Widely praised for its aesthetic wonderment, Hannibal is an artistic masterpiece even among the many that have been made for contemporary television. It is gorgeous, with every shot stylised to the point that the show becomes hypnotic. Its beauty belies the darkness of the stories and themes. Fittingly, the score balances this stylised gorgeousness with dark and terrifying moments. There are no clichéd string stabs like in Psycho and its thousands of imitators here. Nor are there John Carpenter synth sounds designed to creep out the audience. Instead, the soundtrack is grandiose and alluring. The music never stops, making Hannibal an immersive audiovisual experience, and turbulent sounds clash with slowed down classical pieces. It is like an ambient soundtrack without any of the comforts or wallpaper-like subtlety of ambient music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWTVKLUtnQ4&list=PL4jjYmGt-hnYLooK5s3WllkgnsLF3IY4T Percussion is a major component, and it is impossible to recall any scene from the show without thinking of clattering drums and cymbals filling the soundscape. Rather than playing on the usual "scary" tropes of TV horror soundtracks, Brian Reitzell's score is far more in line with the avant-garde soundtracks of Morricone and Goblin in 1970s Italian horror. It works majestically.
