THE WITCH: The Delightfully Disturbing Sounds of a Sundance Horror Hit

Music Movie The Witch about 8 years agoby Nick Borrego

As a horror fan, one of the things I've enjoyed most over the years is when the music is executed just right with orchestral instruments. Hearing Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho score was my first realization of this concept at a very young age. The same exact instruments that could be used to create bright and cheerful scores are used in opposite fashion to set the tone for something horrifying. The resulting combination of sounds establish a sense of dread and foreboding that sinks in deep.

Mark Korven’s score for The Witch executes this idea with tension, atmosphere, and an air of looming danger. Despite being a fantastic recording, there is little sense of studio edit magic, resulting in a cohesive production that’s as powerful, raw, and organic as the film set in the 1630s.

I am excited that we will have an interview with Korven soon about his score for this film, and that GeekTyrant Audio has exclusive rights to premiere this track from its soundtrack from Milan Records, "A Witch Stole Sam." With the use of repeated percussion, vocals that increase expression dramatically over the course of the piece, and the grating use of cellos and bass, the overall texture of this track is what defines horror music at some of its very finest:

Nick Borrego I love to dissect, analyze and experience game music as it is at the center of what I love about games. Whether it’s intensely action packed, sentimental, or somber, my ears are on the music and how it is enhancing the gameplay. I’ve scored indie games and films and am always trying to learn from the best.

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