Search - Marc Wilkinson :: Blood on Satan's Claw [Original Movie Soundtrack]

Marc Wilkinson
Blood on Satan's Claw [Original Movie Soundtrack]
Genre: Soundtracks

Track Listings (26) - Disc #1
1. Fiend Discovered and Titles
2. Peter and Rosalind in Attic
3. Rosalind's Madness
4. Angel's Claw
5. Claw in Classroom
6. Judge by Fireside
7. Peter Fights Devil, Severs Hand
8. Judge Drives Off
9. Mark Alone
10. Death of Marc
11. Angel Naked
12. Blood on Satan's Claw, film score: Angel's first curse - Wilkinson, Marc
13. Angel's Second Curse
14. Return from the Graveyard
15. Blood on Satan's Claw, film score: Return from the graveyard 2 - Wilkinson, Marc
16. Kathy Crowned
17. Children into Church
18. Kathy's Ceremony
19. Kathy's Rape and Death
20. Peter's Ride
21. Ralph Chops Tree
22. Ralph Saves Magraret
23. Margaret Escapes
24. Ralph's Wound
25. Ralph Bewitched
26. Finale and Credits

CD Details

All Artists: Marc Wilkinson
Title: Blood on Satan's Claw [Original Movie Soundtrack]
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Trunk
Original Release Date: 1/1/1971
Re-Release Date: 10/30/2007
Album Type: Soundtrack
Genre: Soundtracks
Style:
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 0666017168227, 666017168227, 066601716822

Synopsis

Album Description

Blood On Satan's Claw -- aka Satan's Skin in the USA, is a cult British horror movie from 1971. It's a film from the golden age of British horror, and one that ticks most of the horror connoisseur's boxes: it stars the Devil, Olde England, it has nudity, strange ritualism, a fair smattering of blood and of course, sublime music. Produced by cult masters Tigon, this film was the perfect companion piece to their earlier Witchfinder General (1968). Set in rural 17th century England, it tells the story of a small village that quickly falls under the devil's spell. It's brilliantly told and quite beautifully shot with a cast of superb character actors. Over many years, the film has slowly gained a cultish reputation. The score was never released. Scored by Marc Wilkinson, musical ingredients include the ondes Martenot (the earliest electronic instrument) and the cimbalom, which add to the overall spookiness of this recording. And in 38 years, the music has lost none of its depth or addictive, evil hooks. Wilkinson's thoughts: "The descending chromatic scale which features throughout the music omits the perfect fifth (the only true consonant in the chromatic scale) and therefore highlights the diminished fifth, which ever since the middle ages in Europe has been known as the Devil's Interval!" The sleevenotes include a superb overview of the score by Michael Tyack from Circulus. "If the compelling atmosphere of classic early '70s British horror could be bottled, then here is the elixir. Listen to this on headphones while walking through town to remind yourself of the wonders of 'wishcraft' and the unseen. Watch the townsfolk appear in their puppet show. Play it on your car stereo and the countryside will show you new mysteries. Hark the sobbing of the Wicker Man's troubled sister! Marc Wilkinson's orchestrated soundtrack is joyous and bizarre, playful and menacing, a constant cycle of anxiously watching a door slowly open followed by the relief of only sunlight pouring through. Trust me, it works."

CD Reviews

'It were a fiend, sir."

Paul Ess. | Holywell, N.Wales,UK. | 01/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Spooky music from a spooky film.

For the first time ever - the National Theatre's Marc Wilkinson's moody-but-fun soundtrack is available on cd.

Released in 1971, 'Blood on Satan's Claw' was a heady, bizarre brew of devil worship, resurrection and transmutation set in rural olde England. Copious amounts of violence, nudity and eccentricity are deliriously on display, and it's all set to Wilkinson's disturbing yet beautiful score.

Detaching the music from the visuals gives it an even stranger quality. It's like it finds itself difficult to exist outside of director Piers Haggard's on-screen elevated hysteria, and it becomes disassociated. And it's in that void that lies it's appeal.

It has an exquisite central theme, then Wilkinson utilizes weird and wonderful olde instruments to flesh out the atmospheric bits in-between, and it works. Not quite to perfection, but to a strong level of purpose - which a lot of half-hearted 'OST's can only aspire.

Separated from the film, I'm never quite sure what an 'Original Soundtrack' is supposed to actually do, especially in the digital age; remind you of the great excitement you felt, or is it a total random ? What if the film is terrible and the soundtrack super, or vice-versa? Very few stand up as satisfying orchestral works on their own, and without the central core you're left with isolated scratching, whooping and clicking.

'Blood on Satan's Claw' is the scarce exception; never full-on, it's sly and devious. The melody lures you in so it can have it's evil way, and that theme takes some dislodging so be warned.

Being honest, if you want the full experience of these disarming sounds, you should buy the excellent dvd and share the visions as well, but the soundtrack does have enough metal of it's own to stand up to scrutiny.

As an added bonus; the accompanying booklet has naked ladies on the front, the back and on every page inside. Gratuitous pandering to the dissolute, or an honest reflection of a censor-bating groundbreaker?

Stereo-typical sleaze or refreshing abandonment?

Questions as olde as the time in which the film is set.

I know what I think...."