Another month, another horror remake. Having said that, the original Wicker Man isn't a typical horror film, more of a detective story with a horrifying twist. Improbably, the remake stars Nicholas Cage, possibly the drippiest actor working today (outside of Keanu Reeves, I suppose) and, unlike the original's Scottish setting, is relocated to America and the pagan elements largely removed, to its detriment. General consensus is that it's a terrible film, despite being directed by the generally reliable Neil LaBute; the script and some dire acting are cited as being the biggest culprits. Angelo Badalamenti isn't a stranger to scoring creepy, introverted societies and his music is one of the only aspects that appears to have been any good.
One notable aspect of remakes, horror in particular, is that the originals invariably have impressive, iconic scores - The Omen, to take a recent example - but by deliberately avoiding the sound world of the original they lose one vital aspect. The original Wicker Man has one of the most unusual of the lot, various folksy instrumentals and songs, most integral to the pagan rituals depicted in the film. For better or worse, Badalamenti's score is entirely predictable in approach. This isn't a slasher and so it's not an annoying mess of orchestral bangs, but a slower burn of ominous string passages, effectively augmented by a subtle wordless vocalist (surprisingly free from cliché) and low key synths. Passages of great movement are infrequent, but where they do occur, such as The Barn, are effective and exciting.
For all the good things about Badalamenti's The Wicker Man, I can't quite make my mind up about it (not something you want to read in a review, I grant you). The atmosphere is perhaps its finest accomplishment and I meant that in the best possible sense. Evidently the film had very little on its own, but taken as a stand alone work, Badalamenti's oozes atmosphere, but not at the expense of movement and musicality. It fills the listener with unease, if not quite dread, but the periodic bursts of drama are well timed. Naturally, it builds to an impressive pay off in The Burning although Badalamenti avoids going over the top. One could well imagine a less subtle composer going for massed brass and chanting chorus, but he sticks to the palette of strings, vocalist and synths. However, it doesn't quite get under the skin or stick in the mind, but it certainly pays repeat attention.