Every Wednesday in October, the Creepy Cabaret podcast will be releasing a brand new episode for your listening pleasure. In this week’s episode, the creator, Josh, asked me to listen to Cristobal Tapia De Veer’s OST to Smile. Lucky us, I had already become rather familiar with it. In fact, he had turned me onto the franchise just last year, and I found myself enraptured by its unabashed grit. If you have any interest in psychological thrillers and have the stomach for a touch of gore, Smile is truly a refreshing take on the horror genre.

Tip to tail, the score explores warm, saturated noise, breath, silence and extreme volumes. With such big shoes to fill, I was eager to dive in with burning curiosities. I find it’s easy to fall back on flashy tropes and jumpscares, so I decided to trade those elements for a far tamer soundscape. Drawing out drones, mumuring voices, and plenty of tape-effected synths, this episode evolves into a flurry of rumbling subs and almost western-esque gunshots.

It was a true joy to work on this piece with Josh. Together, we hope to fill your ears with the absolute gentle, soft nature of a near voiceless character while delivering a rush of confrontation and comfort all in the span of seventeen minutes.