They say that “Love is a many-splendored thing.” It can also be a hair-pulling, skin-crawling nightmare that will keep you awake in terror. Well, maybe that’s not a great many people’s experience, but it’s certainly the case in Obsession. The massive box office hit succeeded because it was a compelling story that was also an alliteration of descriptions; it is simple, scary, sombre, sincere, and psychotic. You’re probably saying “Marc, psychotic begins with P.” Well, you’re right, but I don’t see it that way because Obsession scared the P right out of me. And part of what made Curry Barker’s film exceptionally unnerving (aside from Inde Navarrette‘s now legendary turn) is the music.
Rock Burwell‘s score is so perfectly tailored to the film that it is effective away from the expertly edited affair. As we learned today, the abrupt end of the tracks was done on purpose to up the uneasiness and was informed by the edits. Talk about one hand washing the other. We were thrilled to speak to Rock about his experiences, his style of music and the tracks that mean the most to him.
He may claim that some of the creative process was a blur, but (thankfully or not) we get to experience the story and the soundtrack in real time and in full because he arranged the soundtrack chronologically. In this case, the music can be enjoyed without the picture because Barker burns the images right into your eyeballs. Obsession is like being run over by a steam roller while you’re stuck in quicksand. It’s exhausting, but also entertaining, fresh, inventive, and damn well done.
If you haven’t seen it yet, October is as good a time as any…or, maybe, February? Around Valentine’s Day? One thing is for sure, if you find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place, Mr. Burwell will show up with his brand of sonic dynamite and blow anything out of the way, including this score.
Enjoy our chat with Rock on this episode of The GoSeeTalk Podcast Experience!
And if that wasn’t good enough, we have some more awesome things to share with you physical media junkies and horror hounds. Rock’s film score gets the big time treatment from Waxwork Records. That’s what you call a wish come true! The label that prides itself on sounds that are strange and unusual picked a winner in Mr. Burwell’s soundtrack. It’s available in multiple formats to suit any eardrum. Check it out here!
