five with frights:- Harry Manfredini
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Mr. Frights recently had the privilege to interview HARRY MANFREDINI, a man responsible for many many of our favorite music pieces/arrangements/scores in horror (and other genres) on television & in movies.
www.harrymanfredini.com
MR. FRIGHTS: With regard to your career can you recall what your most significant moment has been?
HARRY MANFREDINI:WELL, I GUESS IT WOULD BE THE DAY THAT I GOT THE IDEA TO MAKE THAT “VOCAL SOUND” NOW KNOWN AS THE JASON SOUND… WHICH TO ME WAS A NECESSARY ELEMENT FOR THE SCORE TO
FRIDAY THE 13TH, BUT… I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE WHAT IT HAS BECOME. IT WAS JUST NECESSITY… SO THAT WOULD BE THE MOMENT… THANKS TO THE EDITORS AND WRITERS FOR PUTTING THAT SCENE IN THE MOVIE WHERE MRS. VORHEES/JASON VOICE SAY…. KILL HER MOMMY… AND OFF I WENT.
- MR. FRIGHTS: Best horror movie musical score (outside of your body of work)?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: WOW…THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY TO EVEN CONSIDER ANSWERING THIS. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
JERRY GOLDSMITH SCORES.. COMA, AND PLANET OF THE APES.. (IS THAT HORROR)….
BERNARD HERRMANN.. OF COURSE. I LIKED
DANNY ELFMAN'S SCORE TO RED DRAGON…TOO MANY… I WOULD SURELY LEAVE OUT SOMEONE..
- MR. FRIGHTS: You working on a future Friday The 13th film, is it possible?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: THIS IS OF COURSE NOT UP TO ME.. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO WORK ON ONE.
IS IT POSSIBLE, I DON’T KNOW.. THIS IS A QUESTION FOR THE PRODUCERS, DIRECTORS ETC. I THINK IT WOULD BE A COOL CHALLENGE.
- MR. FRIGHTS: You've done some of the most iconic music in horror, which piece is your favorite and why?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: I THINK THE ATTITUDE AND THE DRAMATIC IMPACT OF THE ORIGINAL FRIDAY SCORE. HAS TO MAKE IT ONE OF MY FAVORITES… THE IDEA OF HAVING MUSIC BE THE CHARACTER OF THE KILLER. LEAVING THE REST OF THE FILM WITHOUT MUSIC. THERE ARE OF COURSE CERTAIN OTHER FILMS THAT WERE QUITE FUN TO SCORE, AND THE BUDGETS ALLOWED FOR A MORE ORCHESTRAL PALLETTE, AND INTERESTING COLORS...
HOUSE/HOUSE II…. I GOT TO SCORE A BABY PTERADACTYL, A WORM DOG, A OLD COWBOY SKELETON, AND A CARTOON WITCH, A DINGBAT, ALL OF WHICH WERE VERY CREATIVELY FILMED, AND OFFERED ME A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME INTERESTING SOUNDS. THE SCORES TO DEEPSTAR SIX, AND HIDDEN AGENDA WERE QUITE DIFFERENT AS WELL.
I LIKE ALMOST ALL MY FILMS SCORES… HA HA HA HA…SORRY. - MR. FRIGHTS: What inspires your work in horror? Maybe other musical or visual influences that drive the emotion you put in your work?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: SCORING FILMS, BE THEY HORROR, OR COMEDY, OR DRAMA, ACTION,
WHATEVER… IS ALL VERY SIMILAR… BEING A FILM COMPOSER IS ONE PART COMPOSING AND THE OTHER BEING A DRAMATIST… UNDERSTANDING THE STORY AND THE VISION OF THE DIRECTOR. THAT IS THE SAME IN EVERY EFFORT… THE DIFFERENCE IN HORROR IS THAT THE COMPOSITIONAL PALLETTE, THE STYLES, TECHNIQUES, AND MATERIAL FROM WHICH YOU ARE ABLE TO CHOOSE YOUR MUSIC IS A VERY BROAD AND MULTI-FACETED ONE…..SO THAT HORROR OFFERS THAT KIND OF FREEDOM.
MY INSPIRATION STILL COMES FROM MANY OF THE CLASSICAL AND 20TH CENTURY COMPOSERS OF THE “SERIOUS” MUSIC… PUCCINI, STRAVINSKY, BARTOK, STRAUSS, ADAMS, CRUMB, PENDERECKI, AND SUCH..ALSO MY GROWING UP IN THE JAZZ IDIOM.. I HAVE A LOT OF STAN KENTON, AND SOME OF THE MODERN AND PROGRESSIVE JAZZ ELEMENTS THAT MIX IN AS WELL.
We are very honored to have interviewed Harry and glad he enjoyed our questions. For more click below for the "GRAB BAG" questions.
GRAB BAG QUESTIONS
- MR. FRIGHTS: Is there a movie that you've seen, especially horror, that you wish you'd done the music for (something where you might have though "man, I could have done so much with that")?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: OKAY… EVERYONE I SEE.. HA HA… I HAVE HAD THAT FEELING OFTEN, BUT THERE ARE OTHERS WHERE I KNOW HOW HARD THE COMPOSER IS WORKING TO TRY TO GET SOME DRAMA OUT OF A REALLY FLAT FILM… AND I AM GLAD I WAS NOT ASSIGNED THAT PARTICULAR JOB.
- MR. FRIGHTS: You've done a lot of film and television, have you or would you ever consider composing for video games? For instance, if they made a really cinematic game based on any of the movies or TV series you've worked on?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: ABSOLUTELY…I THINK A MORE CINEMATIC APPROACH TO SOME OF THEM WOULD REALLY KICK THE GAMING ENJOYMENT UP TO NEW LEVELS..SO YES BRING THEM ON.
- MR. FRIGHTS: Jason is hot on your trail, you're gonna get it... how would you prefer it ends?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: I AM NOT GOING TO GET IT… I SIMPLY STOP THE MUSIC… AND HE STOPS!!!
HA HA HA HA HA…
- MR. FRIGHTS: Weapon of choice... Chainsaw, machete, or power of The Djinn?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: A CHOIR OF VOICES…
- MR. FRIGHTS: Death by... psychotic supernatural maniac or cadre of alien invaders?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: ALIEN INVADERS… I SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE.
- MR. FRIGHTS: What internal organ do you think is the most disgusting to see sliced open on-screen?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: A FARFISA…. HA HA… OH. I THOUGHT YOU SAID INFERNAL ORGAN..!!!
- MR. FRIGHTS: Is their a musical instrument you REFUSE to ever include in any work you compose?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: NO…
- MR. FRIGHTS: Fast or slow zombies?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, THERE ARE ONLY SLOW ZOMBIES..
UNLESS YOU MAKE A COMEDY..
- MR. FRIGHTS: What is the most disgusting thing you ever ate?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: I DON’T KNOW… IT ALL TASTES LIKE CHICKEN.
- MR. FRIGHTS: If you were held hostage, and were given a chance to escape if you offered one part of your body for extraction/dismemberment... What part would you offer up and why?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: MY HAIR….
- MR. FRIGHTS: SO, we heard you are friends with Jason actor Kane Hodder. And on occasion you even PUNCHED HIM when the MASK was off... If the mask were on, would you hesitate less?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: LOVE KANE… IT WAS A LOVE TAP..
- MR. FRIGHTS: Who do you think is the scariest person alive today?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: THE MIND BOGGLES… SHOULD I GO POLITICAL.. OR.. RELIGIOUS,
OR FILMIC… OR… COMEDY…PASS..
- MR. FRIGHTS: Have you ever played a scary pratical joke on anyone, or had one played on you? Tell us about it.
- HARRY MANFREDINI: NO, I DON’T LIKE THEM IN EITHER DIRECTION…
- MR. FRIGHTS: We noticed you doing some recent "dramedy" titles Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith.. What drew you to a piece so unlike the past genre work we all know... Was it Cybill Shepherd, Be honest...is she still hot?
REMEMBER I AM FIRST A FILM COMPOSER… SO IT IS NOT OUT OF THE ORDINARY FOR ME TO DO THIS FILM. I HAVE DONE QUITE A FEW OF THESE FOR LIFETIME, HALLMARK. ETC.HARRY MANFREDINI: CYBILL IS STILL VERY HOT… SAW HER A COUPLE OF TIMES ON THE FILM.
- MR. FRIGHTS: If Roger Daltrey wasnt available, name one famous rocker you would cast in a vampire movie and why?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: ROGER DALTREY… THIS IS A LEADING QUESTION…STEVE TYLER..
FOR THE OBVIOUS REASON.
- MR. FRIGHTS: Favorite horror movie special effect?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: I AM NOT A BIG FAN OF CGI.. I AM MORE A PRACTICAL EFX GUY… I THINK MY FAVORITE KILL EFFECT WAS THE FROZEN FACE SLAM TO PIECES IN
JASON X… TOTALLY COOL.. HA HA..
- MR. FRIGHTS: We could look you up on Wikipedia, IMDB etc... But those sites NEVER tell us about EVERY project you may have worked on... Tell us about one that we may not know... We're looking for dirt... Dark composing secrets in your closet? Did you ever compose for a horrific cartoon series, like The Smurfs or anything?! Can you tell us about the rumored Hispanic-centric cartoon you worked on... Dora the Explorer goes Berserk perhaps?
- HARRY MANFREDINI: I HAVE WAY TOO MANY HORROR STORIES FOR THIS INTERVIEW.. PROJECTS I WORKED ON THAT NEVER SAW THE LIGHT OF DAY.. FOR VARIOUS REASONS… BUT I THINK MY BODY OF WORK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.. HA HA HA
- HARRY MANFREDINI: I HAVE TO SAY THIS HAS BEEN A FUN INTERVIEW WITH SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING QUESTIONS IN A LONG TIME… THANKS FOR THINKING OF ME..
- HARRY