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[Review] Silent Hill: Downpour OST

Published

14 years ago

on

shdcover

Tomorrow sees the release of Konami’s eighth entry into the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill: Downpour. For the past seven entries, fans have enjoyed the terrifying tones of Akira Yamaoka. However, the shock that everyone felt when it was announced that he would not be returning to compose this entry was felt far and wide. Upon the announcement that Dexter composer Daniel Licht was stepping in, there was a tentative sigh of release. After all, here was a man who had worked in horror for years, tackling Hellraiser, Children of the Corn, and many other beloved entries. But does the Silent Hill: Downpour OST do this series justice, especially after everything that Yamaoka has done?


Disclosure: My love of Silent Hill knows no bounds. Seriously, it’s kinda insane. Aside from the play novel and the Japanese-exclusive mobile games, I’ve played every single Silent Hill title out there. So know that this review comes from someone who has devoted a hell of a lot of time to the series and the music.
Alright, I’m going to state for the record that, from the very beginning, I believed in Daniel Licht. It’s like when Heath Ledger was announced as the Joker. A ton of people scoffed but I trusted in Christopher Nolan and believed in his vision. Same thing here. That feeling also might’ve been due in part to my belief that Yamaoka had been doing this long enough and that a new voice could very well be a good thing. 
Licht comes at this soundtrack with a much more cinematic feel than Yamaoka ever did. The tracks each feel like they are aimed at telling the story of a specific scene rather than be the identifying music of a location. Even the track names lend credence to this idea, with examples such as Railcar Ride, Basement Fight, or Bus To Nowhere. 
Licht has also created a more organic form of creepiness with the Downpour OST. Sure, there are still incredibly eerie and atmospheric industrial tones that shriek and moan, almost as though an abandoned factory came to life. But there are also a great deal of stringed instruments and percussion that lend a rich, natural, and perhaps most importantly, organic depth. 
An element that is supposed to be incredibly important in Downpour is that of rain and water. Therefore, this album should be able to reflect those feelings and that imagery, right? Well, it does just that. Something about this album makes me feel like it will be the perfect accompaniment to a thunderstorm, the sound of rain pattering against my window, thunder rumbling in the distance.
Perhaps my only complaint about this soundtrack is that it doesn’t pull at my heart as much as the Silent Hill 2 OST did or terrify me as much as the Silent Hill 1 OST. But let’s be realistic here, shall we? The Silent Hill 1 OST was basically a track of ambient noise with very little in the way of melody. And as for Silent Hill 2? I just have so many memories associated with that title that Licht was never going to be able to measure up to my nostalgia. Nor did I expect him to. 
The Final Word: Licht has created a soundtrack that is definitely Silent Hill in tone and yet undeniably different than the works of Yamaoka. With nods to all the elements that make a Silent Hill soundtrack memorable, Licht has proven he has everything that it takes to create an immersive aural experience that us survival horror fans so lovingly crave with the Silent Hill: Downpour OST. 
Got any thoughts/questions/concerns for Jonny B.? Shoot him a message on Twitter!
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Music

Marco Beltrami’s ‘Scream’ Score Gets Deluxe Reissue For 30th Anniversary

Published

3 days ago

on

July 9, 2026

By

Seminal slasher Scream rewrote the rules in 1996, and for its 30th anniversary,  Varèse Sarabande and Craft Recordings are celebrating with a new anniversary reissue of Marco Beltrami’s landmark score.

The original 14-track album returns to vinyl in a collectible “blood-soaked” sleeve on August 28.

If blood red isn’t your color, there’s good news: the reissue will also be available in many different limited-edition exclusive pressings.

In addition to the wide “Woodsboro Bloodbath” red vinyl pictured below, look for the following exclusives:

An Extended Cut Edition of the Scream (Original Motion Picture Score), featuring all 40 of the film’s cues from the 2022 Scream boxset, will also be available on CD. All formats are available to pre-order or pre-save today.

Top L-R: “Knife’s Edge” silver vinyl with poster (Target), “Surprise, Sidney” metallic blend vinyl (Barnes & Noble), “Don’t Hang Up” clear vinyl (Books-A-Million),
Bottom L-R: “I’ll Be Right Back” blue vinyl (Urban Outfitters), “Final Girl” splatter vinyl (Hot Topic), “Wrong Answer” Blood Red Splatter vinyl (Varèse Sarabande/Craft Recordings), and “Final Phone Call” blue vinyl (Indie Retail)

Marco Beltrami composed the iconic score as a then young, up-and-coming composer—one who, ironically, had never scored or even seen a horror film.

Yet just three years after he completed the University of Southern California’s rigorous scoring program, Beltrami submitted 13 minutes of music for Scream’s opening sequence and his future was forever changed. “We knew in half a minute that we had found our composer,” Craven told Variety in 2012. “The music was haunting, beautiful and totally original. Marco turned out to be shy and soft-spoken, but a fountain of ideas and innovation. I never looked back.”

Scream (Original Motion Picture Score) (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

CD Tracklist

1. Dimension Logo (0:19)

2. The Cue from Hell (10:33)

3. Trouble in Woodsboro (1:52)

4. Sid’s House (1:12)

5. Red Herring (2:13)

6. Killer Calls Sydney (2:52)

7. Chasing Sidney (1:29)

8. Cell Phone (1:00)

9. Backdoor Gale (0:49)

10. Schoolyard 2 (1:17)

11. Sid’s Doubt (1:23)

12. Bathroom (2:58)

13. Mr. Himbry Gets It (2:11)

14. Sherriff and Dewey (1:21)

15. Tatum’s Torture (2:46)

16. Sidney Wants It (3:09)

17. Dewey and Gale (1:57)

18. Off to See Himbry (0:41)

19. Killer Stabs Billy (2:50)

20. Randy Almost Gets It (2:33)

21. Gale Crashes the Van (1:33)

22. They’re Crazy (9:42)

23. Sid Stabs Billy (4:24)

24. Billy’s Back (0:52)

25. End Credits (1:40)

26. Sid’s Window (0:26)

27. Gut Someone (0:13)

28. Sid Looks (0:16)

29. Billy Looks (0:24)

30. Billy to Cell (0:34)

31. Killer Calls Again (0:35)

32. Bang Into Billy (0:12)

33. Girl Talk (0:54)

34. Video Store (0:45)

35. Why She’s Here (0:16)

36. Billy Sting (0:13)

37. Prescott’s Car (0:29)

38. Hairbrush (0:38)

39. The Cue from Hell (Orchestra Only) (6:28)

40. I Don’t Care (Vocals Performed by Dillon Dixon) (3:01)

Scream – Original Motion Picture Score

Vinyl Tracklist

Side A:

1. Dimension Logo (0:19)

2. The Cue from Hell (10:33)

3. Trouble in Woodsboro (1:52)

4. Red Herring (2:13)

5. Chasing Sidney (1:29)

6. Backdoor Gale (0:49)

7. Schoolyard 2 (1:17)

8. Bathroom (2:58)

Side B:

1. Sherriff and Dewey (1:21)

2. Tatum’s Torture (2:46)

3. Sidney Wants It (3:09)

4. Killer Stabs Billy (2:50)

5. They’re Crazy (9:42)

6. End Credits (1:40)

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