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[Reaction] I Beat Silent Hill: Downpour And Here’s What I Thought Of The Sound And Music

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The other night, I beat Silent Hill: Downpour. For those of you who are sitting back and scratching your head wondering, “Didn’t this game come out a few months ago?”, you would be right. But here’s what happened. I bought Silent Hill: Downpour and managed to squeeze in a few hours. Then, the following week, I bought Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, brought it home, popped it into my Xbox and BAM! Dead Xbox.

So, for a few months, I was without an Xbox 360 and was suffering every moment of this long and unexpected video game exile. It got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore. I caved, bought an Xbox, and dived immediately into the world of…..Minecraft. Yeah, I had to face some creepers to get my hands used to the 360 controller once again. And after building a badass world with TJ (and a little bit with Adam, even though he likes to destroy other people’s creations), I got my mitts all set again. I was ready to enter that foggy world once again!

I remembered enough of the story to feel comfortable continuing on without restarting. This was also compounded by the fact that I knew I’d be playing the game several times regardless if it was good or bad (I have every achievement in Homecoming), so I’d get a fresh view of the beginning several times over.

Now, one of the things that had me worried and apprehensive was the music and sound. After all, it was the first time that Akira Yamaoka wasn’t at the audio helm. Instead, we have Dexter composer Daniel Licht taking over as composer. As a huge fan of the franchise, the music and sound was something that I was paying very close attention to as I made my way through the game. And, I must say, I was beyond satisfied. Licht not only nailed it, he knocked it out of the park.

Running through the town, the ambient background music did something to me that I hadn’t felt since SH3: it frightened me. I actually felt uneasy and nervous as I walked the streets, enemies hiding behind a blanket of mist, the threat of thunder, lightning, and rain always looming. Like Lovecraftian tentacles, the music wrapped itself around me, making my skin crawl, the hairs on my arms raising as goosebumps the size of mountains dotted my arms.

Then there were the little winks and nods to the history of the sound and music. For instance, picking up an item brings about the same sound that is used in SH2. Then, at the radio station, DJ Bobby Ricks puts on two tracks from the SH1 soundtrack. Whether or not this was Licht’s decision is not known to me. In any case, it shows an appreciation for Yamaoka’s work but an acknowledgement that Licht is now the star.

Also, not since SH2 have I heard music in this franchise that is as emotional and gorgeous in the fear and terror it provides. Yes, the soundtrack to SH3 had some fantastic cues but it was, in my opinion, the beginning of the downward slope of the franchise soundtracks. Slowly fading were the terrifying industrial passages of the SH1 OST and the same with the beautifully haunting SH2 OST, replaced by more drum driven tracks with strong vocal presence. Do I still love the soundtracks from SH3 onward? Yes, absolutely. But, for me, the sublime mystery lessened with each soundtrack. Licht brought back that phantasmagorical emotion that I have been so desperately craving.

In my review of the soundtrack, I was convinced that the music, on its own, stood up to the test of Silent Hill. But experiencing it in the game was something else. I can truly say that, in the end, the music and sound of Silent Hill: Downpour was one of the highlights of the game.

Got any thoughts/questions/concerns for Jonathan Barkan? Shoot him a message on Twitter or on Bloody-Disgusting!

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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