Known for such florid Capitol Records titles as Ritual of the Savage, Tamboo! and Jewels of the Sea, brilliantly eclectic composter Les Baxter truly got a case of green exotica with his final film score for 1982’s quirkily violent exploration of growing pains, The Beast Within.
Baxter, who helped create strange moods for such genre flicks as Frogs, Black Sunday, Hell’s Belles and 1970’s The Dunwich Horror (with Sandra Dee), here used (anticipated) moments of orchestral majesty along with modern electronic flourishes to create a sharp and dissonant audio landscape. These textured sonic shifts perfectly matched the onscreen horror as a sensitive teen discovers the deadly reality of the monster that truly lives inside him.
The brilliance of Baxter’s evocative score was given a much deserved tribute in 2010 by the (beyond smart) INTRADA Records (www.intrada.com) who released the score in a special limited edition.
Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!
Big Gay Horror Fan 