Friday Conversation: Your Favorite Friday the 13th Music Score
A lot of bad feelings were created by the music composed by Steve Jablonsky in the reboot this past February. Since then, fans and visitors to this website have expressed what music they think should be used in subsequent movies. Harry Manfredini has been brought up as being brought back to the franchise. I think that it would be a good idea, only if Harry would be willing to revisit his old cues from 30 years ago. I don’t think he would be willing to do that as musicians like to progress in their craft. I wonder if he would want to go back to something so long ago.
If you take a look at his previous two efforts in the franchise, many people would agree that they were very weak efforts compared to his previous works in the franchise. I personally liked his Jason Goes To Hell score as it did hold some of the same cues from the original movies, but added an extra action element that was only ever heard in perhaps Jason Lives. Since we are in full reboot mode, I think that a new composer is a welcome addition to what essentially could be viewed as a new franchise.
Outside of Harry, I did like the industrialized sound of Fred Mollin’s music in Jason Takes Manhattan as it fit with moving Jason out of Crystal Lake and moving towards Manhattan. Steve did a good job for what the remake was trying to accomplish, so I am a fan of that as well. So there you have it, I am all for a return of Harry if is willing and can incorporate his old cues into his work, but I am not at all opposed to Steve coming back and expanding on his great work. What do you all think?
i really liked part 7 with Fred and Harry together. it had a creepy ‘underwater’ feel. I liked the orchestra hits during the opening credits too; it was new and cool (for the mid 80s). Fred does a good job. He said in CLM that he’s come a long way since he did those scores; what about bringing him back?
Steve Jablonsky was also good. just a little too minimal perhaps. honestly i don’t remember the music at all, except the theme, which was very good.
Harry of course is great, but like you say, he may be tired of the same ol thing
IMO Fred Mollin´s score for TNB and JTM were totally crappy.
He included some old stuff from Harry in TNB so hios own crappy score was hidden. JTM´s score is just another factor why ths is my least favourite entry.
Harry´s best days where 1-4. his scroe for part 5 was weak. He redeemed himself with part 6. However, his old orchestral scores do not fit an new, modern movie. The remake would not hve worked if the score was 100% pure Manfredini. A few scenes with a cassical Manfredini-orchestral music would have been cool, but not during the entire music.
I disliked Manfredini´s score for JGTH. Jason X was alright (again, a classic orchestral score would not have fit the movie).
Jablonsky´s score was good, especially that fast-terror score (the one you can also hear during the end credits). FvsJ´s score was okay.
The shouldn’t use any composer who is not willing to use the old cues. I think Jablonsky’s score hurt the remake, and if it was rescored with the classic them people would like it more. The trailers with the classic theme helped bring people into the theaters.
Why filmmakers choose to work on Halloween, Friday the 13th etc and then decide the themes aren’t good enough is beyond me. It should not even an option. I understand they are creative people, but go be creative on something else.
But I’m sure we’ll get Friday part 2 with a new score leaving horror fans scratching their heads again.
Steve Jablonsky ALL the way.
Harry Manfredini hands down. Without his music it just doesnt feel like a Jason movie. My favorite music of his was in The Final Chapter…really creepy.
I agree with Jeremy – The Final Chapter had the best music, especially over the end credits!
MANFRE-goddamned-DINI.
for mi the music of part 6 and part 4 are the best.
I’m not gonna shit my pants if Harry doesn’t do the score. The 80’s movies were in their own era and when I hear Harry’s score in Jason Goes To Hell it sounds outta place. If he could update the sound with some cues from the past it would sound cool. If they bring on another composer, hey as long as he or she gives it a solid effort I’m not gonna pick the movie apart for the score. I enjoyed F13 2009 and it’s score was good. It wasn’t wow that’s the movie’s strongest point, but it did a good job and in my opinon sounded pretty cool.
I can’t understand the nostalgia obsession because if 2009 was a total nod back to all the old movies (like some describe as their ideal movie). There would be some sort of hate for it along the lines of “what a total rip-off” or how “unoriginal”.
My favorite scores are ones from the first four movies (the best movies in the series in my opinion).
I don’t mind a new score.. I just want A score of some kind. The ambient or whatever you call it in the remake wasn’t bad as it wa snot there. The producers even said they cut a lot of it out. Was it bad? Not sure we will ever know.
Harry was good, but it doesn’t have to be him. F13 never really had a theme ala Halloween or Amityville or even Elm Street. It just had the KiKiKi. So I’m all for a new score as long as there is a strong score.
Freddy Vs Jason wasn’t bad. Who was that Grame Revell?
I have a hard on for part 3 I just love the score. The opening is the best!!!
I just don’t want another bland mechanical score that Steve did in the re-boot. His scoring for TCM was pretty decent…much darker in tone than F13′09.
I would love an invigorated Harry BACK!! I love the suspenseful orchestration and strings and, yes, I do believe that is Friday’s soundtrack (theme).
…he wasn’t a very good swimmer…
TANGERINE – PART 3
My personal favorites are the scores from Friday 1 (the end title is very nice too) and part 5 and 6. Because they’re completely re-written scores. It’s just too bad they weren’t released as albums (especially part 5) including the songs from Pseudo echo…
Jablonski’s score has it’s moments, but was just to calm for a Jason movie. But apperently every one likes it, because he already did Chainsaw and the upcoming Elmstreet…..just gets a bit boring this way. I mean in the other instalments every slasher flick has it’s own composers and distinguised sound, but with Jablonski at the wheel all the slasher icon-scores sound the same…If I had a hand in chosing the score for Friday part 2, my eye would fall on Graeme Revell, Tyler Bates or Brian Tyler. Listening to their sound it could defenitely be a score to remember and also give back a little more chaos and scary moments
TFC all the way
here’s my promblem with just using the old music again is that it tips everyone off that a kill is about to happen ending any kind of surprise or suspense.the music was giving the scene away ahead off the event making the event less of a “oh shit” moment.a littlt old is okay for credits.
I would love Harry back. Because his Jason scores sent a chill down my spine! It wasn’t only about the ki ki ki ma ma ma…It was the tension in the music. The suspense he created with the music itself just added to the fun of it all.
All of Harry’s music in the Jason flicks always matched the feel of the individual movies the music came from. Like in Parts 1-5 his music had that pure terror feel/pure slasher sound that fit the movies absolutely perfectly(my faves). For Part 6 the music had a little gothic feel/campiness that totally matched the feel of the movie as well. In JGTH he went the synthesizer route with new sounds we never heard and transformed the F13th music into something very different as the movie itself was very different. In Jason X he went the way of synthesized sci-fi which worked because the movie was very slasher meets sci-fi. I don’t think Jason X would have worked with classic F13 music cause of the sci-fi elements. Harry’s work on each F13 movie has always incorporated what type of F13 movie it was.
So, I believe that had he done the music to the new F13th reimagining, he would have created something wonderful and different as he always has. The music would have probably been orchestral and fast with lots of his classic zinging style but I think he would have modernized it very much being that the new F13 was itself very modernized.
I think he should definately return to the F13th world and send chills up our spines again! Come back HARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Harry Manfredini is the best! He should be back!!!
Meh, Manfredini’s latest stuff lacked something fierce. I think it’s time to shop around for a new composer. Jablonksy wasn’t bad, it was just that his stuff was barely played.
uh…………..part 4 by a long shot……….amagine watching part 4 with out the music score,the music is half the movie when you think about it
PART 4 THE MOST SCARY , part 3 the most Dancing
I would like for Harry to come back and do the score, im sure Steve went for something new, but lets have Harry back he knows Jason he`s done damn near all of the scores.
1-4 was the most chilling
HARRY MANFREDINI ALL the way i grew up on that music sure it repeditive But its classic friday and itf it was for him we would have friday KIIII MAAAAAAA My Fave Score of his is part six and i also lovve the first 2 so HARRY U RULE and I wouls love to see cds of his work they reissued the films why not his scores lot of friday fans would by them over Jablosky He sucked and there was enough KIII MAAA
Ps the best thing fred Mollin did in friday 7 were the end credit music and a few thing in part 8 but i hate the remakes score
PSS Jason X Had A Great Score esp the battle with KM14 and jason also the beginning credits amd ubder jason being born I dont care what any on say JASON X was A Good Movie Id rather have a blu ray of that then freddy vs jason
Mine would be, Harry’s from Part V.
It’s a classic Friday score, with a more 1940s horror twist in there.
Either way…if they agree to bring back Harry, it would be like a complete circle…..if he won’t come back…then maybe guys like I mentioned before: Graeme Revell, Brian Tyler or Tyler Bates……but I prefer Harry, and for #%&*-sake: Release the score albums of every Friday movie!!!!
Go to http://www.harrymanfredini.com/audio/ and listen to… buy Moments of terror. This is what it should sound like. If not Harry then take a lesson or two from this and incorporate it in.
One of the two worst things regarding the reboot were not using Harry Manfredini, ESPECIALLY when his score was used in the trailer for the latest installment of the Friday franchise. I remember sitting in the theater waiting to hear a classic Friday orchestrated piece, and I was totally bummed when I heard absolutely nothing. Not to mention the fact that the music that was created for the film totally sucked. There was just nothing riveting about it at all. Good scary music is supposed to build on the suspense of the movie. I was of the feeling that the scary parts of the film, could’ve been even scarier had they had some pieces of music that captured those intense scenes.
I read the argument about Harry not wanting to repeat himself. He doesn’t necessarily have to. Just like that of John Williams, Harry can take some of the classic score and add new music to it. John didn’t suddenly drop the Main title from all of the Star Wars sequels. He kept it as is, and built upon it. I have faith that Harry can do the same thing.
…by the way, the other thing I couldn’t stand about the reboot was another drab location shoot. STOP shooting these movies down in the south! The woods/forest they have been shooting in for the better part of 20 years don’t look anything like that of the first two movies. The Friday franchise is supposed to take place in New Jersey, so the movies should be shot out on the east coast.