‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ was released into cinemas in 1992 and directed by iconic filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. Adapted from Bram Stoker’s classic novel, the film boasted an all-star cast that included Gary Oldman as the titular character, alongside Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and an ‘on-the-rise’ Keanu Reeves. The film was a huge smash at the box office taking more than $215 million against its $40 million budget, and it’s gone on to be considered a classic in the horror genre.
32 years after its original release, the film’s soundtrack is being released on vinyl courtesy of Music On Vinyl and it’s stunning. Housed in a deluxe sleeve with linen laminate, the 180-gram vinyl is on Dracula splattered vinyl, limited to 666 individually numbered copies. The actual splatter effect on the vinyl is impressive, mixing white, red and black to look like blood oozing across. The release features the film’s score across 15 tracks, by the late Wojciech Kilar (‘The Pianist’), along with Annie Lennox’s song for the film ‘Love Song for a Vampire’.
I remember watching ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ for the first time as a kid and it quickly became one of my favourite films. The atmospheric film scared my half to death at the time and that’s in part due to the intense score by Wojciech Kilar. Listening to it again all these later on vinyl, and without the accompaniment of the film, the music is just as affecting now as it was back then. Spread across 1 LP, the score opens with the 6 minute 41 second ‘Dracula – The Beginning’, which builds slowly into alarming crescendos. If you could ever say that music felt like movement, this track would be a great example as you can almost feel Dracula soaring through the air.
There are plenty of highlights across the 16 tracks. ‘Vampire Hunters’ is a bombastic moment steeped in intensity, “Lucy’s Party” is a lighter moment featuring a xylophone melody and luscious arrangements, and ‘The Brides’ brings back the memory of the iconic scene where Jonathan Harker (Reeves) meets the three brides of Dracula for a sexual tryst. ‘The Storm’, which closes out the first side of the LP starts off unassuming but soon explodes into thundering brass with operatic vocals in pivotal moments.
Side 2 of the LP opens with the dreamy ‘Love Remembered’, a moment of respite before the score cranks things up a notch. From ‘The Hunt Builds’ through to ‘The Ring of Fire’, things get very intense. These tracks are played during the climax of the film so as you’d expect, the tension ratchets up as Dracula is hunted down and stopped. The lengthy ‘End Credits’ is a reprisal of ‘Dracula – The Beginning’, adding the perfect bookend to a body of music that’s as beautiful as it is intense and all-consuming. The final track on the record is Annie Lennox’s ‘Love Song for a Vampire’, the haunting ballad that the icon recorded for the soundtrack. It’s a chilling ethereal moment, and honestly it’s one of Lennox’s best (if not her best) solo tracks.
‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)’ is right up there when it comes to classic film soundtracks. Often you listen to the score from a film and it fails to have the same impact without watching the film in tandem – that’s not the case with this soundtrack. Wojciech Kilar’s crafted a timeless masterpiece that dare I say has aged better than the film itself. This Music On Vinyl release is something truly special and horror fans should add this to their collection at the earliest opportunity.
Track listing: Side A – 1. Dracula – The Beginning 2. Vampire Hunters 3. Mina’s Photo 4. Lucy’s Party 5. The Brides 6. The Storm Side B – 1. Love Remembered 2. The Hunt Builds 3. The Hunters Prelude 4. The Green Mist 5. Mina/Dracula 6. The Ring of Fire 7. Love Eternal 8. Ascension 9. End Credits 10. Love Song for a Vampire – Annie Lennox Released by: Music On Vinyl Release date: 25th October 2024 Buy ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)’ now
