Zanobard Reviews

Charles Bernstein’s unnervingly atmospheric A Nightmare On Elm Street – much like John Carpenter’s Halloween – musically establishes its iconic slasher villain to absolute sinister perfection, with the creepy music box-esque main theme and alternating two-note taunting motif driving home just how horrifying Freddy Krueger is throughout this synthy ’80s soundtrack.

A Nightmare On Elm Street is a score soaked in eerie ’80s-esque electronic atmosphere. Take opening tracks “Prologue” and “Main Title” for example; the former acts as a moody prelude to the latter, as creepy, low-pitched synth notes form the atmospheric background with some very music box-sounding instrumentation then introducing the ten note main theme for Freddy Krueger himself. The latter track then picks up where this leaves off but dials up the ominous tone considerably, with additional moody electronics delivering a continual low-pitched background alongside tense percussion – playing an alternating two-note pattern that will go on to become Freddy’s taunting motif throughout the score – before the main theme then properly introduces itself on synth and those unnerving music box notes again. The “Main Title” is an incredibly eerie piece overall and does a spectacular job at musically introducing Krueger – especially in linking him to his victims in the child-like music box approach – and the sheer atmosphere it evokes in its moody electronic and synth backdrop is not unlike Halloween in that its very very ’80s, but also very very memorable – not to mention the stuff of nightmares.

With the impeccable main title fading away and the nightmare-inducing ambience firmly established, “Laying The Traps” dials up the ’80s tone even further with some dramatic synth beats and a determined electric guitar, before “Dream Attack” then thunders tension into centre stage as frantic electronic beats play alongside some high-pitched and particularly hair-raising synth paired with Freddy’s alternating two-note taunting motif from the “Main Title”. Things then slow back down for the start of the subsequent “Rod Hanged/Night Stalking” with the eerie atmosphere from earlier cues returning, until Freddy’s taunting motif then briefly reprises to elevate tensions considerably with the track then fading back into creepy ambience interspersed with music box reprisals of the main theme for the remainder of its runtime. The taunting motif reprises in the opening seconds of “Jail Cell” in unusually calm form, which makes it all the more unnerving really as worrisome piano notes and high-pitched synth then occupy the rest of the cue alongside some rather disturbing vocals.

“Confrontation” then turns the atmosphere sombre and rather morose, hinting toward the moody low-pitched synth from the “Main Title” before creepiness starts to seep back in with “Sleep Clinic” as lonely piano notes and high-pitched synth evoke a sinister tone alongside the main theme. The main theme then reprises in slow, malevolent form at the start of the minute-long “Terror In The Tub” before Freddy’s taunting motif then frenetically takes over on fast-paced synth beats for the remainder of the cue. Said motif continues at a slower pace into the subsequent “No Escape” until thunderous tension then takes over – harkening back to “Dream Attack” in style – as Freddy chases down his victim. The pitch is then eerily high for “School Horror/Stay Awake”, with the taunting motif reprising in unusually slow and thoughtful form from the eighty second mark, and the main theme makes similarly styled unnerving appearances from two minutes thirty. The volume then reaches terrifying levels in the minute-long “Telephone Terror” with electronics at fever pitch, which then translate into stabbing percussion in “Fountain Of Blood” up next.

The low-pitched and impeccably unnerving backing electronics from the “Main Title” reprise in full for “Final Search”, with Freddy’s two-note taunting motif making short, sporadic appearances from sixty seconds in. The main theme then finally rears its malevolent head at just past the two minute mark, prowling moodily across the synthscape for the track’s remaining minute of runtime. The chase music from earlier tracks then returns as frenetic as ever in “Run Nancy”, with things then slowing somewhat for “Nancy Glen” as the music box notes eerily return with the sinister main theme and taunting motif both in tow. The electronics then lean heavily into sombre organ territory interspersed with music box notes for the main theme for the sub-minute “Funeral”, with this sorrowfulness turning rather sinister in “Freddy’s Hat” as both the main theme and taunting motif eerily reprise. A brief break from the horror then shines through in “Bars On Windows” as lighter piano notes play, but even this is overshadowed somewhat as the ever-malevolent main theme overlays it in the cue’s back half.

With the album starting to approach its end, the taunting motif briefly reprises in the twenty second “Freddy’s Glove” before the main theme starts to play on moody piano notes in “Dad At Glen’s” alongside sombre synth. Sinister ambience is then dialed up to eleven in “Boiler Room” as the finale of the score continues, with high-pitched electronic notes evoking eeriness throughout until Freddy’s taunting motif returns in the forty second “Show Yourself ” before fading ominously out. Hope then blossoms fully at the start of “Morning After” with optimistic piano notes playing until Freddy’s taunting motif once again returns, getting the last laugh as the track then descends into high-pitched malevolent synth territory to close out the soundtrack.

Overall Charles Bernstein’s impeccably unnerving score for A Nightmare On Elm Street is, much like John Carpenter’s Halloween, an absolute masterclass in seeding moody horror ambience throughout its runtime. Its creepy music-box-styled ten-note main theme is of course the natural star of the show, not forgetting of course the eerie alternating two-note motif representing the tauntings Freddy Krueger makes towards his victims throughout the film, and these two pieces together make for a simple yet incredibly effective horror duo seeding malevolence and mood wherever they go. The standout “Main Title” track is the best place to see not only the themes but also the sheer atmosphere here in action, and the tantalisingly terrifying performance the taunting motif gets in “Rod Hanged/Night Stalking” and “Freddy’s Hat” are well worth checking out too. The recurring chase music that plays as Freddy runs after his victims in their dreams is also incredibly well done, with “Dream Attack” and “Run Nancy” being the best examples of this frantic tension in action. All-in, Bernstein’s simple yet extremely effective approach to Elm Street here not only makes for an incredibly hair-raising ’80s synth score, but a truly iconic one too.

Score: 8.5/10

Standout Cue: 2. Main Title

Follow me on Twitter for the latest soundtrack and review-based news!