Water Tower Music, out now

Benjamin Wallfisch’s (Shazam! Blade Runner 2049) score to the concluding instalment of the Stephen King novel adaptation is, like the first part, one of the movie’s highlights, delivering a broad range of exciting cues.

Water Tower Music are really spoiling us with this double-disc release, squeezing 102 minutes over 45 tracks – longer than most films’ running times! Arguably, you don’t need this much music, and there are times you feel like the same themes are coming back round on repeat, but when the quality is this good, who’s complaining?

For me, the strongest tracks are the emotional ones, giving the composer the opportunity to tug at our heart (and violin) strings. 27 Years Later is a simple piano melody with haunting string underscore and chorales, transporting us right back to the New England town of Derry, which is waking up to another series of supernatural attacks on its citizens. Memory is another beautiful piece which turns sinister with a spooky overlay of ‘Oranges and Lemons’ and screeches.

I Swear, Bill is a glorious flashback to the oath that the youngsters make, invaded by a clanking nursery rhyme at its conclusion. It’s also there to be heard in the propulsive Fortune Cookies, skittering viscera accompanied by atonal percussive screams. The Barrens is a gorgeous magical accompaniment to happier times, leading into The Clubhouse’s sunny memories of childhoods that had moments of joy in between clown attacks. There’s a similar optimistic joy to Silver Bullet, a theme for Bill’s bike.

Dirty Little Secret features Bill Skarsgard’s Pennywise on vocals, and if creepy tracks are your preference, Eddie and the Leper and Hall of Mirrors should sate your thirst. Personally, it’s tracks like Bar Mitzvah and Goodbye that I’ll be programming on to repeat play, and just try and convince me that you’re not holding back the tears with Stan’s Letter.

Verdict: A terrific score that hits all the horror beats while also spoiling us with lush strings and character themes that most dramas would die for. It’s Very Scary, Scary and Not Scary At All – that’s some achievement. 10/10

Nick Joy