Critics always state that you should never notice the music in a movie if it’s well composed – that it shouldn’t take over the film. I take issue with that rather out dated opinion. There’s no doubt that Henson’s music is an entity in its own right and, as such, deserves to be noticed while you’re watching the film. It’s as much a part of the movie as the actors are.
The first time I heard Henson’s work was when I watched the TV series Lost in Austen. While his music for that was a little over powering, it was still incredibly moving stuff. The Secret of Moonacre gives us more of the same. There’s no subtlety here – no dull background mood music. Henson beats the listener over the head with his themes but, to my mind, that’s part of the charm of his musical styles (and he has many).
The album opens with ‘Opening Titles’ – a grand, and moving theme that gives way to a mellow, haunting track. This easy shift between two very different styles is something that is typical of the rest of the album. From the calmness of ‘The Two Moon Princesses’ to the heart pumping chase music of ‘Into the Forest’ Henson leans on every emotional button there is. There’s comedy themes (‘Marmaduke Scarlett’), eerie mood music (‘Running from Moonacre’ / ‘Maria is Captured’); and a great vocal track (‘Stars’) sung by Skye.
I noticed quite a few influences amongst this album’s themes – most notably Danny Elfman (‘Into the Book’ and ‘The 5,000th Moon’) and was that a whiff of Trevor Jones’s music for The Dark Crystal at the start of “All’s Well That Ends Well”? I even caught a flavour of Jerry Goldsmith’s music for Gremlins in ‘Robin Attacks / Arrival at Moonacre’.
Over the album’s 1 hr, 4 mins (split over 26 tracks) worth of music there’s something to cover all emotional styles. 10/10

Yes, there are atmospheric filler moments, but again composer Christian Henson adds a little heart into these segments.

Over the last couple of years I’ve consistently been impressed with Henson’s output. He’s composed the soundtracks for The Secret of Moonacre, Triangle, Black Death and Malice in Wonderland and each of them has had a totally different feel. This isn’t a one-trick-pony composer who keeps trotting out the same material, Henson appears to approach each project from scratch and, like a true artist in this field should, writes precisely to fit the mood of each project.

There’s a lovely tongue-in-cheek moment that totally threw me off guard. ‘Liberation’ is a well craft cheesy retro disco track that will at the very least make you smile.

While this score probably won’t be to the average soundtrack buffs taste, it’s worth giving it a listen to appreciate the intricate work that’s gone into it. 8/10

Henson starts us off with a slow burn of a track, “The Veteran,” that is almost eerily quiet before the more commanding percussion and horn elements begin to trickle in and flesh out the piece. Almost like a snake charmer, the track is slightly hypnotizing, but never lets you forget that something sinister is afoot. The tracks that follow are of similar style and it is not until “Metamorphosis” that the pacing picks up and the film’s theme truly gets established. With an extensive track listing (twenty-eight pieces total), it makes sense that Henson took his time to establish themes and ideas, but it was surprising to hear how almost mellow the opening tracks were for a film who’s main focus is on excess, control, ego and violence.

There may be a large number of tracks, but each one of Henson’s pieces has a purpose and plays to support the scene its title indicates. “Torture Video” and “Punishment” sound just as their titles suggest, expanding on high-pitched or uneasy tones while weaving in the bass beat and percussion that drive the score’s pacing. Unlike horror scores, these are not jarring sounds that jump out at you, but rather tones uncomfortable enough to keep you on edge while still being slight enough that you could almost tune them out.

One of my favorite pieces on the soundtrack is “Liberation,” which features some of the compilation’s few vocal elements and is a breath a fresh air in the midst of the heavier tracks that precede it. This track notes the beginning of a slight change in the sound of the score as more transient elements begin to seep in and mix with the established percussive elements.

As both the score and the film progress, things begin to unravel with the percussion starting to hollow out on “Sarrab Enters” and then “Suicide Attempt,” which features moments of louder orchestration that quickly dissolve away. The score ends as quietly as it began with haunting choral vocals fluttering in and out of “Uday Calls” and “Who Is Sarrab?” while “Malta Attack” gives us a final adrenaline boost before “Farewells” ties things up by starting to strip away the elements that had been built up until now, leaving us with just an electric guitar playing the film’s theme. Sounding like a ticking clock the final track, “The Market,” runs that clock down until the last second passes by and all sound falls away.

Ranging from Middle Eastern influenced musical elements to full orchestration, trance to driving percussion, the soundtrack for THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE is much like its film counterpart – erratic, commanding and never boring. Although the score succeeds in creating the chaotic, slightly mad sense of THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE, its effect begins to shift from engaging to prolonged due to its expansive track list. Henson does combine many different musical elements, but does so thoughtfully, always taking into account the scene playing on screen and making sure any element introduced is then combined into the already established sounds. The soundtrack would have benefited from having the track listing edited down a bit, but each track has a purpose and the score is well thought out from beginning to end.

Grade: B-

This soundtrack is available through Lakeshore Records.

Ah, another Christian Henson film score. Henson’s name attached to any project is an almost guaranteed indication that you’re in for a great soundtrack. However, those expecting another The Secret of Moonacre may be in for something of a shock.
For about 80% of this score Henson weaves his magic, but for the other 20% he delivers rather cliched atmospheric tracks and horror movie music cues. Given the nature of the film this is to be expected but even here Henson tries to do something a little different.
Otherwise dull tracks, like ‘Storm’ and ‘The Armoury’, use an atmospheric base and then fuse beautiful themes on top. This ensures that these tracks not only heighten the mood of the scene when played during the movie, but also help to make them listenable as music in their own right.
However, there are a few tracks ‘The Arrival’ and ‘Sallys’ which do very little as standalone tracks – even though I’m sure they add much to the movie.
After you’ve cut through the filling, there are some truly beautiful tracks here – including ‘Lullaby’, ‘Open Seas’ and ‘Jess Spots Downy’ (even if the last one is a beefed up music cue). And it’s these which show Henson at his best.
An interesting collection of themes and styles, but it won’t be to everyone’s taste. 7/10

The soundtrack to Simon Fellows’s Malice in Wonderland didn’t make much of an impression on me when I reviewed the DVD. But to be honest, for the most part, it’s pretty interesting when listened to in isolation.
There are beautiful themes in tracks like ‘Doochy’s Mansion’; ‘The First Kiss’; ’60 seconds’; ‘Alice Runs to Whitey – Parts I & 2′; and ‘Mum’. There are also Waltz based themes like ‘Caterpillar’. And then there are more upbeat, modern tracks like ‘Chase’; ‘Felix’; ‘Whitey’s Arrival’; and ‘Felix Runs’.
Also included are two vocal tracks. ‘Where are You’ is performed by Betty Steeles. Steeles’s voice is an acquired taste. She sounds like a strange child – which on first listening is rather annoying. Then there’s the just plain silly ‘Titty Song’ performed by Bobby Chitlin. For novelty value this is amusing… once.
Overall this is an interesting collection of tracks that is just novel enough to prove worthy of your attention. 7/10