CJ Mirra OST A Banquet

A Banquet is a visually arresting, slow-burning psychological horror that uses subtle supernatural elements to create tension within a family in the midst of a breakdown, exploiting the complicated bond between three generations of mothers and daughters. Variety likens it to Lars Von Tries’ Melancholia and Jeff Nichol’s Take Shelter. ‘A Banquet’ sees composer CJ Mirra reunite with Scottish director Ruth Paxton for this her feature length debut following their festival favorite BBC short Be Still My Beating Heart, in Ruth’s words:

“CJs score for A Banquet is an expression of luxurious tragedy. The work is evocative, menacing and beautifully haunting all at once. A lingering body of powerful compositions: the work is not only exquisitely atmospheric, but definitive of the film itself. I treasure my director-composer partnership with CJ and his fundamental contribution to our film’s unique identity”

For the score, which includes some production by Dan Carey and vocals by One Little Independent’s Tusks, Mirra utilised a rare a synthesiser called a Swarmatron and a 70s synth called Synthi, played through guitar amps for percussive and rhythmic elements. Mirra also experimented with woodwind in an unconventional way, both elements create the suffocating and anxious atmosphere that the film delivers.

Mirra says of the film, “A Banquet’ is not a straight up horror film. There's elements of the genre, but we wanted the music to really keep a sense of constant anxiety, of never feeling settled, even if the main focus is on beauty or tenderness. The film is visually laced with so much texture and we wanted to reflect that in the instrumentation.”