A new 4-album vinyl box set of the first four Scream soundtracks is set to arrive this year, complete with previously unreleased tracks. With just a week to go before the fifth Scream film hits theaters, fans of the 25-year-old slasher franchise are tremendously excited to see what a new Scream film – the first since 2011’s Scream 4 – will be like without the filmmaking mastery of the late, great Wes Craven.
Initially kicking off in 1996, Scream was unlike anything ever seen before in the slasher genre, but at the same time, it was also incredibly familiar to horror fans. This seemingly contradictory approach from Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson worked amazingly well, simply because the film avoided taking itself (and the genre) too seriously. Scream imbued the brutal Woodsboro slayings with clever in-jokes and deconstructed the entire horror genre into a series of rules that characters either lived or died by. But as successful as this formula was, like all horror films from as far back as horror filmmaking can be traced, music played a valuable role. Though far less iconic than the screeching strings of Psycho or the menacing orchestral weight of The Shining, there’s no denying that the first four Scream films benefited immensely from composer Mario Beltrami’s looming, moody scores.
All too often overshadowed by the fun of trying to guess the identity of the Ghostface killer, the Scream films have provided fans with a heavy reserve of chilling tracks over the years. At long last, these scores are being appreciated for the quality they possess, with a new 4-album box set. As per ComicBook.com, the vinyl set chronicles the work of Beltrami over the course of the first four films, with previously unreleased tracks as well as packaging that any Scream fan will find hard to resist. The set, from Varèse Sarabande, is currently available for pre-order (at $99.98 USD), but won’t actually ship until June 6. Check out the image below:
In addition to the 4-album colored vinyl set, the soundtracks are also being sold in a 6-CD boxset and digitally, with the customer able to choose either MP3, ALAC, FLAC or WAV audio formats. There’s also the option of the upcoming Scream soundtrack, which was composed by Brian Tyler. Unfortunately for vinyl lovers, that set, which includes the soundtracks of the first four films as well as Tyler’s recent score, is already sold out. That being said, fans can get Tyler’s score as well as the first four soundtracks in CD format. This isn’t quite as exciting as the vinyl collection’s impressive aesthetic, but great all the same.
When it comes to owning a little piece of a horror franchise as game-changing and beloved as Scream is, diehard fans are always ready to snap up whatever’s available. In this particular case, what’s available played a major role in the horror franchise being what it is. Hopefully, the upcoming Scream film will continue the traditions that have been laid out over the past 25 years, while simultaneously injecting something new into the concept that has stayed so fun.
Source: Varèse Sarabande, ComicBook.com
Key Release Dates
- Scream 5 (2022)Release date: Jan 14, 2022
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