Jason X

A great soundtrack

JGTH had one of the worst, most appalling scores in history. I'll admit it had ONE nice cue at the end but Harry Manfredini ought to be ashamed of himself for 'composing' pretty much the worst sounds planet earth has ever known, especially after his excellent Hermann-esque work on parts Friday the 13th 1-6.I'm pleased to say Jason X is an improvement on that (it could hardly get worse). But it's hardly great stuff. It feels more like a sci-fi video game score from 7 years ago than it does a horror movie. Puh-lease Harry, THROW AWAY THAT SYNTHESIZER! You cannot play it! Where are the gritty but brilliant screeching strings that defined your other scores in this series? The strings here are too cleaned up and slick. Thankfully, there are a few brief hints at past Friday the 13th themes and a couple of moments that remind you of the better, more menacing cues, from the earlier films.Ironically, the tracks that work best in the score are the gentler ones with Hans Zimmer's pleasant guitar strummings and a nice, calming feel. It feels futuristic in the same vain as Jerry Goldsmith's score to Total Recall.Hey, Varese Sarabande, how about releasing Manfredini's other scores to this franchise? They were far superior and often completely mental.Jason X is low quality stuff from a composer who can do better with an orchestra than he can with a Yahama. Pick it up cheap as it does have some slight merit and niceness to it. Just don't expect anything powerful or chilling, which is what it really should have been.

Harry Manfredini, the composer for nearly every Friday the 13th film to date (the sole exceptions being Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Freddy vs. Jason, and the remake, which were scored by Fred Molin, Greame Revell, and Steve Jablonsky, respectively), returns to the series with Jason X, the tenth installment in the series.All of the staple horror franchises, like Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and the like, hcan attribute many things to their longevity, and music plays a big part of it. For Halloween, it's the slow, bass-heavy strings accompanied by hard-hitting, dissonant piano melodies. For Elm Street, it's the orchestra music mixed in with synthesixed sounds. The Friday the 13th scores are known for their sharp, fast moving string sections and shrill sounds to create tension and terror. But with the propulsion of Jason Voorhees into the 21st Century (well, 25th century, I guess) Manfredini decided to take the series' music in the same direction.To fully enjoy this soundtrack, one must understand this above all else: Jason X is not a horror film in the traditional sense. It is more on the side of sci-fi; and that is where the music comes from. The film is scored more akin to the science fiction pictures we've come to see more and more of as the years wear on. Gone are the haunting melodies that Manfredini made famous over the course of the series. In it's place are more upbeat tunes for a small chunk of the album, making use of lighter instruments like acoustic guitars and flutes on tracks like "Nano Ant Technology". And some other tunes, like "KM Kicks Butt" use electric guitars to add to the futuristic, sci-fi feel of the music.But the soundtrack is not without the haunting pieces, either. "Opening Credits" is a real testament to the album's haunting nature, while "The Cryo-ing Game" is a callback to the early Friday scores while hinting at the sci-fi sound to come. "Virtual Crystal Lake" is the perfect blend of this album's futuristic sound with classic Manfredini/Friday the 13th. That track alone is enough to judge this album as good.The ideal companion for the film, Harry Manfredini is at the top of his game in crafting a superb sci-fi infused film score that's a great listen when reading some Friday the 13th literature.

I don't normally purchase soundtracks. Very few scores really grab me while watching a movie. Harry Manfredini was a name I knew of in passing but didn't seem particularly taken by his work. Until I saw "Jason X", that is. I thought the film had some exceptional music and made a point to pick up the score eventually. I have to say that this cd presents the music in a much more dramatic fashion than appeared to be the case in the film (I've only seen "Jason X" once so far). And I am very, very pleased with my purchase. This music is veering from the beautiful to the menacing often within the same note, and is an incredibly captivating listen- over and over. My favorite tracks are 'Opening Credits', 'Jason Thaws Out', 'He's Back', 'The Grunts', 'KM Kicks Butt', 'Birth Of The UberJason', 'Oops? What Oops?', 'End Credits' and the best of them all, 'Virtual Crystal Lake' (also probably the most imaginative segment of the movie). It's hard to explain why I like this score so much; the arrangements, the instrumentation, the programming, the production and certainly the compositions all are top-notch. But I really pin it down to the atmosphere. It's dark, foreboding, exciting, tranquil... but always fascinating. One of the best cd's I've bought from 2002. I highly recommend that all who read this and the other reviews to pick this up. Manfredini is one composer I'm definitely going to investigate further.

JGTH has one of the worst, most appalling scores in history. I'll admit had ONE nice cue at the end but Harry Manfredini ought to be ashamed of himself for 'composing' pretty much the worst sounds planet earth has ever known.I'm pleased to say Jason X is an improvement on that (it could hardly get worse). But it's hardly great stuff. It feels more like a sci-fi video game score from 7 years ago than it does a horror movie. Puh-lease Harry, THROW AWAY THAT SYNTHESIZER! You cannot play it! Where are the gritty but brilliant screetching strings? The strings here are too cleaned up and slick. Thankfully, there are a few brief hints at past Friday the 13th themes and a couple of moments that remind you of the better, more menacing cues, from the earlier films.Ironically, the tracks that work best in the score are the gentler ones with Hans Zimmer's pleasant guitar strummings and a nice, calming feel. It feels futuristic in the same vain as Jerry Goldsmith's score to Total Recall.Hey Varese Sarabande, release the scores to the first 8 movies. They were cool and often completely mental. Jason X is low quality stuff from a composer who can do better with an orchestra than he can with Yahama. Pick it up cheap as it does have some slight merit and niceness to it. Just don't expect anything powerful or chilling, which is what it really should have been.

The rare actual soundtrack release to a Friday the 13th film, and one of Harry Manfredini's few scores to see any light, this is actually an excellent disc even removed from the film.First, the score is consistent with the tone of the film, which was very well done considering a) it's a part X of a series, and b) it's set in space, not to mention c) it's the continuation of an always-almost dead-and-buried genre. Tongue-in-cheek but still reverant enough, you sense at least the filmmakers and actors did have some fun with this. The trademark Jason lunacy ensues, this time with Manfredini playing along with a combination of screechy strings, sci-fi-ish synth cues, and even some dreamy 'fantasy space music'.It sounds better than you can describe. If you enjoyed the film, this is a very strong disc of lively cues, recognizable motifs from previous films, and a clean, crisp sound. Highly recommended for more than fans...a much better product than anyone would expect.