Music
Jerry Goldsmith’s ‘Psycho II’ Score Released
Available now for purchase is a deluxe soundtrack for the 1983 horror thriller Psycho II, which saw Anthony Perkins reprise his role as Norman Bates. Composed by Jerry Goldsmith, the CD features 31 tracks, including six bonus tracks and is released via Intrada. You can order your copy here.
Below is the trailer, cover, and full description courtesy of Intrada.
Intrada proudly presents eerie, terrifying original soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith from Richard Franklin follow-up to famed Alfred Hitchcock thriller about Norman Bates and those twelve vacancies at his Bates Motel. Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles reprise their iconic roles with newcomers Meg Tilly, Dennis Franz adding to suspense, chills.
Goldsmith takes sensational approach to horror tale by anchoring entire score not with scary theme but with incredibly gentle, minor key idea that generates significant amount of sympathy for Norman, his attempts to go straight after years in prison. That said, horrific events follow and composer launches riveting action material in kind. Orchestration is unique: requisite strings in tribute to classic Bernard Herrmann original play key role but composer adds array of colors courtesy piano, large woodwind section, synthesizer. Goldsmith tacets all brass save French horns, allowing the expressive instruments to rip, tear and bray through numerous frightening passages. An unusually intense additional color comes from wild “knife slashes” written into score. With all these sizeable shadings of sound, resulting music ranges from gently beautiful, hauntingly sad to wildly aggressive, strikingly intense.
Complete score presented in dynamic stereo courtesy multi-track session masters vaulted in pristine condition at Universal. For original 1982 album, Goldsmith did considerable editing within cues, dropped major sequences entirely to keep duration at a half hour. In some cases he also attached names of certain cues to others instead. Scoring session paperwork and cue sheets allowed us to properly identify everything for the first time.
Fun to discover Goldsmith wrote two separate sequences titled “Mothers Room”, “Mother’s Room #2” plus two additional alternate versions featuring different bells, chimes, electronic effects within. All four appear on our CD. Also fun to discover haunting “End Title” was originally scored with striking pizzicato strings that plucked rhythmic accompaniment to introduction of gentle theme. This unused alternate also appears on our CD in “extras” section.
Goldsmith also recorded two Beethoven piano excerpts at his sessions to be heard as Bates plays piano onscreen. Both also appear as extras, as does alternate version of “Peep Hole #2”. Highlights of new music are many but deserving spotlight are intense “Toomy’s Death”, stark two-part voicings of French horns during “Expected Guest”. Flipper cover allows listeners to select new artwork or original MCA album cover. Jerry Goldsmith conducts. Intrada Special Collection release available while quantities and interest remain!
We learned a couple weeks back that the band Ice Nine Kills is joining forces with the slasher video game Dead by Daylight, with an Ice Nine Kills Collection inspired by the heavy metal band now available. Along with the collection, a tie-in music video has been unleashed.
Ice Nine Kills enter the fog today with “Play Dead,” a brand-new single and music video created in collaboration with Dead by Daylight. Written for the game’s 10th Anniversary, “Play Dead” brings Ice Nine Kills into one of horror gaming’s most iconic worlds, uniting two genre-obsessed universes built on suspense, survival, mythology, and the thrill of the kill.
The track was created in collaboration with longtime Dead by Daylight composer Michel F. April and arrives alongside the in-game Ice Nine Kills Collection, allowing players to represent the band inside the game’s ever-expanding horror universe with unique DLC.
Stream “Play Dead” here and watch the Ice Nine Kills music video below!
Ice Nine Kills’ brand new music video for “Play Dead” features Devon Sawa (Final Destination, “Chucky”) and Krsy Fox (Terrifier 3), along with the legendary Tony Hawk.
Ice Nine Kills mastermind Spencer Charnas tells us, “Ice Nine Kills has always lived somewhere between menace and mischief. ‘Play Dead,’ our take on Dead by Daylight, is a collision of hooks, horror, and total chaos. As lifelong horror fans, we find it surreal and an absolute honor to have Ice Nine Kills’ music officially tied to Terrifier, Scream, Ready or Not, and now, the iconic survival horror game Dead by Daylight.”
“Collaborating with Dead by Daylight gave us the chance to step into a world that feels deeply aligned with our creative instincts,” Charnas continues. “The game has an incredible legacy, and that chaotic, eerie, immersive energy is something we respect and admire. We wanted the song to feel like a real extension of that universe, not just inspired by it, but genuinely part of it.”
“Dead by Daylight has always been about celebrating horror in all its forms, and Ice Nine Kills shares that same passion for the genre we have,” said Mat Côté, Head of Partnerships for Dead by Daylight. “We’ve always been big fans of their music, and their creativity and deep connection to horror culture made this collab feel incredibly natural. We’re excited for our players to represent the band in-game with the Collection we created together, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience the new Dead by Daylight crossover track the guys cooked up.”
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