Dracula soundtrack, Wojciech Kilar 1992.
Wojciech Kilar isn’t a name that springs to mind when thinking of a film composer. Whilst most of the films he composed for were Polish he did have a relatively successful time in Hollywood, most notably for The Portrait of a Lady, The Truman Show & the Pianist.
Then there’s Dracula, the film is a classic. There were a few problems most noticeably Keanu Reeves & Winona Ryders absolutely diabolical English accents! The Direction & cinematic vision of fellow Pole Francis Ford Coppola mixed with Kilar’s style & Marries perfectly with the music. Coppola wanted a composer with a classical & traditional Eastern European feel & that’s exactly what he got.
The soundtrack is haunting & striking. The Piano & Violins are menacing & slowly reaching a loud drawn out climax in places. There are many peaceful & tranquil moments on the soundtrack which are quite beautiful, although on the underbelly of the tranquil pieces there is almost always a subtle dark piece chugging away. You have your standard Choir type singing going on but it works well where it doesn’t in many other Horror Films. Sure it has a few generic parts like The Hunters Prelude but The Brides is something special & would definitely recommend listening to even if the album isn’t to your taste. It’s over the top but so is the film & Gary Oldman’s brilliant take on the Count himself.
Favourites on the album are -The Beginning, Mina’s photo & The Brides….. Give Lucy’s Party a listen, I think it’s extremely creepy. Try it on Spotify!
