Killer Klowns from Outer Space: Re-Imagined
Released by Varèse Sarabande, 2018
21 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 61 min.
Music from the film by John Massari

When you have a great score for a movie that you just happen to love and have seen many, many times, I tend to get a bit nervous when I hear the score has been “re-imagined”. Some of the sounds and themes are something you remember when from watching the film, so to change those in anyway can make a noticeable difference. Fortunately, any differences here weren’t enough to take away from the enjoyment of what this is…a re-imagining.

The difference here on this recording is that it was the original synth score that original composer John Massari re-imagined, and performed by the 30-piece Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, that even had composer Bear McCreary on the accordion! The band The Dickies even recorded a band new version of the film’s famous title track. There’s a few things that are slightly different but for the most part, it is a lot of fun hearing different angles, so to speak, of these tracks and themes.

The biggest thing you’re going to get from this new version, is much like the original, and that is a fun time. The music is a perfect blend of traditional circus type music but put with a demented twist to it and I think that is where Massari really shines here. If you’re a fan of the movie, then this is a great companion piece to the original score.