Customer Reviews

Hellraiser: Chronicles

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chris Young has done some awesome scores in his career. Most of these come in rare limited editions (Urban Legend is rarest yet) so they're quite hard to come by. Much like this set. If you see it in a store...buy it.

His score to the first Hellraiser movie combines magical amounts of mystery, horror and intrigue that reflects the black magic nature of the film. The evil atmosphere is laid on so thick in the music that some tracks are actually bone-chilling. I love Young's approach to the film. Instead of a synth-sound (common with 80's horror movies) he opts for a huge orchestra of brass and strings and menacing piano cues, giving it more integrity that other horror scores of the time. Some of it sounds like his score to Hard Rain (which is also very cool) and some of it sounds like a warped, demonic music box.

The Hellraiser II score, while larger and more operatic, lacks the mystery and dark seduction of the first. It's a more conventional approach and Young gets a bit to carried away in making it overblown and bombastic. Some tracks, like 'Hall of Mirrors' and 'Chemical Entertainment', are just seven minutes of noises that stimulate in no way. The Hellraiser theme isn't used as dynamically as the first and it seems to take a backseat to constant crescendos and blasting orchestra.

Hellraiser III takes an action-based approach. Though composed by Randy Miller it definitely sounds like Chris Young as all the instruments are the same. I'm glad he respected Young's material enough to emulate it. Scoring a horror film with action cues is quite original, especially as high quality as this. But none of the tracks for this threequel are particularly great and the Hellraiser theme is sparsely used among the pounding action cues.

As the sequels multiplied the uniqueness of the scores diminished. Don't get me wrong, there is some classic stuff in here that is well worth the five stars. It's just disappointing this couldn't be kept up throughout the three movies. This box set is limited to 3000 copies and comes in a cool fold out box that resembles the Lamont Configuration and is shaped like a crucifix. It's definitely one to get if you're a fan of Chris Young.

Wow this is a great 3 CD set. The music of the first three Hellraisers definitely adds to the atmosphere of the movies. I recently got into the movies of Hellraiser and was thrilled to see that these were released into an affordable collection.

Silva once again has taken the lead with "Hellraiser:Chronicles", three separate scores based on stories by horror writer/director Clive Barker. The first two films "Hellraiser" and "Hellbound" are composed by Christopher Young ~ overwhelming choral work, magnificent arrangement with a large orchestra and choir. Intermittently dark, with scattering of choral tonalities that pulse sat around each counterpoint. Young's score stands very well by itself, would be well received in a concert hall with each cue keeping you on the edge of your seat. The final film in this chronicle is "Hellraiser III:Hell On Earth", as Randy Miller picks up the baton and continues the saga of Pinhead. Miller's score is more dynamic, abundant brass and loaded with percussion ~ takes many liberties that certainly pay off.

Total 3-CD-Set ~ Silva America 809 ~ (3/25/2003)

this is an amazing cd totally worth the money. If you are a true hardcore hellraiser fan you will appreciate this for all its worth and a little more

Aah, a Devilsend for the Hellraiser fan. With the individual soundtrack discs to Hellraiser and Hellbound out of print, this beautiful package collects those excellent Christopher Young scores and the solid Randy Miller score for Hell on Earth (the weakest of the first three films).

The set unfolds like a Lament Configuration, and the discs sit in individual sides. There are some slick liner notes, too, and some great, colorful, bloody pictures.

The first two Hellraiser films had their stock notably improved by Christopher Young's work. The theme, the choirs, the translation of the grisly but fascinating Cenobites into a very lush classical score is some of the better horror soundtrack work in years. Hellbound is arguably the best of all the Hellraiser soundtracks.

If you have the individual discs, then this is more a collectible item. However, the price is very nice, especially for such good scores, and for material that isn't easy to find anymore. Very nice job, overall.

AT LAST! I have been waiting for a collection like this one for a long time. Being a fan of the music from the hellraiser series since seeing the first film, I never thought I would be able to get my hands on the original soundtrack since it was long deleted. Now with this collection I get not only the score of the first film, but the second minus the highpoint stuff (thankfully), PLUS the third, ALL remastered, with nice packaging to boot!
Even if you already got the 2nd or 3rd scores like me, the remastering and special packaging makes up for it in my opinion. Besides its about the only way to get a copy of the 1st score without alot of searching and possibly paying an arm and a leg and then it wouldnt be remastered.
If you're a Hellraiser fan you NEED this!!