Listen, I’m a massive nerd for classic monster movies. And they don’t come any more classic-er than the Universal monsters. Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, The Wolf Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy, the Invisible Man.

Gosh, how I adore thee.

It’s just too bad they haven’t been treated too kindly over the years. The last time we saw one of these properties rebooted for the big screen, it was so bad it killed all plans the company had for a massive universe of connected monster movies.

Alas, what could’ve been.

BUT! If 2017’s The Mummy had been more successful, we probably wouldn’t be seeing Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man with Elizabeth Moss later this week. Or if we would, it’d be a totally different film. And even though I haven’t seen it yet, I’m right there with you in thinking this movie looks TOTALLY BAD ASS AWESOME.

However, nerd that I am, I often find myself getting more excited for new scores and soundtracks than I am for actual new films. In the case of The Invisible Man, I’m excited for both.

And I’m happy to say that the film’s score, from composer Benjamin Wallfisch (Blade Runner 2049, It, Hellboy, It Chapter Two, and the upcoming Mortal Kombat) ramps up my anticipation to 11.

Wallfisch cranks out a dual-purpose soundtrack here. Half of it is an old-school orchestral score that delivers a sound not entirely unlike the classic Universal films. The other half is an electronic, dubstep-infused wall of sound that conveys an intensity I only hope the movie can match.

I’ll be honest: I listened to several tracks in Wallfisch’s score and swore up and down that I’d heard it before. I couldn’t quite place it. But then it hit me. Portions of this score are remarkably reminiscent of Daniel Pemberton’s score for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Normally, that’d be a strike, but since the Spider-Verse score is one of my favorite scores of this century, I’ll try not to pass judgment.

Seriously, though. Listen to this:

And now listen to this:

But I digress.

Regarding the unique sound of this score, Wallfisch said, “It was about using silence rhythmically. When there is music, the gestures and sonic attitude are sometimes so left-field and extreme that you almost don’t trust the score’s absence when it’s not there. As a kind of analogue to the presence of Adrian Griffin [the Invisible Man] in the film. . . . Also, the orchestral instrumentation is deliberately constrained to strings only so that the musicians were pushed to their max, without the support of a full orchestra. That choice was also an homage to one of my heroes, Bernard Herrmann and one of his masterpieces, the Psycho score.”

Wallfisch’s score is currently available from a variety of streaming outlets, and a vinyl release will be available March 4 through Mondo, featuring two 180g discs housed inside a gatefold sleeve and an etching on side 4.