With director George A. Romero's 1993 adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Dark Half, composer
Christopher Young returns to the pulpy horror of his earliest scores, but with a new maturity and refinement. Favoring tension over terror, the music possesses an uncanny grasp of mood that perfectly complements the onscreen narrative. The opening "Prologue and Tumor" -- which employs a vocal choir and lush strings that eventually give way to more malignant forces -- serves immediate notice of
Young's disregard for horror music conventions: while the epic "Omnibus Death" and "Fool's Stuffing" boast gripping atonal elements, the score never succumbs to cheap thrills, expertly ratcheting the suspense before "Sparrows" achieves the catharsis that is the inevitable climax of
Young's efforts. ~ Jason Ankeny