Charles Bernstein - A Nightmare on Elm Street OST

This will be the first movie soundtrack from what I like to consider the modern day equivalents of the Universal Studios monster films. The children of the 30's and 40's had Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, and The Mummy to haunt their dreams. However, if you were a child of the 80's, such as myself, it was Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers that made you afraid to go to the bathroom late at night. The "Freddy vs. Jason" crossover, despite it's obvious flaws, is akin to the crossovers of yesteryear in many ways. 1942's "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man", marked the first time that two major Universal Studios monsters would appear together on the same film, and 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla" was the ultimate monster showdown of it's time.

Many would agree that the Nightmare on Elm Street series overstayed it's welcome with the release of eight sequels, and the franchise went downhill in more ways than one after the original. As with several other horror franchises during this period, Hollywood just didn't know when to quit while they were ahead. However, despite the generic and repetitive plots which revolved around exterminating sex-crazed teenagers in the most gruesome ways imaginable, years of public exposure helped these modern day monsters reach legendary status equal to that of their Universal Studios counterparts.

The theme music associated with each of these modern day monsters is as recognizable as their character's image, whether you are a fan of their respective films or not. First up is Charles Bernstein's amazing score to A Nightmare on Elm Street. Bernstein shunned the traditional orchestral approach for this film, opting for state of the art synthesizers and sound effects instead. There is also a touch of electric guitar used on "Laying The Traps". Bernstein's richly layered score created a sinister atmosphere, which perfectly captured the nightmare world inhabited by Freddy Krueger. The inorganic, dehumanized tones produced by the synthesizers underscore a waking detachment from reality. The sounds of heart beats, boiler room groans, blasts of steam, and low whispering help to heighten the tension of the music another degree. Although parts of this score may sound dated, and one will easily recognize it as the product of the 80's, this score still holds up extremely well and will forever be associated with the modern day monster, Freddy Krueger.

Track List:
1. Prologue
2. Main Title
3. Laying Out The Traps
4. Dream Attack
5. Rod Hanged/Night Stalking
6. Jail Cell
7. Confrontation
8. Sleep Clinic
9. Terror In The Tub
10. No Escape
11. School Horror/Stay Awake
12. Telephone Terror
13. Lurking
14. Fountain of Blood
15. Evil Freddy
16. Final Search
17. Run Nancy

Download: Charles Bernstein - A Nightmare On Elm Street OST
Download Size: 30MB