Horror movies tend to offer one of two opportunities for the composer: the first group (The Omen, Poltergeist etc) call for huge, imposing music to terrify and excite the listener; but then on the other hand is that set of horror films that rely more on a psychological rather than audiovisual impact and these offer an intriguing challenge when it comes to music. How to write music that not only maintains the suspense - and so must be somewhat low-key - but is also inherently interesting. Few composers have managed it and many scores in the genre tend to sound somewhat similar.

Christopher Young is a past master in the suspense/horror genre, having tackled it as many times as anyone else over the last fifteen years or so. The Glass House is already forgotten as a film, but fans of film music and Christopher Young in particular have the opportunity to remember the film by its music. The question is, is it worth their bother? While many people are angry by the current trend of releasing seemingly never-ending "music inspired by" albums full of songs that were neither inspired by nor appeared in the film in question, at the same time it is probably true that more score albums are being released for current films than at any other time. While I don't want to question the professionalism nor ability of those record producers who release these albums, it often seems that they are desperate to release something, anything so as not to fall behind. Film is a unique medium for composers - while the better ones have ongoing styles, film composers have to be musical chameleons and adapt to score whatever type of film is offered to them. They must first and foremost consider the dramatic requirements of the film, which sometimes results in a score that does not hold up well to being heard out of context, on an album. Just because Mr XYZ wrote a fantastic and coherent piece of music for a period epic or a romance does not mean he will do so for a psychological horror/suspense movie. Case in point: The Glass House.

Christopher Young is one of the most talented film composers around, managing not only to always support whichever film he is working on but also write genuinely interesting and lively music to be heard on an album. But he has scored so many films like The Glass House - and there are only so many ways to kill a cat. The album sounds quite tired - not an adjective I thought I would use in connection with Mr Young - and while it hits all the right buttons and no doubt works very well for the film - it's simply not all that interesting.

Best is a piano figure that runs through the score; it's given an excellent arrangement in "This Too Shall Pass" when it is joined by a flute. Otherwise atmospheric high strings and occasional brass bursts when the action demands it dominate the album. Young's done it better before and those who have collected his music in the past will probably not find much new; those who haven't collected his music may wonder what the fuss is about.

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