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Not to include Schifrin's rejected or Rabin's scores.
Ah ... but can Giuliano Sorgini's 1975 "Exorcist n.2" (Un Urlo dalle Tenebre) be included?
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The first is top three horror movies for me, definitely. But I have trouble watching it since I learned that Bernard was going to originally score it. I like Tubular Bells but the soundtrack in general was something I really never thought much of. It more than served the purpose.
Now I mess with Spitifre Bernard Hermmann Toolkit sample library and imagine what it would have been like if he had scored the film instead of what happened between him and Friedkin.
But, I'm a Herrmann fanatic, so ignore me.
The second movie I don't rate much (I liked the third). I am going to give the soundtrack another try something soon, I never really noticed it the three or four times I've seen the film.
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Just curious. Not to include Schifrin's rejected or Rabin's scores.
Moonlit, what's Rabin got to do with it, if we're talking about the original EXORCIST and its direct sequel? "Just curious".
Anyway, I'm proud to be unique. I think I'm the only poor misunderstood nutter on the whole planet who prefers the sequel over the original.
THE EXORCIST is a film which I never liked, and I've seen it possibly six or seven times over the years, just to try to "get" what all the fuss was about. I dislike it intensely. Its presentation of the theological conflict seems to me overbearing in the extreme. And, crucially, I don't find it remotely frightening. It leaves me completely cold - and I'm not talking about its "chilling" status.
The musical choices are fine though. I don't think Schifrin's score would have added much to the film as it stands, but I imagine that personally I would have a sneaking feeling of pleasure just to see his name on the screen. But that's about it.
EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC is a film I have a lot of time for. I remember on its first release, I stayed in the cinema all day and watched it three times, just because it intrigued me so much. Then I went out and bought the "Making of" book. Yes, the ideas are all over the place, but that actually never bothered me. Boorman's vision still manages to shine through in many scenes, and I find it ultimately fascinating, with some extraordinary imagery.
The Morricone score is terrific. I can't clearly remember how it "works" with the film, but it's an amazing album. "Regan's Theme" is typically gorgeous, with all those trademark-Morricone overlapping layers of shifting sound. The one that starts off Side B of the LP ("Pazuzu"? I don't remember offhand) is an electrifying piece of God-knows-what, and the spooky bits with the vocal effects and chanting are downright, genuinely creepy. All in my humble opinion of course.
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Interesting how III doesn't get brought up here much (though I understand this is about the 70s Exorcists). III blew II out of the water for me (though again, I really didn't notice either soundtrack much, promise I'll dig deeper next time).
I thought that III was a fine movie, with an excellent performance by George C. Scott. Billy Babbitt was righteously creepy in that as well imo. There isn't a scare in II that matches the best moments of III. But hey, that's just me, I should give them both a watch (more importantly, a listen) again, as mentioned.
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So now I'm thinking that I misinterpreted the meaning of the thread.
Yeah, Moonlit hasn't been back to clarify. And I still don't know what Trevor Rabin's got to do with all this.
Anyway, I went ahead and did a quick evaluation of the first two films and their scores. Oh, a thought has just come to me (and that doesn't happen a lot nowadays) - I'm surprised at how closely people relate Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" to THE EXORCIST. It's even known in many quarters as "Theme From The Exorcist". My memory's a bit hazy here, but didn't it just appear once in the film, fading in for a short time as Ellen Burstyn walked along a street, and... eh... then just fading out?
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The original Exorcist featured music by some of my favorite composers. I love Penderecki, Oldfield, Webern, Henze... that said, I have never listened to the actual "soundtrack" of the Exorcist (though I should have these pieces used somewhere in my collection, albeit not in the context of a film soundtrack). I remember that the music worked well in the movie, though I have not seen it in a while.
The Morricone score for Exorcist II works well and manages to be both creepy and beautiful. I'm not sure on how to vote here or for what.
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