By Stephen Pytak 
   
     This is not the heavy-rock song CD released to 
celebrate the film's success that popped up in FYE
and Circuit City soon after the film started making
millions.
     This is the score which you have to buy online. I
got mine via www.lalalandrecords.com/
     If you were among the first to order from that site, 
you got an autographed copy from the composer. Very
cool indeed.
     But that's not the only reason to go out and try to
track down a copy.
     For a few reasons, this is a very interesting 
collectible for soundtrack buffs.
     The package comes with an 8-page full color 
insert with pictures from the film, including some 
nice ones of Jessica Biel, a message from the composer, 
and additional information about the characters from
the film.
     This surprised me, because when I came out of the
film, I was intrigued by everything on screen and 
wanted to learn more.
     The CD insert offers some more details about 
"Leatherface."
     "On August 20th, 1973, police were dispatched to
the remote farmhouse of Thomas Hewitt, the former 
head-skinner at a local slaughterhouse in Travis
County, Texas. What they found within the confines of
the cryptic residence was the butchered remains of 33
victims, a chilling discovery that shocked and horrified
a nation...Local authorities would eventually gun down
a man wearing a leathery mask and declare they had
their killer, which abruptly closed the case; however in
the years that followed, many close to the grisly murder
case would come forward to level accusations that 
police had botched the investigation and knowingly
killed the wrong man..."
     Very interesting! Heck, I see a sequel in this. 
     The score is intriging on its own.
     It's creepy atmosphere music. That's the best way
to sum it up in a heartbeat.
     But it's very unlike, say, John Carpenter's music for
"Halloween (1978)." Carpenter's selections for his
classic had a beat you could follow.
     Jablonsky's score for "Texas Chainsaw" isn't as
predictable. And that can make it kind of scary, if
you're home alone, even if you've seen the film.
     Melancholy horns, and rumbles which sound 
like Hell is scratching just below the surface of the 
Earth, serve as the basis for many of the tracks.
     Sometimes, this atmosphere is permeated by 
sound effects, from a clock ticking, to rattling chains
and, sometimes, whispers. And sometimes a 
thumping percussion breaks through the melodic dark.
     Tracks like "Leatherface," "He's A Bad Man," 
"Interrogation" and "You're So Dead" were kind of
like this.
     But this Hell sound comes to the surface for the 
murder sequence tracks, like "Kemper Gets Whacked/
Jedidiah," "Morgan's Wild Ride/Van Attack" and
"Final Confrontation," which has some great tribal
percussion.
     Film Director Marcus Nispel had specific 
instructions for his composer: "I told him I wanted it
all to be dissonant, atonal, subliminal and disturbing."
     Jablonsky came through.
     The score is also notable because it's the first
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre" score to ever be released.
     We've had soundtracks with songs. The best was
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" which came out
on album and cassette back in 1986. 
     Maybe someone out there will take a hint and
give us a score for Tobe Hooper's original, and
"Texas 2" to boot.