View back insert
Composer's website

Howlin' Wolf Records is proud to present the first official film score release for Penka Kouneva, a prominent Hollywood orchestrator and rising composer for videogames, television, and film. In 2008 Jack Messitt wrote and directed MIDNIGHT MOVIE, a supernatural horror/thriller about a maniacal filmmaker who breaks the barrier between celluloid and reality to stalk attendees at a midnight screening of his black and white cult horror classic THE DARK BENEATH. To score this film Penka Kouneva was presented with the challenge of providing scores for both the vintage film and the modern film, which are beautifully blended and intersect seamlessly throughout the storyline. MIDNIGHT MOVIE, premiered in 2008 at the Chicago Horror Film Festival winning "Best Feature Film." It is currently available on both Blu-ray and DVD from Bigfoot Entertainment.

Penka Kouneva has long been recognized in Hollywood for her amazing talent as the orchestrator of blockbuster scores including HOSTEL, HOSTEL: PART II, TRANSFORMERS, TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, ANGELS AND DEMONS, as well as Tim Burton's "9." Most recently Penka worked alongside renowned film composer Steve Jablonsky to score the videogame PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE FORGOTTEN SANDS, now available for download on Amazon. A Sundance Composer Fellow, Penka has also scored a number of films other than MIDNIGHT MOVIE, including CHUPACABRA TERROR, ICE SPIDERS, THE THIRD NAIL, and the upcoming features ROUGH HUSTLE and REJOUER.

The score for MIDNIGHT MOVIE is an earnest composition with gentle piano in addition to dark string tremolos, brass textures, ambient electronics with heavy percussion and ethereal voices. For the vintage film featured in the storyline, THE DARK BENEATH, thin, high violins, bassoon, synth patches, and meandering chords for suspense are employed. A newly composed accompanying suite "Darkness And Fear" as well as an expanded cue for "Bridget, Your Father Is Not Here" are bonus features.

This release is a limited edition pressing of 1000 featuring a complete score and full color inserts with vivid imagery from the film. The 16-page insert booklet includes detailed liner notes by Jack Messitt, the writer and director of MIDNIGHT MOVIE, along with notes from Penka Kouneva, the composer. This collector's limited edition packaging is lavishly designed by Luis Miguel Rojas.

Click on highlighted tracks below to hear excerpts from select score cues.

Album Running Time: 38:48