Soundtrack Review: Splinter by Elia Cmiral

"Elia Cmiral's punchy score for Splinter easily punctuates the action that is seen on screen"

There are spoilers contained within the tracklisting. Although if you haven't seen this movie yet, why? Go see it!

1. Main Title 2:09
2. Sinister Gas Station 2:21
3. Attendant Kills Lacey 1:06
4. Dennis’ Sacrifice 1:55
5. Road Kill 3:11
6. Infected 1:09
7. Driving To The Forest 1:47
8. Attendant Attacks Again 1:36
9. Hook The Radio 1:58
10. It’s Not Lacey Anymore 1:49
11. Seth And Polly 1:20
12. Run To Cover 1:59
13. Dennis Goes Outside 2:56
14. Looking For The Hand 1:55
15. The Cops Are Here 2:35
16. Seth Walks To The Car 3:44
17. Inside The Freezer 3:39

Born in Czechoslovakia, Elia Cmiral quickly established himself as one of Europe’s leading young composers after graduating from the prestigious Prague Music Conservatory. He wrote scores for several European films and three ballets before coming to the United States to attend USC’s famous Film Scoring Program. Known for his work in thrillers such as APARTMENT ZERO and RONIN, Cmiral has begun to earn praise for his evocative and highly original scores in the horror genre, such as STIGMATA, BONES, THEY, WRONG TURN and, most recently, THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE, TOOTH & NAIL and PULSE 2: AFTERLIFE.

Thanks to BuysoundTrax for the bio, where the physical CD should still be available. (I ordered the music from iTunes. Sadly wouldn't sycnh with my Creative ZEN.)

A score can make or break a movie and I don't care if you hire a big name composer or not, if the composer doesn't get the movie it shows. Elia Cmiral perfectly captures the mood and atmosphere of the visuals that the director presents to us. Elia Cmiral's punchy score for Splinter easily punctuates the action that is seen on screen. It helps evoke the creepiness and distaste of the creature at the heart of the film.

The tracks mainly consist of brooding, built-up sequences that erupt in a crescendo of instruments when the creature appears. Thankfully, there are quiet moments and Cmiral shows, particularly through track 4, that he can promote compassion in the viewer aswell as fear and loathing. The score is nightmarish and, for some, may not be the ideal music for listening to in a darkened room. (although I say "do it" it'll be fun). Strings always work in a horro movie and Track 6 shows a superb example of this.

My favourite track is Track 5. For the most part is fairly ambient until 2minutes 20 seconds where a beat kicks in. Track 4 is also very good because I'm a sucker for that kind of tune.

Recommended 8/10

Further sites of interest;
http://www.eliacmiral.com/
http://splinter.tumblr.com/
http://www.tobywilkins.com/