Down the Rabbit Hole

Serial Killers and Ocean Voyagers - Day 16

Blog Harbor Challenge
Weekly Theme: MUSIC ▼
Prompt - Day 16:
Soundtrack songs. Which song from a movie/TV/game/etc. soundtrack has the most emotional impact on you? What song, when you hear it, brings you right back to the scene in question and gets you teary-eyed, overjoyed, amped up, etc. all over again?

This prompt brings to mind two songs from two movies that are such complete and utter polar opposites I surprise myself!

One of my favorite movies from back in the day is the 1986 film Manhunter, based on the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. It was the first film to feature Hannibal Lector but it centered around another serial killer cops dubbed the "Tooth Fairy" for the bite marks he left on his victims. The final scene when Will Graham has closed in on the killer, played wonderfully by the uncanny Tom Noonan, the song accompanying the epic climax is "In a Gadda Da VIda" by Iron Butterfly. It is quite literally the most perfectly paired score for any scene ever. Okay, I may be overstating it a little but the song does fit it all the right ways to the killer's powerful screen presence. He stalks across the screen nearly in time with the song's rifts, cutting an imposing figure with an eruption of violence and force. Here's a link to the scene if you care to see what I mean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EykztUgfp2U

At the other end of the cinematic spectrum is my second choice...a very close second. The soundtrack from Moana, in my humble opinion, features one of the best musical scores to date. The song, "We Know the Way" produced by the amazing Lin-Manuel Miranda is introduced by solitary drumbeats that bring to life the cave and its historical importance to Moana and her people. It tells the story in a beautiful, lyrical way - masterfully sweeping you up in the moment. The animation throughout the film is stunning, but even more so in this particular sequence, is stunning. The song is moving and catchy, you find yourself soaring with it, singing it well after the credits roll, days and days later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubZrAmRxy_M