10 Grisly Horror Movies With Surprisingly Beautiful Music Scores

5. The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

The Midnight Meat Train
Lionsgate

Composers: Johannes Kobilke and Robert Williamson

Listen To: "Leon and Maya" and "Leon the Butcher"

Adapted from a shorty story found within Clive Barker's tome "The Books of Blood", The Midnight Meat Train was not a success. Hell, it was hardly even a blip on most audience's radar when Lionsgate all but abandoned the film and tossed any proper marketing out the window.

Instead, this adaptation suffered a whimper of a fate and was all but forgotten as "that-little-Bradley-Cooper-movie-before-anyone-knew-who-Bradley-Cooper-was". Even now, they're actually trying to re-release the film with new cover art (that features Bradley's big ol' mug on the cover) so as to sway people into believing it's a new project of his. Oh well...

For what it was, The Midnight Meat Train wasn't actually bad (if not overly directed at points by Ryuhei Kitamura). It took a far less dramatic approach to its narrative than the short story before it, but in many cryptic ways, the cinematic reinterpretation did stay true to the source material's cynicism and ugly violence.

The score, written and conducted by Johannes Kobilke and Robert Williamson is a moody assortment of monstrous sounds and conflicting polyphony that plunge headlong into the downward spiral of its central character.

Leon's expedition begins on a moral note, but is gradually swayed into the realm of obsession (and ultimately, participation) the closer he comes to knowing the brutish Mohagony and his trade of human meat.

Similarly, the music begins on an intimate note and becomes all the more dreary and distorted the further Leon sinks into desperation. Occasionally a ping of reflective humanity strikes from the darkness, as in the track "Leon and Maya" before once again, Leon is fully consumed by his mania.

The denouement's eclectic "Leon the Butcher" acts as a rebirth to Leon's new beginning as the subway's handsomely suited carver. It's a beastly theme, one punctuated with grungy a beat, bizarre guitar contortions, Guzheng strings , haunting vocals and crescendos of brass that mimic the sound of a passing locomotive.

Contributor

Greetings from The Yentz! The Warrior of the Wasteland! The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla! I live, eat and breathe film... And videogames... And comics... And, well... Anything that might be considered "nerd related". I consider myself the voice against that of mainstream cinema. While critics might praise the ostentatious drivel supplied by Oscar-pandering films, I enjoy directing attention to less popular gems in hopes of educating people on incredible film experiences that may not be backed by massive studios, nominations and a star-studded cast. Outside of WhatCulture!, I write for Movieweb, assisted BlueCat as a script analyst, have worked on films from the east coast to the west and continue to write, critique and direct here in the lovable land of ol' LA. I hope you enjoy reading my diatribes as much as I enjoy writing them.