A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Exactly why movie studios so consistently try to make remakes of or sequels to decades-old classic movies is not too clear.  They are rarely successful and usually leave egg on the faces of all concerned.  And exactly why a composer of the stature of Jerry Goldsmith would want to be involved in one is another mystery, though perhaps he just didn't trust anyone else to try to follow-up Bernard Herrmann's classic score for Psycho, one of the most iconic ever composed.  Having said that, it now seems almost unbelievable that Herrmann's score once provided so many chills, because today it is far more likely to raise titters and giggles given its over-familiarity and debasement having been used in so many parodies over the years.

There was never going to be any question that this score would be an entirely different animal from the original.  Goldsmith would never have had either the temerity or inclination to try to mimic what Herrmann may have written - instead, this is 100% Goldsmith.  It is a mixture of eerie romance and ice cold chills.  The opening title piece introduces the main theme, which is heard a few times through the score, sometimes in a reasonably pleasant version for strings or winds but sometimes in a far chillier synth version playing counterpoint to action music.  The finest action/suspense probably comes in "It's Not Your Mother", with all the Goldsmith trademarks there in spades.

"New Furniture" is a highlight, brilliantly combining the two sides of the score (in only two minutes) with Goldsmith doing his usual job of subtly suggesting underlying emotions rather than just replicating what's already on screen.  More straightforward chills come in "The Cellar", which wouldn't have sounded out of place in Alien (and features Goldsmith doing with first electronics and then brass what Herrmann did with strings in the original's murder scene).  After the suspenseful "Blood Bath", Goldsmith wraps things up with a good end title piece, first bringing the movie to a close with some final action music before settling down into a reprise of the main theme for piano and electronics.

For any composer, writing the music for Psycho II was bound to be a somewhat thankless task, especially given the quality (or lack thereof) of the movie.  Goldsmith has certainly written better scores in the genre, but it is still worth a listen, and it's fascinating to compare his approach with Herrmann's.  The CD was released many years ago by Varese Sarabande (a straight reissue of MCA's LP) and is now next-to-impossible to find - perhaps a reissue is due?

Tracks

1. The Murder (Herrmann) (:57)
2. Main Title (1:37)
3. Don't Take Me (4:48)
4. Mother's Room (4:01)
5. It's Not Your Mother (5:11)
6. New Furniture (2:04)
7. The Cellar (4:02)
8. Blood Bath (3:37)
9. End Title (4:13)