For many fans, the collaboration between Dario Argento and George A. Romero is among the most exciting in Horror cinema history. Coming from two different backgrounds (Romero from the USA and Argento from Italy), the foundation of their relationship first formed in 1977 when work began on the massively influential 1978 film Dawn of the Dead.
The story goes, Argento caught wind of Romero’s plans for Dawn of the Dead and was immediately interested, they connected and soon began to work together. Proving Romero a place to stay in Rome during the writing of Dawn of the Dead, Argento provided some input to the script, produced a bit, contributed to the music, and even edited the European cut of the film. It is important to mention in order to understand the bond the two filmmakers formed, while their careers followed different paths, they stayed in close contact through the years and, over two decades later, joined forces once again to make Two Evil Eyes.
Entitled Due occhi diabolici in Italian, Two Evil Eyes is an interesting project that was originally intended to be an anthology-type Horror feature in the vein of 1982’s Creepshow. Unfortunately, this idea was never realized; because the other directors in mind for two more segments (John Carpenter and Stephen King) were either not available or not interested. Moving forward, as two tales, each was based on Edgar Allan Poe stories, as Romero handled The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, while Argento did The Black Cat. A very equal hands production, like any one of their prior works, the soundtrack was an intricate part of it all.
In the past, Argento and Romero had worked heavily with the Italian Progressive Rock band Goblin (once including Claudio Simonetti), but with Two Evil Eyes they called on another fantastic composer by the name of Pino Donaggio. Donaggio, a classically trained musician native to Italy, had several Horror soundtracks to his credit; including 1973’s Don’t Look Now, 1976’s Carrie, as well as 1981’s The Howling. Just naming a few of his works, Donaggio’s familiarity with the genre was imperative, and with Two Evil Eyes he delivered a striking soundscape that created all the right tension and terror.
Heavily symphony-based (with brass, strings, and piano), the music composed by Donaggio creates a classic Gothic Horror feel. Fitting, he also created a hybrid of sounds; crossing into some of the best synth elements which saturated Horror films during the late ‘70s into and throughout the ’80s. These aspects make the soundtrack significantly standout as one of those dedicated fans adore long after sitting through the film itself. Especially the case with the leading track “Dreaming Dreams,” now in 2024 it is possible to own the Two Evil Eyes soundtrack in a physical format.
Made possible by Rustblade, this new release emerged on both CD and vinyl on June 7th. Offering the CD format in a nice digipak, the vinyl edition is offered in an exceptional transparent blue color vinyl or as a deluxe bag with tons of goodies (including a transparent green vinyl, Blu-ray + CD, postcards, Edgar Allan Poe Book in Italian & English with Two Tales of the movie, etc.). Both vinyl options limited, and available for purchase through rustblade.com, the CD edition is easily attainable and quite satisfying.
As stated, you receive the entire original soundtrack (21 tracks in total), and it sounds absolutely ear-tingling. As stated, highlighted by the mesmerizing “Dreaming Dreams,” this track has everything you could want as a Horror fan. Furthermore, the children’s voices chanting over the track may sound incoherent upon a superficial listen, but in case you were wondering, it is indeed English, as they sing, “Looking in your eyes I saw the fire. Burning out your life. Lost in a nightmare. Looking in your eyes I saw the shadow. Growing in your heart. Blinded by perils. Looking in your eyes I saw the darkness. Creeping by your side. Welcome to madness.”
All in all, Rustblade offers a primary opportunity for fans to pick up a standalone format of the Two Evil Eyes soundtrack; which previously was a part of a three-disc Blu-ray set put out by Blue Underground in 2019. That is why Cryptic Rock highly recommends any Dario Argento and George A. Romero fan to seek out one of these new releases, giving them 4.5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment