Gremlins (Jerry Goldsmith, 1984)
An impossibly cute Mogwai and his mischievous, anarchic offspring are unleashed on American suburbia in Joe Dante’s slyly subversive horror-comedy, one that laces Spielbergian warmth with creature-filled menace. The madcap nature of the story’s monsters would be for naught were it not for Jerry Goldsmith’s wonderfully wicked score, a hybrid mixture of synthesizers and orchestra that is unapologetically tongue-in-cheek. Yet at the same time there is sincerity and drama in there too, notably the composer’s lovely theme for Gizmo that resonates with tender clarity. It was the first collaboration between Goldsmith and Dante, one that would bear plenty more memorable scores down the years.
Predator (Alan Silvestri, 1987)
A noted influence on Henry Jackman’s very own Kong score, Silvestri’s percussive and rhythmically dynamic classic remains one of the greatest from the composer’s canon. A testosterone-fuelled blend of punchy, militaristic action with jungle percussion and moments of shrill horror that build to the deadly Predator’s final reveal, the score envelops listeners in a claustrophobic, gripping atmosphere and refuses to let go until the last. Silvestri has one of the most distinctive action styles in the business – this one absorbs influences from Back to the Future and in turn acts as a massive influence on the later The Abyss – and Predator shows off his signature energy in fine style.
Jurassic Park (John Williams, 1993)
The duality of the natural world lies at the heart of Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking (and shaking) dinosaur blockbuster, a landmark movie composed of equal parts awe and pure terror. It’s this ying and yang that informs John Williams’ masterful score, one that captures both the wonder of our prehistoric ancestors and also the visceral threat they present to the story’s human characters. Celebrated for its two main themes – the spiritual beauty of the dinosaurs and the brass-led adventure for Isla Nublar – there is an extraordinary wealth of other stuff going on in the Jurassic Park score, notably the utterly terrifying material for the dreaded Velociraptors that is among the scariest material Williams has ever composed.
The Ghost and the Darkness (Jerry Goldsmith, 1996)
This tale of man-eating lions on the rampage in Tsavo draws its inspiration from a shocking true story, in which 19th century Irish Colonel John Patterson was compelled to hunt down the two ferocious beasts decimating his workforce (certain estimates believe the death toll to have reached upwards of 25). It’s a horrifying story that perhaps isn’t done full justice by Stephen Hopkins’ 1996 movie, but it offers a prime opportunity for the king of the adventure score, Jerry Goldsmith, to unleash every force at his disposal. Combining colonial British and Irish characteristics with a joyful Swahili choir and moments of explosive terror, it’s a masterpiece that honours the legacy of Goldsmith’s previous Africa classics like The Wind and the Lion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucokjaOlr0I
Deep Rising (Jerry Goldsmith, 1998)
What on Earth a composer of Goldsmith’s stature was doing scoring Stephen Sommers’ trashy (though perfectly enjoyable) aquatic creature feature is anybody’s guess. This gory tale of an ocean liner stricken by a hideous, tentacled, Cthulu-esque monster refuses to take itself too seriously and one senses that Goldsmith relishes the opportunity to follow suit, lacing his typically brassy, visceral orchestrations with the most prominent use of steel drums heard in a score since James Horner’s Commando. The ominous monster theme meanwhile has clearly been temp-tracked with Jaws but it’s fun to hear Goldsmith putting his own spin on such material.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtllZvENDYM
The Descent (David Julyan, 2005)
Neil Marshall’s exquisitely terrifying tale of subterranean terror has gone down as one of Britain’s finest horror movies, defying its minuscule £3 million budget to deliver the kind of character depth, scares and filmmaking conviction that puts much of Hollywood to shame. Further immersing the audience in the frightening and tragic world of the movie is the enveloping, cavernous score by former Christopher Nolan regular David Julyan, who zeroes in not on the hideous crawler monsters but the emotionally distraught central character of Sarah (Shauna Macdonald). It’s a monster soundtrack that both terrifies and moves.
Cloverfield (Michael Giacchino, 2008)
This is cheating a tad as there isn’t actually any score in Cloverfield outside of the end credits suite. Hardly a surprise given it’s a found-footage monster movie about Manhattan partygoers caught up in a devastating catastrophe – it would hardly make sense for non-diegetic music to make an appearance. Nevertheless Rogue One composer Michael Giacchino takes full advantage of his climactic seven minute ‘Roar’ suite, unleashing an eerie soprano vocal alongside rip-roaring orchestral textures, staccato strings and timpani that pay the best kind of homage to Godzilla and countless other classic scores on this list.
Pacific Rim (Ramin Djawadi, 2013)
Best known for his intricate tapestry of music on Game of Thrones, German-Iranian composer Djawadi has dipped his feet into the blockbuster pool on several occasions. One of his most purely entertaining scores is for Guillermo del Toro’s epic giant robot v. kaiju movie, a thunderous smash-em-up that positively invites us to revel in how awesomely geeky and dumb it is. Djawadi gladly takes up the mantle with a robust score that aims to match the scale of the story’s warring opponents, oversized orchestra and heavily processed guitar going head to head. It’s very much cut from the controversial sub-Hans Zimmer, wall of sound mode of writing, but it’s still great fun.
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
That brings us to the main attraction. Following in the footsteps of several of film music’s founding fathers can’t be easy but Jackman’s role is to bring Kong into a new century, fusing his industrial, eardum-blasting approach as heard in the likes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier with the rollicking orchestral theatrics of Alan Silvestri’s Predator. Anchored as all Kong scores are by a tritone, overwhelming brass theme for the great ape himself, the score is accentuated with all manner of percussive and woodwind effects (not to mention 70s psychedelic guitars) that mimic the attractive but deadly environment of Skull Island, as well as the movie’s period setting. Will Jackman be back for the remainder of the ‘MonsterVerse’? We’ll have to wait and see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUVEq4CPayI
Sean Wilson is a writer, podcaster, soundtrack lover and avid tea drinker, and can be found on Twitter here.
