The Serpent and the Rainbow OST (Facts & Review)

Written by your advisor -
Review of Brad Fiedel's OST for Wes Craven's voodoo zombie horror "The Serpent And the Rainbow".
This is a review of the soundtrack to Wes Craven's horror film The Serpent and the Rainbow where I also share what I know about this mysterious and rare release.


    Music Overview

    While the film itself is very good, its best part is the soundrtack written by Brad Fiedel—the composer of scores to such films as The Terminatior (1 and 2) and Fright Night.

    Indeed, the whole score contains the same "metallic" drums similar to the ones in the Terminator theme. Skipping an unnecessary discourse on self-plagiarism, I can note that the sound on this work is seriously improved: it's more natural, has a feeling of being played by a weird orchestra.

    The same dark, sinister atmosphere is completed with a mystic African black voodoo magic flavor. You will find here conga drums along with other percussion, African native instruments, cellos, flutes, synthesizer-generated choirs and other effects.

    The sound is excellent—very dynamic and clear. You will hear, however, some tape hiss, common for analog recordings from the past, but it's not a big deal. It was mastered in 80s, before the loudness war began, so the dynamic range is perfect: the intensive parts sound exciting, the smooth ones are clear and sweet.

    Review Brad Fiedel's OST for Wes Craven's voodoo zombie horror "The Serpent And the Rainbow" 1988.

    The Mystery and Facts

    The story of this release is somewhat mysterious. It was released by Varèse Sarabande (a quite famous label, that specializes in releasing soundtracks) in 1988 on vynil, CD and cassetes, and it's rumored that the CDs were printed in quantity of only around 200 copies.

    However, it's likely not true, because you can find the CD for sale online for about $70. Of course used—for some reason this work has never been re-released. The compact discs were available only for mailorder to the members of Varèse Sarabande club, as it's stated on the inlay.
    Review of Brad Fiedel's OST for Wes Craven's voodoo zombie horror "The Serpent And the Rainbow" 1988
    It also has an error in track listing—track 9 "Procession" is absent on the CD edition, but it's listed in the booklet. Again, some other discs of Varèse Sarabande feature inaccuracies like this.
    Review of Brad Fiedel's OST for Wes Craven's voodoo zombie horror "The Serpent And the Rainbow" 1988.

    This Brad Fiedel's work is an excellent example of a perfectly creepy, haunted and beautiful film score. Moreover, being such a magnificent piece, it has a great value independently from the film. The movie is fine, but it's enough to wach it once. The music is something you will want to return to again and again.

    For those who want to preview, here are two tracks of it from YouTube. Of course, the sound quality is ruined by YouTube's dynamic compression, so you will not feel the full power of the original sound. If you like it—find it for sale on CD, vynil, cassetes or for free online in mp3 or lossless. If you can't find it, ask me. 
     
    Review of Brad Fiedel's OST for Wes Craven's voodoo zombie horror "The Serpent And the Rainbow".
    Review of Brad Fiedel's OST for Wes Craven's voodoo zombie horror "The Serpent And the Rainbow".

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    I created this blog for like-minded people with weird taste for unpopular, obscure, and sleazy films and music. If you feel our tastes are similar, let's be email friends. You can also reach out to me if you need help in finding any rare film or music mentioned in by blog.


    I love exploitation films, dark music, and little-known facts. I share knowledge about old B-movies (including interviewing actresses and directors) and sometimes about music.

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