Soundtrack Review: Dead of Winter

December 23, 2023 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Soundtrack and tagged Arthur Penn, Dead of Winter, Don't Go in the House, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Einhorn, Roddy McDowall, Shock Waves, The Prowler | Leave a comment

Dead of Winter (1987)
Released by Kritzerland, 2010
21 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 65 min.
Music Composed by Richard Einhorn

I first came across this little thriller back when it first came out on video, back in the late ‘80s. Being a fan of both Mary Steenburgen and Roddy McDowall, I was all in. What I wasn’t expecting was this well-crafted thriller, that I still think is highly underrated. Now being a huge fan of soundtracks, when I see one available from a film that I liked, I tend to get it. Plus, this soundtrack was done by Richard Einhorn, who also did a few of my favorite films, such as Shock Waves (1977) and The Prowler (1981), so I thought what the hell.

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Soundtrack Review: Don’t Go in the House

December 28, 2021 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Soundtrack and tagged Dead of Winter, Don't Go in the House, Howlin' Wolf Records, Richard Einhorn, Shock Waves, The Prowler | Leave a comment

Don’t Go in the House
Released by Howlin’ Wolf Records
44 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 66:43 min.
Music Composed by Richard Einhorn

Richard Einhorn is on one those composers that has created some amazing scores with just the simple use of synthesizers and a keyboard. One of my all-time favorites is what he did on Shock Waves (1977), which happened to be his first film score. His haunting piano score for Dead of Winter (1987) is another favorite of mine, simple and quiet but highly effective. When one thinks of a musical score for a film about a guy who burns women to death in his house, you’d think that not a lot of time and money went into creating a score for this type of film. Well, you would be correct on the time and money part, but the dedication and hard work was there. Einhorn still wanted to create a score that would enhance what we’re seeing on screen, but also give it depth and feeling, which is exactly what he did.

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Don’t Pass These By…

July 26, 2016 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Arthur Hill, Dead of Winter, House that Screamed, La Residencia, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, Roddy McDowall | Leave a comment

With the recent announcement from Scream Factory about some upcoming titles that will get blu-ray releases later this year, most of them being collector’s edition, there is a lot for us horror fans to be excited about. Willard is finally getting a legit release, as well as the film Dreamscape, and of course, how can you not be excited about more of Cronenberg’s films getting a special edition, right?

But there were a couple of titles listed that I think are getting lost in the shuffle and need a little bit more attention. The first one was last on the list, Dead of Winter, a 1987 film from director Arthur Penn, starring Mary Steenburgen and Roddy McDowall. I had first seen this film back when it first hit VHS back in the day and was blown away by it. It is a great little thriller that has an amazing score by Richard Einhorn. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get more than just a standard release for this, but at this point, I’m thrilled that it is coming out and hope newer fans take a chance on this one.

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