Disturbia: Original Motion Picture Score

Reception

Disturbia: Original Motion Picture Score received generally mixed reviews from most music critics. Cap Stewart of Tracksounds.com gave the score a mixed-to-negative review, he wrote: "The film's primary motif, appropriately laced with sinisterness, opens the album and sets the listener in the proper mood. Unfortunately, he doesn't stay there long. Beginning with "Fishing", Zanelli introduces some material designed to portray the more lighthearted side of suburban life. It's not bad music, per se, but it doesn't meld well with the overall tone of the storyline. Adding to this problem is the utilization of a pop/rock sound during other moments on the album. It's almost as if Zanelli is trying to combine the tone of The 'Burbs with Friday the 13th—but it just doesn't work. If he had focused more attention on developing the sinister side of the score, it might have provided for a more effective listening experience.

Aside from the few functional motifs that crop up here and there, not much else is worth mentioning. The listener will encounter several sudden bursts of orchestral noise, hinting at the horror/slasher elements of the film. The final track, "The Basement Graveyard," offers a poor climax to the album, ending with a whimper and leaving the listener wondering, "Is that it?" In the end, Geoff Zanelli's Disturbia is a disturbing listen-in more bad ways than good.

Clark Douglas of Movie Music UK gave the score two stars out of four, indicating a mixed review, he stated that "the opening title cue does a reasonable job of setting the tone for the score, offering an energetic piece of action/suspense. There is very little melody here, it's all about pulsating rhythms and aggressive motifs. However, it's really a cut above the usual action dreck provided by Remote Control composers, and offers a few glimpses of genuine intelligence. At times, the score vaguely resembles the action music of Marco Beltrami, without quite hitting those heights. Beltrami's recently released Live Free or Die Hard does a considerably better job at this sort of thing.

The tone changes in "Fishing", as some warm ideas are followed by some mournful ones. It's really a rather attractive cue. "Poofoot" is a brief rock instrumental, helping to establish that the protagonist is played by a hip young cutiepie. More of this can be heard in "I Like to Play." Some vaguely lustful and atmospheric romance appears in "Voyeurism," as our hero spies on the girl next door. The idea shows up again in "Walking Ashley Home." Lastly, we have suspense music, and I believe that it's harder to write interesting suspense music than anything else in film music. It meanders and wanders without really going anywhere in "Every Killer Lives Next Door to Someone" and "Stealth Ronnie," very dull cues. Such pieces actually worked pretty well in the film, but on album, they threaten to tear the whole experience down.

"The Club Girl" and "Stalking a Killer" manage to bring back a little excitement, but only a little. The album closes on the mostly quite boring "The Basement Graveyard," which ends the album on an inconclusive and remarkably uneventful note. When the score is good, it really is pretty good, and when I watched the film, I noted how effectively it built up the atmosphere. However, on album, it's very hit and miss, with an emphasis on the latter. Strictly for those who think a few solid cues is enough to merit a purchase.

Track listing

All music composed by Geoff Zanelli.