10 Things You Didn't Know About Cape Fear
2. The Score Is Made Up Of Other Recycled Movie Soundtracks
As with any good thriller film, the score is one of the most important factors to get right to completely nail the dramatic tension on screen. It just wouldn't be the same if a brooding shot of a serial killer was accompanied by the Wii lobby music now would it?
Cape Fear is no different, employing a fantastic soundtrack that aptly reflects the terrifying contents of its narrative. Created by composer Elmer Bernstein, he adapted the original movie's 1962 score into something slightly more modern, taking Bernard Herrmann's impeccable music sense and utilising it for his own. When he couldn't adapt something to his taste, Bernstein took rejected pieces from Hitchcock's Torn Curtain and integrated them in too - which were also Herrmann's own creations.
He admitted himself that the 5-time Oscar nominee would have absolutely hated the butchering of his work, but evidently didn't really mind. Hey, it worked out well in the end either way.