Possession [Original Score]

Unfairly placed on the now notorious "Video Nasties" list and then banned until 1991, Andrzej Zulawski's 1981 cult masterpiece Possession enjoyed a curious revival in early 2011 with the release of an uncut DVD. Championed as a surrealist horror film, the film's meaning continues to bewilder audiences with its uneasy and hysterical portrayal of a disintegrating marriage that veers between drama, suspense, and then frantically back to full-on horror. As Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani scream across West Berlin, Zulawaski's long-term musical collaborator Andrzej Korzynski provides the menacing and stark soundtrack. The ever adept and discerning Finders Keepers label has carefully remastered the original score in its entirety directly from Korzynski's original master tapes. The bleakness and modernist nature of Korzynski's score saw him experiment with synths and drum machines to create and match the unsettling nature of the film. Featuring 27 cues, most them only lasting 30 seconds to a minute long, there is enough here to satisfy the most ardent soundtrack buff and anyone who has an interest in experimental electronics. This reissue has been long overdue; it completes and adds to the fascinating legacy of a film that will continue to transcend its intended genre and audience. As the opening titles of "The Night the Screaming Stops" start, the nightmare of what is about to happen in Zulawski's Kreuzberg is about to begin, and it's one that you cannot help but stick around for. ~ Aneet Nijjar