Scored to Death: Conversations with Some of Horror’s Greatest Composers is a 2016 book by author J. Blake Fichera, published by Silman-James Press.
The book collects together fourteen interviews with renowned film composers who have provided music for some of the horror genre s greatest films and franchises, including Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Hellraiser, Maniac, The Fog, Prince of Darkness, Cujo, Dawn of the Dead, Deep Red, Suspiria, Santa Sangre, Zombie, The Beyond, Insidious, The Conjuring, Hostel, The Strangers, House of the Devil, and many more…
Interviewed are director-composer John Carpenter; sound designer-composer Alan Howarth; Italian composers and members of the band Goblin (known for their scores for Dario Argento films) Claudio Simonetti and Maurizio Guarini; Hollywood composers Christopher Young, Tom Hadju (of the composing team tomandandy), Charles Bernstein, Jay Chattaway, and Nathan Barr; as well as horror notables Fabio Frizzi, Simon Boswell, Joseph Bishara, Jeff Grace, and Harry Manfredini.
Editorial reviews:
“This was music to my eyes! About time someone shined a light on the unsung heroes who compose many of the soundtracks of our nightmares. Great insight into their varied approaches to the craft.” Jeff Lieberman, director of Squirm, Blue Sunshine, and Just Before Dawn
“This book is the best opportunity you will have to peek behind the curtains of those people who create the soundtrack of your life! The music they create provides the emotional road map to the narrative for the audience, and embeds those moments in your memory forever. I highly recommend this for any film or music buff!” Tom Holland, director of Fright Night, Child’s Play, and Thinner
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“Try to imagine the shower scene in Psycho without the famous staccato strings of Bernard Herrmann, and you begin to realize how important music is in making your skin crawl while watching a horror film. In J. Blake Fichera’s fascinating book, Scored to Death, he introduces you to some of the genre s greatest composers as they explain the process of creating unforgettable nightmares of sound.” Stuart Gordon, director of Re-Animator
