If you've already visited my review of Eli Roth's indie horror flick, then you know it's not necessarily a film for all tastes - not even for all horror fans' tastes. (If you haven't seen my review, get over there and read it, ya rat bastard.) I had a good time, me, thanks to Roth's devilishly anarchic approach, and many tips of the hat to his cinematic inspirations made it feel like comfort food for gorehounds.

It's no surprise, then, that much of the movie's score echoes the same sinister respect for the genre's musical maestros. One could even say that co-contributor Angelo Badalamenti is one of those legends himself, as his lush, sexy and menacing tunes have helped drive many of David Lynch's most disturbing films (BLUE VELVET, LOST HIGHWAY, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, and the underrated TWIN PEAKS movie are standouts). He is joined by avant-garde composer Nathan Barr (formerly of industrial band V.A.S.T.) for a slightly repetitive but always effective ensemble of creepy, lurching soundscapes. Their combined contributions make up the central chunk of this 32-track CD, grouped more by theme and intensity than in the order they occur in the film.

Eschewing electronics in favor of interesting combinations of traditional instruments, Barr makes extensive use of cello (a personal fave of mine), often layering several tracks of this instrument at once, or blending them with odd percussion to create eerie, creeping rhythms. A horror devotee like Roth, he calls on many genre influences, with nods to Ennio Morricone and Bernard Hermann ("Dennis Bites" is a great example). Acoustic guitar and banjo combos provide the backwoods local color without sinking into DELIVERANCE cliché, and stand up very well as non-horrific pieces ("Lemonade" is a bright, fun bluegrass ditty that is especially witty in light of the scene it accompanies in the film). Of course, the darker themes begin to surface toward the middle, and become downright bone-chilling: "The Reservoir/Leg Shaving" will make you jump, even if you haven't seen the film.

Badalamenti's characteristic throbbing, fuck-me lounge riffs aren't as prevalent here as in his Lynch work (with the exception of "Deputy Winston," which is down-and-dirty fun), but his trademark slow bass lines and big-room reverb are all too familiar. Of all his tracks, the minimalist "Red Love" is the only one that misses the mark, sounding too much like the composer ripping off his own synth love themes from every Lynch score he's ever done. Strangely enough, some of his best material is not included in the film - added instead at the end of the CD as bonus tracks: "Hermit's Lair" and "Hunting with Bert" are both simple but effective, incorporating percussion not normally heard in the Badalamenti canon.

Outside source music is kept to a minimum, and the songs are completely relevant to the content, unlike the average "Inspired by the Motion Picture" bullshit from mega-media-conglomerates. Roth's choices come from bands he actually likes: he obtained Scrappy Hamilton's "Wastin' Time" (a very dancable blues-rock tune) after hearing the band in North Carolina, where much of the film was shot, and recruited local bluegrass pickers Happy Wednesday for a rendition of "Swing Low" after sitting in on a few jam sessions with the band. The outrageously goofy "Walkin', Workin', Lovin', Laughin'" is contributed by comedy team The Turtlenecks (who you see getting beaten to a pulp with a guitar in the film), and garage-punks Your Mom (love that name) round out the package with the tight and menacing "Shitstorm."

My only letdown was the tragic omission of David Hess's "Wait for the Rain" from LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, and "Volatile Velvet," performed by none other than Hess's kids, Bo and Jesse, aka Noah's Rock Stars. Why, Eli, why? How much could the royalties have cost?

As with all soundtrack CDs nowadays, there are the requisite dialogue bites from the film, which I normally don't care much for. At least these samples are funny... "I Made It" sums up the film's occasional moments of outrageous, anarchic excess. The same could be said for the album - a confident package of suspense and cool that, just like Dennis, does a little mad monkey kung fu and bites you on the ass. PANCAKES!

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