David Bruckner’s much-anticipated Hellraiser comes out tomorrow, Oct. 7, on Hulu, but today I’m proud to give you a taste of Vehlinggo favorite Ben Lovett’s exquisite score. The digital version of Lovett’s work releases tomorrow via Lakeshore Records, but that label and MONDO also have a killer vinyl version ready for pre-order tomorrow. In other words, tomorrow is going to be a big day, and our offering of Lovett’s big-rhythm, tempest of trepidation “Mansion Party” cue will help with your impatience. (Vinyl news is below, too.)
Lovett and Bruckner are longtime friends and collaborators, most recently coming together on the extraordinary The Night House. This time the pressure was huge, because the duo were taking the reins of Clive Barker’s beloved horror franchise. They have disappointed us not an ounce. Here, with a rich tapestry of evocative imagery, Lovett tells Vehlinggo a little bit about the making of “Mansion Party.”
This track is unique to the rest of the score in that it partly exists within the diegetic world of the characters, then slowly morphs into underscore.
The assignment was essentially a question of: “What sort of music would a wealthy, educated one-percenter obsessed with cult artifacts play at his deviant mansion sex party?” Which is the type of question that definitely gets me out of bed these days.
My thought was it would be classical music, but imagined some DJ in the corner mashing classical and modern elements together; which was sort of a meta-statement about what we were doing with the franchise.
I lifted a few passages from Franz Liszt’s “Funerailles” (1849), which felt appropriately stately and gothic with just the right amount of dramatic flair, replayed those on the piano and built a big dirty trap beat on it. I just imagined Dracula smoking a blunt and nodding his head, out on the prowl for a late night bite.
A bit about Hellraiser (2022): The film, which received a rave response last week at its Fantastic Fest premiere, is a fresh examination of Barker’s classic novella instead of serving merely as a reboot of the 1987 original. In the process it expands on the universe of the franchise, which is generally about a group of entities called Cenobites who traffic in pain and suffering and are summoned by people messing around with an ancient puzzle box. (I’m being rather general in my description here, because I’m assuming most of you know the gist.) Bruckner pals Luke Piotrowski and Ben Collins return for screenplay duties, building off a story by themselves and David S. Goyer.
Pre-Save Hellraiser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) in advance of Lakeshore’s release tomorrow. And now, about that vinyl…
MONDO’s Hellraiser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Exclusive Vinyl Information
Ben Lovett’s music is no stranger to the impeccable craftsmanship of MONDO/Death Waltz — check out Synchronicity, The Wind, and Broadcast Signal Intrusion, for example. This time around, the inimitable Matt Ryan Tobin has crafted an engaging interpretation of Jamie Clayton’s Pinhead (AKA Hell Priest AKA Lead Cenobite).
MONDO is releasing the album as an edition of 2,000 numbered copies, pressed on two 140-gram records in the form of a colorful “Hell Priest” variant. Stephen Marsh Mastering in NYC handled the vinyl mastering.
It goes on sale tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 7, at Noon Eastern Time, and ships in January. They also will have a modest number of restocked Hellraiser 1-3, pressed on recycled eco vinyl, available. Don’t miss out on this.
For more information on the prolific composer Ben Lovett, you’re in the right place. Through interviews, premieres, and reviews, Vehlinggo has been covering Lovett for six years. (He’s also written a guest article.) Here’s everything on this site that’s tagged for him.
Great article, Aaron! I’m not seeing it on the Mondoshop site. Maybe there’s a delay on the drop. Usually it drops on the site right on time.
Thanks! It was moved to 1 pm Eastern.