Q&A with IT FOLLOWS Composer Disasterpeace

Next Tuesday, David Robert Mitchell's It Follows comes out on Blu-ray from Anchor Bay Entertainment, RADiUS, and Dimension, and we caught up with composer Richard Vreeland, aka Disasterpeace, to discuss his superb score for the horror film.

I understand that writer/director David Robert Mitchell asked you to compose the music for It Follows after he played the 2012 video game Fez, which you also scored. How did he reach out to you and what were your initial thoughts about being offered to score a horror film?

Disasterpeace: David reached out by e-mail. I had a lot of thoughts! I had never scored a feature before, so I was excited about the opportunity, but also wanted to be really discerning before making such a big decision. It was tough to make a decision just based on the script, especially for something as unusual as It Follows' premise, but seeing David’s prior film helped ease any concerns I might have had. Even so, I said no a few times before David convinced me to work on the film. I wanted to be involved but I had a very full schedule at the time and I don’t like to overbook myself.

You only had about three weeks to create the It Follows soundtrack. Looking back at that time, what was your day-to-day schedule like and what challenges and rewarding moments did you encounter from having that deadline right around the corner?

Disasterpeace: I tried to get up and have a somewhat chill morning so I wasn’t too stressed out. Once I got my morning routine out of the way (meditation, exercise, food, some reading), I would dive in to work, usually around noon and work til’ midnight or later. David and I had a lot of back and forth during that time and I think tensions were running a little high because we were up against the clock. It was tough and a little stressful at times but I think it worked out great. Finally getting to hear the film on a soundstage was incredibly satisfying.

On It Follows, you worked from a temp score that included samples from scores by John Carpenter, John Cage, and Krzysztof Penderecki. Whose work influenced you the most while creating the It Follows soundtrack?

Disasterpeace: The temp score also included cues of mine from Fez. Outside of those, I would definitely say Goblin was an influence, and I was thinking about Morricone while writing the theme.

Your soundtrack superbly supports David’s engrossing story by amplifying emotions, particularly the moments of horror. How did you go about creating the striking and unsettling sounds of horror for It Follows?

Disasterpeace: Synthesizers! Lots and lots of synth patches, made with love from scratch, and lots of post-effects like saturation and distortion to make them even gnarlier.

Was there any music you put together for It Follows that ended up on the cutting room floor and that was hard to discard?

Disasterpeace: Jay’s theme is probably the closest thing to a Fez track on the score, and that was a late edit. I had written a different theme for Jay that was warmer and more melancholy, but David thought we needed something a bit brighter and retro, so we switched it up to make it more like a reference track from Fez. That was a bit tough for me at the time but I had to go with David’s gut and we didn’t really have a whole lot of time to try a bunch of different things.

I understand you’re not a huge horror fan, but your It Follows score perfectly captures the horror movies of the late ’70s / ’80s. What films or situations have scared you the most in the past and have they influenced your work on It Follows or other projects in any way?

Disasterpeace: The only horror movie that I really remember seeing as a kid was The Shining, but only bits and pieces … I was too afraid to watch the whole thing. One thing I had in my brain was the theme to Psycho, which is such a cultural staple that I knew it without having seen the film. I think in a lot of ways, outside of the temp score, that was my primay reference point for what horror sounds like.

Your It Follows score fits naturally into the sounds and situations of the onscreen environments but also has a wonderfully effective contrast at times. What was your experience both complimenting and contrasting Mitchell’s story and do you have a favorite musical moment from the film?

Disasterpeace: I think my favorite musical moment is the pool setup scene. That piece started as a pretty close reference to “Formations” from Fez, but I feel like we were able to bring it to a really cool place. I love how that one turned out.

With It Follows out on Blu-ray and DVD July 14th from Anchor Bay Entertainment, what’s on tap for you that you’re excited to dive into? And if the opportunity came along at the right time, would you be open to working with David again, perhaps on his in-the-works crime series, Mr. Postman?

Disasterpeace: I’ve got a bunch of games I’m working on right now. I’ve been developing a music system for a game about designing subway systems called Mini Metro. I’m excited about how it’s turned out and can’t wait to share it with people! After my game projects are complete I’m thinking about taking a year or two year sabbatical to reassess where I’m at. I might release an album or some other fun things in that time. As far as as David goes, I loved working with him and we’ve talked about working together in the future, so we’ll see!

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"The critically acclaimed breakout movie of the year, It Follows arrives on Blu-ray™ and DVD July 14th from Anchor Bay Entertainment, RADiUS and DIMENSION. Dubbed “the best horror film in over a decade”*, It Follows is directed by David Robert Mitchell (The Myth of the American Sleepover), and stars Maika Monroe (upcoming Independence Day 2, The Guest), Keir Gilchrist (It’s Kind of a Funny Story, “United States of Tara”), Daniel Zovatto (Beneath, Innocence, Laggies) and Jake Weary (Altitude, Fred).

For 19-year-old Jay, fall should be about school, boys and weekends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, or something, is following her. Jay and her teenage friends must now find a way to escape the horrors that seem to be only a few steps behind in this chiller that Bloody Disgusting calls “the scariest movie of 2015.

"The many special features on the Blu-ray™ and DVD include a critics’ commentary hosted by Nerdist’s Scott Weinberg and featuring Eric D. Snider (MovieBS), Britt Hayes (Screencrush), Samuel D. Zimmerman (Shock Till You Drop), Alison Nastasi (Flavorwire) and Eric Vespe (Ain't It Cool News); the featurette “A Conversation with Film Composer Disasterpeace” and a Poster Art Gallery."

*Boing Boing