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Scariest Action Cue


scallenger

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First let me thank everyone who helped me in the "action soundtracks" post find the action soundtrack I ended up liking quite a lot: CutThroat Island. (hee hee) Anyway, to the point of this new post:

What action cue (or soundtrack itself) has the scariest/creepiest/most intense aspects? Thanks:)

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"The Dog Attack" from The Omen, of course!

Wonderful. But "Mr's Baylock's Demise" and "Beheaded" are pretty screamy cues also that are freaky beyond beleife. "Sataaaniiiiiii...taaaaniiiiiiiiii Sataaniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ( as the head spins and Gregory Peck holds his face with his hands) :music::P . Also those creepy whispers on the Omen3 score are eery indeed :sigh:

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There are also some terrifying cues on Horner's Brainstorm score which sound like the choir is at the peak of a "Bad" acid trip. Freaky as hell if you listen to it in a darkened room with good headphones on.

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I've never seen Images yet, but "Blood Moon" and "Dogs, Ponies & Old Ruins" are as both creepy and powerful as anything else I've ever heard. Well, come to think of it... that whole album is creepy.

Waitaminute... The Fury. Pretty much every cue is an example of this as well.

Many action cues on Jaws, Jaws 2, Jurassic Park and The Lost World are creepy and action oriented too. Of course, Indiana Jones and Star Wars scores as well.

Hmmm... I just realized something. Those are all among my top-favorites. I guess I like that sort of thing. :music:

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Probably the freakiest and scariest track I can think of is 'Ring of fire' from Bram Stroker's Dracula by Wojciech Kilar. Damn that guy must have been abused or something as a kid- he has so much twisted stuff.

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Probably the freakiest and scariest track I can think of is 'Ring of fire' from Bram Stroker's Dracula by Wojciech Kilar. Damn that guy must have been abused or something as a kid- he has so much twisted stuff.

Wow, that's exactly what I thought. In my Drama class at school we're preparing a non-naturalistic ensemble task, with use of lighting and soundtrack. That exact track was one of the examples of using soundtrack. That was only the other day.

I think The Raptor Attack from Jurassic Park is the most intense and creepy action cue I've heard.

I know this will sound completely stupid and pathetic, but when I was little I was completely obsessed with Inspector Gadget (the cartoon). After my giant music appreciation explosion I tried looking for the music from the cartoon, and recently found it. Some of the pieces creeped me out when I was little, and they still do now. Hey, I'm only 15 so I'm allowed to talk about my childhood!

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It's difficult be be scared of music without the supplementary imagery. But this one does a good job anyway: The Motorcade from Stone's JFK. If you listen and listen to it loud there is a moment you, you and you will jump out of the chair. Guarenteed!

----------------

Alex Cremers

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Again this board shows its disrespect for Close Encounters of the Third Kind by not mentioning it once.

Abduction of Barry is one of the scariest, if not the scariest ques in the Williams catalog.

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Again this board shows its disrespect for Close Encounters of the Third Kind by not mentioning it once.

Abduction of Barry is one of the scariest, if not the scariest ques in the Williams catalog.

If you liked Barry's abduction listen to Penderecki's Threnody (yeah, for the purist, the full title includes '...for the Victims of Hiroshima' and blah, blah, blah) and Ligeti's requiem. I find them very resemblant of Williams.

However, for scary, for some reason the crescendo on The Moon rising in AI, with deep choir is very scary for me. The Omen, of course. However, The Omen is a continuation of some ideas in John Barry's The Lion in Winter. CE3K has some of the scariest action cues in Williams. Oh, and Herrmann's Psycho, but it has been mocked so much, that not only produces smiles of recognition.

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THANK YOU, JOE! I was scrolling through this thread in disbelief, completely floored that no one had brought up the piece I thought sure would appear somewhere in the first couple of posts. "The Abduction of Barry" gives me chills to this day (especially in the dark...!).

- Uni

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Again this board shows its disrespect for Close Encounters of the Third Kind by not mentioning it once.  

Abduction of Barry is one of the scariest, if not the scariest ques in the Williams catalog.

I like "The Abduction of Barry" very much, but I thought scallenger was asking about "Scary action cues". And by action I think he meant like fast paced music.

:) Tuba Concerto (John Williams)

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Yes Hector you are right, I am looking for more action oriented scary cues. However I have liked a lot of these choices, like the omen was a good one. But yeah I am looking for more scray/action stuff. Thanks everyone!

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Damn, Joe, you beat me (and it seems several others) to it! I was also going to suggest CE3K, as the first time I listened to it, it was at night and I was in the dark, and The Abduction of Barry gave me quite a good scare.

Ray Barnsbury

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I dont think it's a question of dis-respect Joe. It's just that there had only been a handfull of posts up until you said it. And others have since agreed with you. It was'nt one that immediately sprung to mind, as i can think of much scarier ones (such as in Brainstorm).

Melange - 2nd favourite JW score is Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind :)

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Joe and Uni are right about Close Encounters of the Third Kind. A great action sequence is not just about explosions, car chases and decapitations, you know!

A lot of the cues in this one do it for me:

www.schifrin.com/products/ah01.html

For God's sake, get out!

Damien ;):)

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I'd probably say, although it's not so much an action scene I guess, the music from Empire Strikes Back when Vader starts using the Force to toss shit at Luke and Luke uselessly tries to block the debris, it's pretty freaky music.

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I dont think it's a question of dis-respect Joe. It's just that there had only been a handfull of posts up until you said it. And others have since agreed with you. It was'nt one that immediately sprung to mind, as i can think of much scarier ones (such as in Brainstorm).  

I wouldn't say 20 posts is a handful, maybe 4 handfuls of post, and the title says scary action ques, well how is the Omen acceptable but Abuction of Barry not, its and intense piece of music, in a action oriented sequence of alien abduction, its not from a Armaggedon paced 2.4 second scene, but its easily one of the scariest sequences in any film featuring music from JW. However I cannot think of anything scary in Brainstorm other than the mur...-death of Nat Wood.

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I wouldn't say 20 posts is a handful, maybe 4 handfuls of post, and the title says scary action ques, well how is the Omen acceptable but Abuction of Barry not, its and intense piece of music, in a action oriented sequence of alien abduction, its not from a Armaggedon paced 2.4 second scene, but its easily one of the scariest sequences in any film featuring music from JW.  However I cannot think of anything scary in Brainstorm other than the mur...-death of Nat Wood.

I hear you Joe. I did'nt express it properly. What i really meant to say was that only a small cross section of the members had viewed that thread up to that point. And that it would probably take time for the CEO3K lovers to get to it. I agree Abduction of Barry is scary. It's just that i chose other ones that sprung to mind first. Does'nt mean i dismiss the score or have no respect for it. Just a choice. In Brainstorm the playback cues for example are really bizzare and blatantly scary. Less subtle than in CEO3K. :angry:

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Charlesk wrote:

If you liked Barry's abduction listen to Penderecki's Threnody (yeah, for the purist, the full title includes '...for the Victims of Hiroshima' and blah, blah, blah) and Ligeti's requiem. I find them very resemblant of Williams.

Yes, I always felt the same. Maybe Spielberg used Ligeti (Requiem, blah, blah, blah as used in 2001: a Space Odyssey) as a temporary track. Williams made it more ochestra oriented, though.

----------------

Alex Cremers

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Jaws anyone? I was thinking 'Man against beast' in particular.

I find "Ripley's Rescue" to be very intense, not really scary, but a unique action cue.

One of the best scary/action sequences has to be the chase through the woods during 'E.T. Alone'. The shrill trumpet is brilliant.

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that music when the Mynocks pop up on the milleneum falcon in ESB.

Also in ESB,"The Magic Tree",that's sort of scary

Harry Potter PS:In the Devil's Snare.

K.M.

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CE3K isn't really an action score. Maybe when trhey are running up the hill? And that part wasn't scary, more like thrilling.

I agree, "Abduction Of Barry" is one of the best "scary" cues (and I can't believe I forgot it). Problem is, it isn't an action cue.

-Chris, Who doesn't care all that much for CE3K other than that abduction scene... it's unbelieveable!

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I don't know about any of you, but "Reign of Fire" by Edward Shearmur is definitely the most intense film score I've heard. "Enter the Dragon," "Field Attack," and "Archangels" are the scariest cues. But if were talking about pure terror, Hans Zimmer's "The Ring" takes the cake. That music is sinister...

ISeeSigns65

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