The Unfamiliar

DIRECTOR

Henk Pretorius

PRODUCTION

Dark Matter Studios

CAST

Jemima West, Christopher Dane

Soundtrack

About the project

‘Babadook meets Pet Sematary’ that’s how the press responded to The Unfamiliar and its sinister music. The soundtrack has just been released on Lakeshore Records

A British Army doctor comes back from a war, thinking that she has PTSD only to discover that there is a more daunting malevolence at work making the life that she knew unfamiliar.

The music incorporates original Hawaiian instruments, combined a bespoke instrument ‚The Octo Bass‘ – a custom made double bass twice the size of an orchestral double bass. Metal tubes and chains were attached to the corpus and strings to produce dark and evolving textures. Tracks like ‚Sacrifice‘ feature a live recorded string orchestra and string quartet for the more intimate and emotional scenes in the film.

“Deeply unsettling in the way it manipulates acoustic and organic sounds into something twisted and otherworldly“

Vehlingo

On the soundtrack you will hear a combination of acoustic and electronic instruments. I was working with sound mangler and performance artist Thomas Mertlseder who created unique sounds across a broad selection of instruments.Most of the live recorded instruments were run through modular synth setups and treated with transducers and resonators to produce dark and evolving textures.

The music also incorporates original Hawaiian instruments and haunting vocals performed by Anna Wolf. Tracks like ‚Sacrifice‘ feature a live recorded string orchestra Famesproject and string quartet for the more intimate and emotional scenes in the film.The Music is available on all major platforms including iTunes and Spotify

Some impressions

Two scenes from the film: ‚Sacrifice‘ and ‚The Incident‘

PRESS

The Independent

“Fans of the genre can expect ‘uniquely twisted’ viewing experience”

the full review

Cinema Smack

“Legitimate scares coupled with unique ideas and great acting, especially from Jemima West, makes for recommended viewing when it comes to The Unfamiliar.”

the full review

Killer Horror Critic

„The Unfamiliar is a masterclass in tension building. From formatting to sound design to scene-stealing, off kilter kids, this movie knows how to keep us off balance.“

the full review