When it comes to filmmaking, getting certain elements “right” is crucial. Meaning, what would a good action film be without over-the-top stunts? Or a sci-fi film that didn’t include CGI? Or more importantly, a horror film that barely had a score? Probably not very entertaining.

Digging deeper into the horror genre, a score almost acts like one of the main characters. Two examples proving this, John Carpenter’s menacing Halloween theme and Bernard Herrmann’s piercing staccato strings from Psycho. We wanted to further shine a spotlight on this topic, so we spoke with composer Chad Rehmann and had him break down his most recent horror film score, Shout! Factory’s Camp Cold Brook.

In the below interview, he discusses everything from recording swing set chains to getting the intensity right for jump scares. Camp Cold Brook is now available digitally, and details on the score can be found here.

Roarbots: Your most recent project is the horror film Camp Cold Brook. How much preparation did you have to do for this film?

Chad Rehmann: [Director] Andy Palmer always brings me in during the preproduction phase of the film, and I’m especially grateful that he did for this one! One of the conversations that we had was this idea of creating two distinct worlds: the world outside the camp and the world inside the camp. The thinking was that for all the scenes that take place outside the camp, a more traditional orchestral score would be written and recorded; and for all the scenes that take place inside the camp, a more avant-garde score would be created.

Because this conversation took place before the postproduction schedule kicked in, it allowed my team and me a good amount of time to experiment with sounds and get feedback from Andy. When the actual scoring of the film began, I had a large palette of sounds created specifically for the Camp Cold Brook world ready to go!

Roarbots: What was your favorite part of creating the score for Camp Cold Brook?

Rehmann: This was the first score that I’ve written that relied heavily on instruments that were created for this specific production. Before a note was written, my team and I spent a couple weeks processing recordings that we had made of splashing water, twigs breaking, windows creaking, swing set chains, static from walkie-talkies, and similar objects.

I even recorded my own children screaming (which they absolutely loved doing in the studio!). Blending all of that with traditional orchestral writing was definitely a challenge but one for which I am extremely proud.

Roarbots: You’ve collaborated with the director, Andy Palmer, on a few different films. Why do you think you work so well together?

Rehmann: When I met Andy, I was immediately impressed with how relaxed and open to ideas he was… always allowing the creative people on his team to do what they do best and trusting the process. Every time I come to him with an idea, his immediate response is, “Let’s try it.” Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t – but, to be given the opportunity to explore and create without boundaries or hesitation is a gift. By now, we have a sort of short hand that helps during the scoring process, and I think we just generally like hanging out, which comes in handy when communicating nonstop during the final weeks of the scoring process!

Roarbots: You recently released your score from the film. Out of all the tracks on the album, which one was the most challenging to compose? Why?

Rehmann: The most difficult scene for me to score was the lead-up to meeting Jack’s [Chad Michael Murray] family in the beginning of the film. There are some tender moments between him and his wife and the interactions with his kids that the score leads up to, but how do you score “tender” and “family” in the Camp Cold Brook world?

If it was a rom-com or holiday film, the scene would be a no-brainer in terms of how to score it. That scene, however, exists in a horror film, so there’s this delicate balance of staying true to the genre while acknowledging what’s happening on screen.

Roarbots: In horror films, there are usually big musical hits to make the audience jump or show that something bad is about to happen. How do you decide how intense these moments will be?

Rehmann: The choice of intensity for a particular scene creates some very fine lines that the composer and director have to navigate. Sometimes a composer needs to hit the action, sometimes the composer needs to hit the character’s reaction a split second after, and sometimes the music has to hit a couple frames before the scare actually happens. And… if the composer or director choose the wrong option, it can render the scare cheesy or not scary at all. It’s definitely a balance.

A technique I’ve grown into over the years is to score around whatever sound is naturally happening on screen already. For instance, if it’s a woman screaming, then I will rely more on instruments that are not in that particular frequency. If her scream has the highs covered, I’ll build on that by scoring lower. Likewise, if the scare has a big thud, I might not score much in the lower end, since that sound already exists in the film, but instead use notes that are higher. That way, the music and sound design can exist simultaneously without having to duck one under the other.

Roarbots: As a composer, what would you say is your main job you try to accomplish with your scores?

Rehmann: There are only 12 notes, and no matter the genre, it’s my job to put those notes together in a way that helps directors tell their story.

Roarbots: If you had to pick one genre, what genre would you say a score is most crucial in?

Rehmann: In my experience, genres that create new worlds need a little more from the score in order to help sell the world in which the film exists. Animation, sci-fi, fantasy… all these film genres allow a director to essentially create a world from scratch.

What does that world sound like? How can music help sell this world to an audience? Of course, the sound design team will have a huge role in helping with this, but music can really make or break some of these first establishing shots of a film.

Roarbots: You score a lot of TV movies that obviously have commercial breaks. Is your score affected by these breaks? If so, how?

Rehmann: In my experience, only a small percentage of TV films that I work on have the commercial placement already set. Most of the time, I score the film as I would any other feature film and then it gets turned over/purchased by a distributor or network. What happens then is way past my pay grade.

Roarbots: If you could collaborate with any director, who would you pick and why?

Rehmann: I have been constantly impressed with Blumhouse’s output. From what I’ve heard, the directors have a lot of creative control over there, and they are able to create some really cool films without having to spend an obscene amount of money or take years to complete. Camp Cold Brook actually opened opposite one of their films, Fantasy Island! I would love the opportunity to collaborate on one of their projects some day.