Customer Reviews

Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows (2000 Film)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Milan and Carter Burwell have given it their best shot, and they've hit the mark, just in time for halloween..."Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2". Burwell scored "The General's Daughter", "Being John Malkovich" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", a prominent composer, but with this latest venture he steers away from the trend of loud orchestra, often heard in contemporary horror films, concentrating on the innate sense of fear, like the dark woods would evoke.

Carter creates chills not by what you see and hear, but by what your imagination invents due to his music's tone, relying on melodic and harmonic development, sounds of the forest build an emotional effect by clinging to the characters relentlessly.

Opening track is a good example "ROCK WATER WIND", sounds of water hitting rock, the wind...all of this is created by percussion and drums with rhythms wildly surrounding you and engulfing your mind completely..."RAIN" is another cue, which gives you a drifting feeling, never knowing to what purpose. Even unrecognizable sounds work as motifs, they recur through the score and become familiar, blossoming darkly at the end.

Milan, is always in there trying to quench the thirst of the avid "movie-music collector", this score is simply captivating to the listener...a great addition to your ever growing collection!

Total Time: 40:43 on 13 Tracks...Milan Records 35926...(2000)...Review by MR. JIM

I had no interest in the stupid film, but I picked up the CD based on Burwell's previous work with the Coen's. NOTHING he has done before could prepare you for this EXTREMELY innovative and atmospheric music. Creepy and elegant, it is far more original than the work Burwell is usually hired to crank out. He must have been given total free reign here, whereas I think he is a victim of being too versatile and professional. Sure this is a slick record, and may lack soul, but it is great music for a long drive in the woods.

Much of the music is built from forest sounds like rocks and water which were electronically processed to create otherworldly ambiences. There is also the modern air of ancient rituals - wiccan raves. An interesting change of direction for Carter Burwell after his more traditional scores for "Being John Malkovich" and "Fargo".

This is a good soundtrack as far as soundtracks go. If you like feeling your music then this one is pretty good. Only beware, the DVD release of this movie was a 2-sided disk and had the score on it, which I only found out after I bought both. Ooops!

I'm not going to bore you with the details of the movie, artist or methods used to produce this recording.

Here is what you would really like to know:

The definitive Blair Witch soundtrack-without the "music"
from a compilation of new bands.

Forget the film! Close your eyes! This CD will bring you closer to the Blair Witch than you thought possible!

Mesmerizing! Chilling! Hypnotic! Surreal! Lush textures and sounds! (Industrial-Goth bands take note!)

A "must have" CD of premium background sound for your dungeon or chamber!

So very easy with Amazon on your side!!

While I admire Carter Burwell's innovation, and I think this score is better than the movie, I don't think it's his best work, or admire it as much as some of the others here. While it does contain unique use of samples in music, as others have noted, the average listener might find some of the tracks monotonous or their mind drifiting as they listen to it.

The easist way to review this is to say that if you liked the feel of the films, and a sample based score build around natural sounds is your cup of tea, it might be worth your money. If not, then skip it. I would normally give a score like this 3 stars, but I'm giving it 4 because of it's unique attempts in sound design.