The Intuitive Beauty of Brittany Allen’s ‘What Keeps You Alive’ Score [Terror on the Turntable]
Rachel Reeves
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Welcome to Terror on the Turntable! In this monthly column, join Rachel Reeves as she explores the powerful and unholy alliance that exists between horror films and their scores. Covering only scores that have been released on vinyl, it’s a conversation about the intersection of music theory, composer style, film history, and the art of deep listening. So, light the candles, put on your headphones, and get ready to drop that needle. The sacred ritual of listening to music on wax is about to begin. For this installment, Rachel dives into the impressive dual duties performed by Brittany Allen in What Keeps You Alive.
The list of Hollywood folk who have donned multiple filmmaking hats over the years is a long one. For example, Jon Favreau went from being “so money” as Mike in Swingers to basically printing money helming projects like Iron Man and The Mandalorian. Horror queen Debra Hill not only produced films like Halloween and The Fog; she was also a writer, script supervisor, and director. Similarly, Sam Raimi has tried his hand at everything from directing and acting, to writing, editing, cinematography, and more. However, the list of multi-hyphenate talents who have multiple composing credits snuggled up next to others on their IMDb pages is a much slimmer list indeed. But there, amongst John Carpenter, Robert Rodriguez, Clint Eastwood, and Sir Anthony Hopkins (yep, look it up), there is Brittany Allen.
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While perhaps best known as Popclaw on the Amazon Original series, The Boys, or for her Emmy award-winning role as Marissa on All My Children, Brittany Allen is an inarguable, certified member of the horror community. As an actor, she’s had roles in various genre films like The Prodigy, Jigsaw, It Stains the Sands Red, and (for you 90s kids out there) Restless Spirits. And although her talent for acting has most certainly kept her busy, Allen truly kicked her career into high gear with her stunning, dual performance as the lead actor and composer for Colin Minihan’s 2018 horror-thriller, What Keeps You Alive.
A tense and bloody affair, What Keeps You Alive follows a young couple as they attempt to get away to the mountains for the weekend to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Jules (played by Allen) is a charming, intelligent woman who is clearly and totally smitten with her beautiful wife, Jackie (Hannah Emily Anderson). With the couple staying at Jackie’s old family cabin, Jules seizes the opportunity to learn even more about her partner, her past, and her family. In the process though, Jules innocently digs up far more than she ever intended to. She discovers that she, in all reality, doesn’t know her wife Jackie at all. What then unfolds is a brutal betrayal that leaves the pair both physically and emotionally devastated.
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Originally premiering at SXSW, What Keeps You Alive quickly made waves for all the right reasons. Serving as both writer and director, Minihan carefully crafted a story that feels wonderfully familiar while serving up fresh genre fare at every possible turn. Lovingly shot by David Schuurman, the film effectively wears its indie heart on its sleeve while never sacrificing quality or artistry. And at the heart of the film, Anderson and Allen turn in very different, but equally stellar performances. Simultaneously imbuing the film with visceral stakes and heartbreaking WTF moments, the pair’s energy grabs hold and refuses to let go. Then, just like frosting on a delicious, perfectly baked Funfetti cake, Allen’s score complements the film by seeping into every crevice to deliver the ideal amount of extra, crucial flavor.
The fact that Allen took on the dual responsibility of actor and composer—on the same film—is a truly rare and marvelous feat. Although music had long been a part of her personal identity at this point and a rekindled flame burning inside her, tackling a film score was still uncharted territory. Because of this, What Keeps You Alive provided the perfect whirlpool of circumstances for Allen to dive headfirst into. In a 2021 Rue Morgue interview that I conducted with Allen, she said:
“My partner Colin Minihan and I were about to make our third movie together, What Keeps You Alive, and we just kind of threw out the idea that maybe I could try scoring it. He was hearing and watching my progress and we both realized that my music was kind of theatrical in nature and cinematic. So we thought, ‘Ok. Fuck it. Let’s let me just try it.’”
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As her first foray into film scoring, What Keeps You Alive offered Allen the opportunity to hone her abilities under the most ideal of circumstances. Sure, there have been directors who have scored their own films (oh hey, what’s up Mr. Carpenter). But few folks have carried lead roles and composed at the same time. This interesting juxtaposition of jobs not only highlights Allen’s versatile skill set but also injects an important level of intimacy into the film at the auditory level. By personally embodying and understanding the characters in the most immersive way possible, Allen’s connection to the material was unrivaled. This special fact not only provided Allen with a truly unique opportunity to learn the craft; it also allowed her to uniquely translate the film’s characters and their complicated relationship into music.
To dive into this idea a bit more, let’s take a look at how Allen implements this by starting with the opening track, “Wonder”. Just as Jules and Jackie arrive at the cabin, Jules explores the expansive property with a kid-like, well, wonder. Lightly haunted with atmospheric synths, a solo piano takes center stage and alternates between a melancholic melody and a twittering two-note pattern. Echoing around the cabin and the scene, the simple instrumentation choice perfectly captures and relays Jules and her mental state. Beautifully content and happy with her life in this moment, the feeling of love Jules has for her marriage and her life become conveyed here. And yet, at the tail end of the track, something darker in nature creeps up from beneath with a low, unsettling hum.
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Next comes the track, “A Disturbance”. At this point in the film, Sarah, an old friend and neighbor of Jackie’s pops by the cabin to see who’s staying there. While most of the conversation contains usual, boring niceties, Sarah does one thing that hints at something more sinister in a big way. She calls Jackie, Megan. Supporting this unsettling moment is a swell of electronic vibrations and dissonant piano punctuations interspersed at random. While the moment passes relatively uneventfully, Allen’s music relays the fraught tension between Jules and Jackie at this moment. With the piano again attributed to Jules, the dissonance effectively conveys her calm confusion. Along with it, the dark rumblings beneath hint at Jackie’s dangerous potential.
As the story continues to develop, Allen expands and explores the ideas introduced in these two opening tracks. Regularly implementing repetitive melodies or chordal progressions, the growing unease and tension between Jules and Jackie become viscerally felt. Similar to the age-old composing technique called “Mickey Mousing” where on-screen movement becomes synced to the music, Allen executes a version of her own which I will call for the sake of this article, “Cat and Mousing.”
Blessed by the film’s small cast of characters, Allen is able to continuously allow Jules to be largely represented through the piano. Warm, classic, and full of possibility, the choice of instrumentation fits. On the flip side of that, Jackie becomes relayed through electronic instruments, distortions, and synths. Similarly indicative of her (real) personality, the cold, lack of humanity often associated with electronic music helps solidify her ill intentions and further convinces viewers of her dark potential. It also allows for some fascinating musical exchanges.
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Take for example the track, “The Chase”. After Jackie reveals her true personality, a dual boat chase unfolds on the lake surrounding the cabin. Steady, industrial-like rhythms ebb and flow as Jackie pursues Jules with a dogged determination. As she gains ground on the injured Jules, a lilting piano melody hopelessly peeks its head in. Terrified and wounded, the harried nature of Jules’ escape attempt is effectively felt through the uneven, staggering piano.
Sonically overpowered by the layers of distorted noise and synthetic sounds, Jules and her music attempt to fight back in vain. It’s moments like these where Allen’s deep connection to the material becomes evident as her music transcends simple accompaniment. In this exact moment, it becomes a convincing sonic embodiment of the characters themselves. Even when separated from the film itself, the conversation between dark and light, Jules and Jackie, comes through crystal clear.
“My job was to connect to the material but with more of a bird’s eye view than I had had as an actor, playing Jules. Now I had to get inside Jackie’s head too, and also to think more about what the audience was experiencing witnessing the events unfolding for the first time.”
Brittany Allen in the score’s vinyl release liner notes
Wonderfully evolving in tandem with the story, Allen’s score and her intuitive approach to scoring engulfs What Keeps You Alive in a supportive and powerful haze. With “Bodies in the Water,” Jules and Jackie reach a point of no return and their music mingles in suit. In “After It All,” singular piano notes get replaced by full chords as Jules gains internal strength with the knowledge she’s gained. Then, with “The Medicine She Needs,” the piano comes through solid and strong as Jackie’s own motivations (and music) get turned against her.
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Rather than relying on traditional motifs or themes, Allen allows her music to exist in a realm in between the dialogue, floating along on the words left unsaid. More than just a refreshing approach, it is one that can only come from a place of deep understanding, passion, and familiarity. And in the case of What Keeps You Alive, that was a place Allen unquestionably occupied.
After such an effective and haunting scoring debut, it should come as no surprise that Allen has continued to impress with her film scoring endeavors. Since What Keeps You Alive’s warm reception, Allen has gone on to score projects like Brandon Christensen’s Z, an episode of American Horror Stories titled “Feral”, and two seasons of The CW’s Two Sentence Horror Stories. Not only that, but she has released a killer electro-pop solo album under the name Britt called “Khamai Lion.”
More than just a talented human, Allen stands as an inspiration for what is possible when one takes creative leaps and is willing to put in the work. She embodies the absolute best parts of the horror genre and the natural potential that is available within it for us all. Acting, composing, singing, writing—the world is truly Brittany Allen’s oyster. And I for one, can’t wait to see what creative pearl she bestows upon the world next.
Crate Digging
Lucky for fans of the film and Allen’s music, Burning Witches Records released two different versions of the score on vinyl in 2019. For MondoCon, the UK-based indie label released 300 copies on clear wax with beautiful color marbling. They also released a limited edition, forest green vinyl version as well. Both versions were remastered and cut at the legendary Abbey Road Studios and they also include an insert print and liner notes from the composer herself.
Along with the score for What Keeps You Alive, Burning Witches has also released a vinyl version of Allen’s solo album, “Khamai Lion”. With all three currently available direct from the label, there really is no wrong choice here. That said, copies of the MondoCon exclusive are down to single-digit numbers. If limited clear vinyl is your thing, hop on over to the Burning Witches site and snag your copy before it’s too late.
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