Soundtrack Review: Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus: The Monster Film Music of Chris Ridenhour (2011)
| Reviewer: JØrn Tillnes |
Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus: The Monster Film Music of Chris Ridenhour Soundtrack Review: This is a review of The Monster Film Music of Chris Ridenhour by Chris Ridenhour.
"Chris Ridenhour has proven one thing, he knows how to do a great monster movie score"
I was looking around for something new to listen and I found three excellently designed covers on the frontpage of MovieScore Media. Three scores composed by Chris Ridenhour who I had no idea about was just what I needed. Besides, they were featuring music from my three favorite genres, horror, sci-fi and fantasy. What is even more fascinating is that it features music from 15 movies produced by The Asylum, each represented as suites from the films (with a couple of exceptions). This will be my first review of three and I will start with the monster film music of Chris Ridenhour.
Track List
| 1. Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus | ***** |
| 2. Haunting of Winchester House | **** |
| 3. Mega Piranha | ***** |
| 4. Sherlock Holmes | **** |
| 5. Overture From Mega Python vs Gateroid | ***** |
| 6. Theme from 2010 Moby Dick | ***** |
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009)
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus from 2009 is a monster movie about two prehistoric beasts fighting it out just outside the California Coast. This suite is 17:18 long and starts excellently with a mood-building opening with some horns and some subtle vocal work. It is very bold and big monstrous scoring that I love. It has a heroic theme heard from 1:39 and then there's great action scoring from 5:30 an onwards. Ridenhour gets to show a more quiet and emotional side of him from 7:20 with a slightly Egyptian sounding mood-booster. Mostly it has some great action that really gets the blood pumping and it deserves top marks.
Haunting of Winchester House (2009)
Based on true events, a family moves in to look after the Winchester mansion for a few months only to find themselves haunted by evil spirits. It all starts with some crackling of the radio while some 20s happy jazz spurts out before it gets creepy. A great beginning , especially from 0:35 an onwards where a wonderful and creepy theme gets you in the mood. It has a lot of standard horror moments, like from 7:55 until 14:40. The suite is 19:31 long and ends the same way it started. It is a very good effort, but there's too much standard horror stuff to get through.
Mega Piranha (2010)
A mutant strain of ferocious piranha escape from the Amazon and eat their way toward Florida. The scene is set and Chris Ridenhour is more than up to the task to set this up beautifully. After the ominous ambient beginning, we really get to hear a massive degree of complexity, but it works great. Then at 1:52 and onward, there is the main theme of Mega Piranha, and with added choirs scores high on my meter. Action stuff from 2:20 onwards with some fast percussion never fails to impress. Like "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus", this 19:45 long suite is mostly an action score that I think sounds great from beginning to end. Top stuff.
Sherlock Holmes (2010)
You wouldn't normally associate the famous British detective with monsters, but in this adaption from 2010, he fights monsters with his partner Doctor Watson. For me, the action music here is a bit more frantic and complex than it needs to be. Just listen to the part from 2:51 and onwards where it soon ends up in chaos. It has some great moments like the ending and the long theme from 12:10 until 16:26. Still it could be better, but another really good effort by Ridenhour. There are two bonus tracks in the end that are only 1:14 and 1:41 short respectively, but they are really great. First we have 'Overture from Mega Python vs. Gateroid' from 2011 that really goes to show that this score needs a release. Then there's the 'Theme from 2010 Moby Dick' which is another sure hit by Ridenhour. I would love to see more of this released. You can hear more from Moby Dick on his Myspace page.
Conclusion
What a great score or should I say scores from Chris Ridenhour who has proven one thing, he knows how to do a great monster movie score. From mega sharks to giant pythons he can do it all and more. I really hope for more similar releases by Chris Ridenhour. MSM, are you listening? As for the rest of the Chris Ridenhour scores, the reviews are coming for those as well so keep checking back!
CUE RATING: 93.3
Listen to the Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus: The Monster Film Music of Chris Ridenhour soundtrack by Chris Ridenhour below:
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