A couple of months ago, we reported on “Scored to Death: Conversations with Some of Horror’s Greatest Composers“, a new book by J. Blake Fichera that tackles the music of horror movies. Featuring interviews with Goblin, John Carpenter, Joseph Bishara, Christopher Young, and more, the book aims to focus on the importance that a good score has on creating an atmosphere of fear and terror.

We caught up with Fichera to discuss the book as well as his own relationship with music and horror. So, if you’re a fan of a good horror score, definitely give this a read!

You can order your copy of the book via Amazon.

What inspired you to write a book about such a topic?

There are actually many factors that led to my wanting to write a book about horror film music, but in a nutshell, I wrote it because I am a fan. I have had a great fondness for horror music since the mid-1990s, when I saw John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness for the first time. I fell in love with that score and purchased it on CD. Later, when I was in college, I got very into the music of Claudio Simonetti & Goblin as well as Fabio Frizzi. So, over a decade later, when Goblin went on tour, I was absolutely psyched and their live show did not disappoint. I saw them in October of 2013 and the wheels of inspiration started turning immediately. Shortly after that show I looked for a book of interviews with horror film music composers and when I couldn’t find one, I decided to write it myself.

What’s your own history with music?

My parents were not musicians, but music was always a big part of my life and my parents had pretty eclectic tastes. So I grew up listening to classical music, film scores, Broadway soundtracks, rock, blues, jazz…all kinds of stuff. When I was in high school, I listened to a lot of classic rock, blues and jazz — Eric Clapton, Freddie King, Black Sabbath, Frank Sinatra, Dave Brubeck, Jimmy Smith, etc. I started playing the guitar at around age 16. For the past 12 years or so, I have been fronting my own blues band in New York City and have played lead guitar in numerous local rock bands. Some highlights of my music career include the time I played in a band that opened for Kiss and when I got inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame in 2015.

Clearly you have an appreciation for horror scores. What makes them so special for you?

I am a horror fan, so that is a big part of it, but I also I think that the music made for horror, as well as sci-fi and fantasy films, is often more innovative and more interesting than the music made for more mainstream genres. The nature of horror allows for composers to be a little more adventurous and experimental; and that can lead to some very exciting music. I also have a fondness for synth music and progressive rock and horror is a genre that embraces those things.

What I love about your book is that you interviewed modern composers as well as those that have scored “the classics”. Did you find that there were any notable differences in their approach to composing or in how they viewed their role?

I think they all view their role in the filmmaking process the same way. They all realize that they are part of a team working toward making the best film possible. As for approach, obviously they all have their own methods, but the biggest differences are actually not between the contemporary composers versus the more seasoned composers. The biggest differences in regards to process and approach are actually rooted in their musical backgrounds, not age or experience. So the composers who come from a more academic or classical background all have a somewhat similar overall approach, that differs from the composers that come from the world of rock music; who all share their own similar approach.

What are some moments during your interviews that really stood out as being something special?

Everyone I spoke to was fascinating and I honestly think that all of the interviews offer something very special for the reader. To name just a few examples, off the top of my head – Charles Bernstein talking about discovering, as an adult, that his mother used to accompany silent films on piano and organ – Christopher Young telling the story about listening to a specific vinyl LP that blew his mind and put him on the path to being a film composer – Alan Howarth talking about working in post-production sound on the Star Trek films and Poltergeist and Army of Darkness – These are just a few memorable moments that come to mind.

Ultimately the main thing that stood out as being special to me, and I hope I don’t come off as if I’m tooting my own horn, is the fact that these may be the most in-depth interviews a lot of these guys have ever done. Since the release of the first Lost Themes album, John Carpenter has done many interviews about his music, but I still think his interview in my book is likely his most detailed interview on the subject to date. And I would say the same probably goes for most of these guys. I think the format of a book lends itself to greater detail and longer interviews more than most other mediums.

What are your own favorite horror scores?

Well, now that is an impossible question to answer. I love so many and I don’t want to short-change any of the composers in the book. They are all in the book because I love their work. But…being a guy that interviews people, I don’t want to be a bad interviewee. So I will throw out some scores that I love. I don’t know if they are my “favorites,” but I am very fond of John Carpenter’s score for The Fog, Goblin’s score for Deep Red, Fabio Frizzi’s score for Zombie, Jay Chattaway’s score for Maniac, Christopher Young’s score for Drag Me to Hell, Riz Ortolani’s score for Cannibal Holocaust and Howard Shore’s score for The Fly. I’m sure the minute this interview is over I will be like, “Damn, I should’ve put that on the list!” But I could go on forever, so I’m going to stop before this list gets absurdly long.

Who are some horror composers that you feel don’t get the attention they deserve?

As beloved as Jay Chattaway’s score for Maniac has become amongst horror fans, I still think he is a bit underrated. I think he gets more respect in the sci-fi world for having written so much music for the various Star Trek shows, but I just love his stuff. Silver Bullet is an underrated score in my opinion. I also think that Fabio Pignatelli of Goblin doesn’t get enough credit. Claudio Simonetti gets a lot of (well-deserved) credit, but I believe that Pignatelli was also a major driving creative force during the band’s collaborations with Dario Argento and I think the stuff he did with Goblin (along with Maurizio Guarini) after Simonetti and Massimo Morante left the band, is very underrated.

Who are some modern composers we should be keeping our eyes (and ears) on?

I really liked the scores for the Maniac remake and It Follows, so I’d have to say I’m interested in seeing what Robin Coudert (a.k.a. Rob) and Rich Vreeland (a.k.a. Disasterpeace) do next in the horror film world…if they continue to go down that path. I also think Jeff Grace, who is in the book, is one to keep an eye on. He is best known for the stuff he’s done for Ti West, which is all great, but I think his best stuff may still be ahead of him. It is not a horror film, but I really like his score for Jim Mickle’s Cold in July.

What are some movies that you feel the score is such an integral part of the film that it’s impossible to imagine one without the other?

I think that a horror score is often at it’s best when there is a theme that represents the menacing force/monster in the movie and it is used to remind the audience that the monster is out there when it is not on the screen. The music, in essence, becomes a major character in the film and becomes an integral part of the narrative. The repetitive two-note theme from Jaws is probably the most famous example and that theme is the shark! Harry Manfredini’s “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” from Friday the 13th is Jason. The human voices that Goblin uses in the score for Suspiria are the witches. If you remove these themes, it would almost be like removing the monster from those films.

The resurgence of soundtracks being released on vinyl has renewed an appreciation for horror scores. What are your thoughts on this current trend?

I think it is great! Anything that promotes the music and the composers is fantastic, but it is an expensive hobby and I don’t love the “limited edition” aspect of it.

Is there a horror movie that has a score that you think many people have overlooked?

That’s an interesting question. Examples that come to mind are due to the score being overshadowed by other aspects of soundtrack. For instance, Jaws is certainly not an overlooked score by any means, but I think the main theme overshadows the rest of the score. That entire score is brilliant and beautiful, but the only aspect of it that most people remember is that main two-note theme. Also, I think John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s score for Christine is wonderful and I think it gets overshadowed by George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone” and the other rock and roll songs on the soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong; I think Carpenter’s use of the rock songs is brilliant. They are what gives a voice to the car, but I think the original score for that film is great and gets overlooked because them.