Silent horror films get new scores

Paul Shalcross Joan of Arc 10-09-13 at work

Shallcross has composed over 50 film scores in his career. Images by Chapter Art House

Chapter Art House will host a series of newly composed scores alongside four silent films as part of the Abertoir Horror Festival.

The previously scoreless films will be getting a musical makeover by silent film composer Paul Shallcross, who will be performing a live piano accompaniment.

“It’s so much more electric, the live performance,” he explains, “when you record a film you haven’t got that feeling that the audience is there behind you and your music is generating a response.”

The four short horror films, Frankenstein, La Légende Du Fantome, Le Spectre Rouge, and The Jest are not the first films to be given a new score by Shallcross.

He has previously collaborated with the Abertoir Horror Festival on a performance of Nosferatu. He composed a new piano score for the film which was performed the festival in 2012.

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Paul Shallcross began his career as a composer while he was still working as a music and drama teacher.

After being commissioned by his local film society to create a new score for the 1927 film Metropolis, he became captivated and decided to work as a freelance composer:

“I’d never actually seen a silent film before,” he laughs, “I spent two week over Christmas writing like fury writing ideas for it, it was largely improvised on the night. But I was hooked from the first go.”

Having had a successful opening night at Aberystwyth Art Centre, the compositions will be performed at Chapter Art House on 24 and 26 November. For Ticket information visit the Chapter website.