Prevenge Composer Toydrum Chats the Horror Comedy; Exclusive Vinyl Artwork Reveal
Today is a fun day indeed because we’ve got an interview with James Griffith of Toydrum, the composing duo who created the haunting soundtrack for the horror comedy Prevenge (review). However, not only do we have an interview but we also managed to get our hands on the artwork and photos of the upcoming vinyl release from our pals at Invada Records!
The album will be released on vinyl (with a beautiful variant option) and CD, both of which come out on May 26th. You can find out more on Invada’s website or pick up a digital copy via Bandcamp.
The album is currently out in the US in digital formats through Lakeshore Records.
Alice Lowe (Hot Fuzz, Kill List, Sightseers, The World’s End) directs and stars alongside Jo Hartley (Eddie the Eagle, This Is England), Dan Renton Skinner (High-Rise), Gemma Whelan (The Wolfman, “Game of Thrones”), Kayvan Novak (Four Lions, Paddington, Syriana), and Kate Dickie (The Witch, “Game of Thrones,” Prometheus).
Prevenge is currently streaming on Shudder.
The story of Prevenge is deceptively simple yet it lends itself to some wild and exciting opportunities. What was your reaction when approached to score this film?
We were really excited. We were already friends with Alice having scored her short film a year earlier. I think we were just so happy she was able to make a film and when we heard what it was about we knew it was going to be so much fun.
The music for Prevenge has a delightfully dark, synthy vibe but there’s also, at least for me, an element of a child’s lullaby or nursery melody running through some of the tracks. Am I mistaken or is there something to that?
You are not mistaken. One of the main themes is the pitched up vocal melody. Fun but still just creepy enough. I think Alice from the beginning talked a lot about creepy lullabies that could musically represented the baby.
Ruth’s story is one of heartbreak and trepidation. How did you approach those emotions with your music?
I think the way we approached the whole film was just to start writing all kinds of different tracks with all the different emotions. Because the film runs the gamut we thought this was the best approach to take. With that we of course came up with some of the sad pieces that sat well with one Ruth’s many emotions.
The Prevenge score, for the most part, is deeply haunting. However, the film really tries to market itself as a black comedy that includes horror elements. What are the challenges in trying to make music “scary” but also lighthearted enough for the humor to be able to cut through the mix?
I remember us being a bit freaked out trying to do horror/comedy. We didn’t want to go too dark or too light and finding that middle ground can be so hard. Once we started talking with Alice about the music and watched the film we realized the music was going to play more to the drama and not as much to the comedy so that took some pressure off and again we just started writing and placing the music and seeing what stuck. Alice was great and had a huge part in the music. She really championed what we were doing and gave us the confidence we needed. We really trusted her and if she said something was working we went with it.
Do you think your music would make for good bedtime music for children around the world? Or is that asking for trouble?
Funny you should ask that. The backup plan if the vinyl doesn’t sell will be to repackage and market as kids bedtime music. Will have to wait and see.
Toydrum online:
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Invada Records online:
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Synopsis:
A pitch black, wryly British comedy from the mind of Alice Lowe, Prevenge follows Ruth, a pregnant woman on a killing spree. It’s her misanthropic unborn baby dictating Ruth’s actions, holding society responsible for the absence of a father. The child speaks to Ruth from the womb, coaching her to lure and ultimately kill her unsuspecting victims.
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