A historic and iconic horror film, Häxan, was completed in 1920 and released in 1922 in Sweden, and 1929 in the US. The movie is a mixture of documentary and fiction, exploring the history of witchcraft, demonology and satanism, presented in four parts and composed of demonstrative pieces about the appearances of demons and witches in ancient culture, vignettes about medieval superstition, a narrative about an old woman accused of witchcraft, and a more modern understanding of everything through mental illness and psychology.
A century after its creation, the originally silent Häxan, previously scored live by large orchestras with pre-existent compositions, is now being rescored by Cemetery Gates, the experimental electronica duo consisting of Gene Priest and Derek Jones. The new score for the timeless horror classic will be out October 11th, 2019 digitally through Lakeshore Records.
Cemetery Gates reveal how keen they were to get to work on this through the following statement: "Häxan is one of those cult films that once you've seen it, you just can't shake it. The vision that Benjamin Christensen set forth in 1922, still holds equally as visually striking and impactful today. As fans of the film as well as the themes of the Occult and Witchcraft in general, Cemetery Gates was more than excited to get the opportunity to re-conceptualize what the film's score might have sounded like if composed in modern-day horror-score fashion."
Sinister, nightmarish and up to par with the film's otherworldly nature, the fantastic new score Cemetery Gates came up with is being introduced with a five-minute, hair-raising, synth-heavy cut, The Devil Fulfills Her Wishes, streaming for the first time below.
The duo continue to describe their sound: "Using all analog and modular synthesizers, Cemetery Gates explores the themes of the film scene by scene, ranging from soft and subtle piano-driven tracks or a single airy floating synth line to chaotic, heavy, and dense modular growls and relentless modular percussion. This album is best experienced through headphones."
TRACKLIST
01. Häxan (Main Theme)
02. The Universe
03. Hell
04. As Above, So Below
05. Home Of The Witch
06. Love Potion
07. A Lover And A Knight
08. The Devil Fulfills Her Wishes
09. The Witch Trials Begin
10. Before She Turns Us Into Mice
11. The Accused
12. Witches Gathering
13. The Devil’s Mark
14. The Haunted House
15. The Witch Test
16. The Confessions
17. Seized by Insanity
18. Old Superstitions
19. The Somnambulist
20. Kleptomania
21. Häxan (Closing Theme)
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ZR