Deep in the Darkness (2014) /Matthew Llewellyn

A young rising composer on the scene these days in Hollywood is Matthew Llewellyn whose sound for this new horror film has a flare for the romantic and because of circumstances developed a unique sound for this soundtrack that is not the chalk squeaking, thunder bolts that vibrate your house or apartment with bass, and frankly just noise or filler material because the audience expects to hear something. What is missing are the woodwinds an important section in most horror scores. They are nicely replaced by the lower string section. Coupled with the brass the untrained ear is not going to pick up on the fact that they are missing. A graduate of Berklee College in Boston Matthew moved west to intern with Richard Gibbs and attend the Thornton graduate school at USC. He has gone on to work with Brian Tyler on several projects, has completed three movies, and is currently working on Fast and Furious 7.

The storyline is a typical one as a doctor leaves the hustle and torment of NYC to a small quiet town of Ashborough with hopes of bringing his family closer together. But the town has its own torment in the woods. As expressed by one of the characters “Legends never go away.” Starring Dean Stockwell, Blanche Baker, and Sean Patrick Thomas the film was directed by Colin Theys who had  Matthew Llewellyn compose for his last three films.

“Deep in the Darkness,” the first track, makes it crystal clear that this is a horror film with an opening of brass, exploring the lower strings and some mild shrieking of the violins. “The Deighton Residence” introduces the somber main theme which has a feel of the gothic romance. You’ll hear this theme throughout the score as it is repeated in “Welcome to Ashborough.” Frantic strings combine with solid horn work to introduce the “Rise of the Isolates” to the screen. This section is certainly terrifying and will put you on the edge of your seat. Having watched the movie his music supplies an underlying current that something is going to happen and it guides you through a web of horror and suspense. The final cue “Back Into the Light” reprises some of the major themes but ends with the disturbing motif that began the film. “You Can Protect Me” offers some good percussion work coupled with the rising and falling strings another tried and true horror technique.

In conclusion I like this score in many respects. While it uses some of the tricks of the trade for a horror score they are done tastefully and they are coupled with some true romantic gothic passages that make me want to go back and relisten to them. I’m impressed with the score and that is usually not the case with these low budget horror efforts. The ending of the film did surprise me and it neatly tied everything together with a single word.  I look forward to hearing more of this talented composer.

 

 

Track listing

1.	Deep in the Darkness (01:23)
2.	The Deighton Residence (02:27)
3.	Rise of the Isolates (01:38)
4.	Welcome to Ashborough (03:42)
5.	A Good Fit (02:17)
6.	Infiltrating the House (02:09)
7.	Don’t Trust Lady Zellis (01:29)
8.	You Can Protect Me (03:16)
9.	Eyes in the Distance (01:46)
10.	They’re Coming for You (01:31)
11.	Lauren Hunter Is Hunted (04:23)
12.	Black Light Beauty (02:03)
13.	It’s Too Late (02:26)
14.	Page Returns (02:09)
15.	Ashborough Assimilation (02:13)
16.	We’re Not Going Back (02:32)
17.	Make the Best of It (02:49)
18.	The Swarm (01:30)
19.	Crawling for Jessica (01:54)
20.	Back Into the Light (02:23)