7. Zombie Spike (2.52)

8. Don't Give Him That Gun! (0.53)

9. America Always Sorts Its Shit Out! (1.31)

10. Maybe They're Coming For Us (1.39)

11. How Do You Think Your God Will Judge You? (1.02)

12. Truck Over Zombies (1.36)

13. Its Only A Matter Of Time (4.58)

14. That Dog's Just Fucked Up (1.28)

15. Luda's Transformation (2.05)

16. The Hangman's Song: Nan Vernon & Soda (1.15)

17. We Need To Do Something Now! (3.59)

18. Subterrainian Sewer Attack (2.44)

19. Sailing The Sea Of Zombies (1.57)

20. Fuckin' Figures (1.38)

21. Enjoy The Sunrise (2.12)

Total Length: 45.14

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