Buy it... only if you are a completist of John Ottman's music, for Lake Placid is among his least inspired, unenthusiastic scores.

Avoid it... if you expect to hear the vibrant orchestral instrumentation and dynamic recording mix that lured many listeners to Ottman's works of the era.

Ottman

Lake Placid: (John Ottman) There always has to be some catchy technique used in today's mutant monster flicks in order to seduce audiences into a predictable series of scares, and unfortunately, Lake Placid didn't provide that distinctive element. It remains among the worst films ever produced in its genre, shunned and ridiculed by critics and audiences alike. Television writer and producer David E. Kelley teamed with Halloween H20 director Steve Miner to create the ridiculous premise that a 30-foot Asian crocodile would take up residence in a pristine New England lake and, upon eating a game warden, a silly crew of four dumbasses would hunt down the beast to either kill it or capture it. When the highlight of an entire mainstream motion picture hinges on a scene in which a cow is dangled over the lake as bait for the jumpy crocodile, you know you're in trouble. The whole production was bland and generic, and that attitude carries over to John Ottman's score. Given the troubles that Ottman had with his previous Miner collaboration (with his score for Halloween H20 largely rejected), it's not surprising that Lake Placid turned into something of a production nightmare itself. Ottman's contract called for the large orchestral score to be recorded specifically with a non-union ensemble, saving costs. In Los Angeles, assembling such a group (of mostly student performers) led to a significant backlash from forces representing the musicians' unions, and Ottman and his crew were forced to move the recording process to Seattle at the last minute. Ottman had used musicians in Seattle for Snow White: A Tale of Terror with strong results, though the hassle that this deviation caused the process is reflected in the score's quality. Not only does it not sound as well rendered in mix as works like Goodbye Lover and Incognito, but it lacks enthusiasm in its performance.

Almost everything about Lake Placid is dull, betraying the composer's usual knack for instrumental creativity. While Ottman would be involved in several mediocre suspense and horror projects in the following years, Lake Placid doesn't even offer the textual interest that many of those equally troubled projects exhibit. In terms of instrumentation, Lake Placid utilizes a standard orchestral ensemble, emphasizing low brass during most action sequences, as well as some rather uninteresting synthetic effects and a acoustic guitar, harp, and piano for softer moments. While the guitar had played a devilish role in previous Ottman scores, its place here is relegated to generic character-building mush. Even the usually crisp percussion section in Ottman's works is muted, making its most dynamic, still-restrained contribution in "Main Title." That opening cue's instrumentation, with a brief flourish for trumpet over guitar and percussion, resembles Trevor Jones' Arachnophobia in ways, but without the charm. Thematically, Ottman was challenged with characters that were "too cardboard to base the score on" (his words at the time) and thus created an overarching theme for the lake and a few minor motifs for subplots. The title theme, explored significantly in "Main Titles" and thereafter in "Udder Preparations," "Scouting," and "The Lake Hitching a Ride," is a four-note melody that is far too optimistic in its rising structure to be an effective horror film mood-setter. Besides, does this film have any heroes we don't really want to see eaten? A slight theme for the Hector character and a barely-registering love theme for the two leads exist on the guitar and piano. Most disappointingly, the crocodile really doesn't enjoy any dominant motif for its activities, so Ottman has little opportunity to foreshadow its strikes or maintain a consistent thread of suspense (nor does it musically relish in its tasty victories).

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As usual, Ottman does try to add little perks to the score, giving it a bit of personality beyond the typical horror score. A quick reference to John Williams' Jaws theme arises in the "Swimming with Croc" cue, and there's a very brief synthetic choral effect near the resolution. To Ottman's credit, the score does create an ambience suitable for the misty lake experience, mostly in the wavering movements of the woodwind section. The "Udder Preparations" cue (perhaps the highlight of the score as well) has a touch of Jerry Goldsmith in its somewhat campy rhythmic action, complete with electric bass, rambling guitar, and impressive brass layers. On the whole, the tone of the score for Lake Placid seems somewhat inappropriate. In far too many situations, the performance has the airy, whimsical sound of Ottman's "Fantasy Island" work, with even the stabbing percussive blasts of horror retaining some tongue-in-cheek attitude. At no time does Ottman generate the resounding orchestral force that highlights his better ventures in the genre. Maybe this lack of truly horrifying gravity is due to the fact that everyone involved with the picture knew it was going to bad (and thus, the paycheck philosophy took over), and Ottman may have been simply trying to have some fun with it. The lack of a strong motif for the crocodile and supporting characters, however, causes the music to wash out in the end. One of the positive results of recording the score in Seattle instead of Los Angeles is the fact that the non-union performances allowed for a longer album release from Varèse Sarabande. But be careful what you wish for; Lake Placid may have been a more sustainable listening experience at 30 minutes. It remains among Ottman's least inspiring scores, and even the composer humorously mentioned, "...and I financially lost my shirt on the score." He and his fans should definitely forget this one and move on. **   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For John Ottman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.22 (in 32 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.03 (in 17,523 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.