GRETEL AND HANSEL.

 

Gretel and Hansel, is a reworking of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, but with a rather macabre and frightening twist. This already dark and sinister tale has via this re-working been made even more unsettling. There is no trail of breadcrumbs that are eaten by the birds and there is certainly no house made of sweets and gingerbread in the middle of the woods. There is however a hose that is deep in the woods and inside is a witch who craves the flesh of children. So that part is still in there at least. The part of the cannibal Witch is played wonderfully by Alice Krige who was also very good indeed in SILENT HILL. But it is not just the storyline or the acting performances that make this an alluring watch, it is the sets, the locations and the incredibly captivating cinematography, which itself makes one shudder and begin to feel just a tad uncomfortable with how things are developing.

 

To pick out any moment during the movie as outstanding is difficult, because once this rollercoaster ride of horror begins to set off it does not relent. This is probably everything that the original tale was not, it plays with your mind and oozes with an atmosphere that is apprehensive and at times terrifying. The movie is helped along by an inventive and superbly supporting musical score by Rob. (Robin Coudert). His style and sounds are well suited to this dark and unnerving style of film, and the composer fuses music as in melodies and leitmotifs with electronics and soundscape. The composer fashions a shadowy and virulent musical persona for the movie, which underlines and at times jolts the audience with its jagged and heart stopping stabs.

There are some haunting melodies present also, that can be fleeting and are like have heard sounds but still manage to catch the attention of the listener. I would not say that this is a grand or richly symphonic score in any way, but it is an effective one and works well within the context of the movie, with the majority of the cues also standing on their own as music that can be savoured on its own. It has a subdued urgency and energy, if that makes any sense. One thing that you can say about Rob is that he is always original and always delivers soundtracks that are interesting as well as innovative. This is certainly a score worth checking out.