Christopher Young’s Devilishly Good ‘Drag Me to Hell’ 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 digs into the intelligent design of Christopher Young’s Drag Me to Hell score.
Composer Christopher Young is a true musical force to be reckoned with. While perhaps best known for his masterful Hellraiser score, Young’s versatile and thoughtful approach to film scoring has garnered him an impressively diverse resume. From heartbreaking dramas like The Shipping News to tense thrillers such as Copycat and big-budget superhero joints like Spider-Man 3, there is no film and no genre that Young cannot elevate with his music. That of course goes for horror, too.
With more than 130 credits to his name, it’s easy for the big-name titles like Hellraiser, Sinister, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge to hog Young’s horror career spotlight. But there, peeking out from the shadows, are a veritable army of stunning scores worthy of praise. One of these sonic soldiers due for a promotion is Young’s score for Sam Raimi’s 2009 film, Drag Me to Hell. A marvelous piece of music, Drag Me to Hell serves as a perfect cinematic partner for Raimi’s unique style. It’s a shining example of Young’s savvy, reflexive approach to film scoring.
Humble Beginnings
A lifelong musician and gifted jazz drummer, Young’s passion for music fueled him to pursue the craft through college. After finishing his post-graduate work at North Texas State University, Young moved to Los Angeles with a foggy idea of where his musical path would lead. That all changed however due to one fateful day at his local record store where he randomly bought a Phase 4 Stereo LP called “The Fantasy Film World of Bernard Herrmann.”
I went back home, opened up that record, put it on the little stereo record player I had, and placed the needle on it. The first notes that I heard were from the Mountain Top and Sunrise music from the suite to Journey to the Center of the Earth, and I went, ‘Holy Christ! What the hell is this?’ … Little did I know that when I put that needle on that track that it really was going to change my life.
Christopher Young in Scored to Death
The Young-Raimi Connection
Inspired by the Hollywood maestro, Young soon entered the UCLA Film School to study film music. Under the watchful eye of acclaimed composer David Raskin (Laura), Young honed his skills through trial and error. Before long, he had the opportunity to work with fellow film students on his first picture, 1982’s The Dorm that Dripped Blood. After the film was picked up and received proper distribution, Young’s film-scoring career was off to the races.
By entering the field with a solid foundation in music theory, history, and composition, Young quickly proved himself to be a hot composer on the rise with a keen ear and knack for stylistic versatility. Knocking out an average of four feature films a year, it wasn’t long before Young’s resume included films by folks like Clive Barker, George A. Romero, Jon Amiel, Jamie Blanks, and Dwight H. Little. Then, Sam Raimi found himself in need of a composer for his 2000 film, The Gift. His friend Bob Murawski knew just the guy to suggest.
Having admired Raimi since seeing The Evil Dead, Young jumped at the chance to work with the acclaimed filmmaker. Quickly discovering they had a creatively compatible relationship, Young secured the gigs for The Gift, and the Raimi-produced The Grudge and The Grudge 2. And then, when Raimi found himself in a bit of a bind with Danny Elfman on Spider-Man 2, Young stepped in to finish the project and the ensuing Spider-Man 3. While each of Young’s Raimi projects up to this point produced effective and beautiful scores worthy of their high-profile releases, none can quite compare to their successor—Drag Me to Hell.
Enter Drag Me To Hell
Directed and co-written by Raimi, Drag Me to Hell was a bit of a return to form for the infamous director. Having made his name with his unique blend of horror, comedy, and slapstick-infused gore, this was a fresh spin on the old Raimi recipe. Intentionally shlocky and self-aware, Drag Me to Hell centers around Christine (Alison Lohman), a young, perfectly pleasant loan officer. After denying an elderly woman a loan extension on her mortgage (in an effort to move up the corporate ladder), Christine finds herself cursed and in danger of becoming dragged to hell by Lamia, an ancient goat demon. As she attempts to foil both curse and demon alike, the absurdity of her situation permeates her entire life with disastrous and bloody results.
Like many of Raimi’s projects, the tone for Drag Me to Hell was key. Mirroring Raimi’s dark humor and tongue-in-cheek nods to horror film history, Young infused his score with the same blend of originality and playful homage. Young expertly balances simple melodies, expansive orchestrations, and sonic elements pulled straight from the history books. His music becomes a masterclass on “Understanding the Assignment”. To explore this idea, let’s first take a look at the film’s opening track aptly titled, “Drag Me to Hell”.
As swelling brass builds over a swirl of strings, a chorus of low voices enters the fray. Then, like a burst of sunlight poking through dense storm clouds, a solo violin picks up the melody. Supported underneath by the rest of the orchestra, the track ebbs and flows with fantastical, cinematic ease. Crescendoing and colliding, the melody snowballs and grows with organs, cymbals, and layers of sound placed with expert precision. Not only does this full-bodied sound set the tonal table for the film as a whole, it beautifully presents key sonic pieces that Young utilizes and toys with throughout.
A Brief Music History Interlude…
When the modern violin first emerged in the 16th century, it quickly became a go-to instrument for dance music. Much to the chagrin of strict church leaders and religious institutions, this association quickly snagged the violin a negative reputation as public dancing was clearly associated with the devil. After all, we can’t have anyone having a good time, right?
Though the stigma faded slightly as the years passed, this dark stain on the instrument resurfaced with the rise of the 18th-century Italian composer and violinist, Niccolò Paganini. Extremely talented, Paganini rocked audiences with his seemingly unnatural abilities. Often performing by memory, capable of playing at rapid speeds, and implementing unprecedented techniques, rumors spread that his talents came courtesy of a deal struck with the devil. Further fueled by his gambling addiction and passion for women, whispers swirled for decades that he frequently murdered women, imprisoned their souls in his violin, and used their guts to string his bow.
Though I’ve worked on films before that include the Devil, never one quite as insane as this. I immediately latched onto the idea of featuring a violin solo. The violin has historically been associated with the Devil in both concert, film, and popular music. I also thought of the Devil’s violin as being played by his ten fingers, the bow moving on its own accord. Thus, the violin material is often unplayable by one person and is accomplished by overdubbing multiple parts.
Christopher Young
Back To Hell
This deep understanding of music history, cultural connotations, and the subconscious effects permeates every corner of Drag Me to Hell’s score. In “Tale of a Haunted Banker” and “Familiar Familiars”, Young gives Christine a tender, lyrical piano melody. Layered with a toy piano or duplicated in strings, the result imbues Christine with a naive sensitivity and innocence that supports the dark and fantastic situations that await her. With “Lamia,” buckets of sound masses get dumped between reverberating organs, descending melodies, tormented vocals, and explosions of brass. Crawling up from the depths of hell, it all culminates in a bold, defiantly playful march that leaves no room to argue Christine’s fate.
By setting each narrative element up with a particular tonal palette, Young’s approach harkens back to film scoring techniques of the past. Throwing an intentional nod to the works of composers like Herrmann, Morricone, Komeda, Goldsmith, and Williams, Young plays with traditional scoring conventions to maximize the music’s potency in relation to the picture. Similar to the way Raimi makes subtle references to films like The Omen, Curse of the Demon, Nosferatu, Poltergeist, and of course, The Evil Dead, Young continues that conversation in the music. And he does it all while making it unequivocally his own.
Further proving his skill, Young brings the horror with tracks like “Bealing Bells with Trumpet,” “Buddled Brain Strain,” “Auto da Fe” and “Concerto to Hell.” Deconstructing and reconstructing many of the auditory puzzle pieces established earlier on in the film, the music feels as if it’s pulling itself apart at the seams. Barely recognizable at points, Young masterfully menaces through distortion, dissonance, texture, and melodic manipulation. Often choreographed with the action unfolding on-screen, the patience and mastery such a compositional feat requires cannot really be undersold. Tweaking Dolly Parton’s famous words a little, “It takes a lot of talent to sound this scary.”
Despite the film being both a commercial and critical success, the score for Drag Me to Hell has yet to receive the respect it deserves. So often it seems that a particular amount of time (or sequels) must pass for a horror score to prove its place. Frankly, that’s nonsense. Drag Me to Hell is Young at his best and vibrantly highlights his intelligent, dynamic approach to film scoring. In fact, there’s not a weak track in the bunch. Easily, and capably standing toe-to-toe with Raimi and his exaggerated, amplified style of filmmaking, Young’s score is a gift from the horror gods. So, throw a little affection its way. Maybe even give it a spin or two. It’s time to bring this score out of the shadows and into the spotlight where it belongs.
Crate Digging
In 2009, Lakeshore Records released a CD of Young’s score in the U.S. In 2010, Silva Screen followed suit in the UK. But, it wouldn’t be until 2018 that Waxwork Records (in collaboration with Lakeshore Records) gifted collectors with a 2xLP, 45 RPM, 180g version. Released on both “Hell-Fire” and “Red with White Smoke” colored vinyl, the release features liner notes from Young and incredible artwork by Midnight Marauder. Copies are still available from Waxwork direct so, what are you waiting for?
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