This month sees the release of a new Folk Horror film by Paul Duane – ‘All You Need Is Death’ (19th April). The film, described as one of the most unique and unsettling films of the year, follows a young couple on a journey for dark, forbidden knowledge. They travel rural Ireland to record and collect songs, believing that the secret to modern alchemy is contained within them. But when they meet an elderly, mysterious woman who sings songs that have never been heard before, they open the door to a powerful, ancient evil.
The soundtrack for the film was created by Ian Lynch of Lankum. Ian’s knowledge and passion for old ballads have been well-documented through his Fire Draw Near podcast and his curated album Fire Draw Near (An Anthology of Traditional Irish Song and Music). This film must have been a massive attraction for Ian; he gets to create a central piece to the film – a ballad written in Old Irish – and an entire folk horror score.
Anyone who has heard his solo project (under the guise of One Leg One Eye) …And Take The Black Worm With Me will testify that he is more than capable of creating a mysterious soundworld – Thomas Blake, in his review of the album, concludes “its immense depths are as emotional as they are musical and conceal a haunting beauty.”
His film score, All You Need Is Death, is out today digitally and physically on vinyl on May 10th. The film of the same name will be in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on April 19th, followed by a digital release on May 6th. Listen to ‘Severed From The Light’ from the soundtrack.
Ian Lynch explains how he got involved in creating the soundtrack to the film, “Around this time two years ago, I met with film maker Paul Duane to discuss the script for his cosmic folk horror film All You Need Is Death. I didn’t know Paul at the time, but I loved the script and I left the meeting having taken on the daunting task of composing the score for the film, including the central piece – a ballad written in Old Irish.
I started composing the music using only the mood of the script, along with some suggestions that Paul had. My main guiding idea was to use traditional instruments in unusual ways to suggest something primal and chthonic. I often envisioned people living in pre-Christian Ireland getting a hold of these instruments somehow. I wondered about how they would make sense of them, how they would hold them, how they would use them and what sounds they would make to accompany their religious observances, their chants and their rituals.
The sounds I recorded were then processed using various analogue means – microcassettes, four track tape loops, a reel-to-reel machine. This kept it in the world of the film – a murky timeless space where characters use cassette dictaphones to record traditional singers and smoke in doctors waiting rooms but also use mobile phones.
Paul couldn’t have been easier to work with and would send me scenes as they were recorded. I had plenty of time to work on composition and the months just flew in. Before I knew it, I had over 40 minutes of music that I was mixing and putting the finishing touches on with John ‘Spud’ Murphy in Guerrilla Studios.
I am beyond delighted that a label like Invada records have released the soundtrack on LP and was really impressed with James Trevascus’ mastering as well as Redg Weeks track list selection – something I could never have done myself being wedded for so long to the cue sequence inherent in the film. After putting so much work into the score, I am really happy that it will get a ‘second life’ of sorts as an LP, and I hope that people enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it.”
From writer and director Paul Duane (Very Extremely Dangerous, While You Live, Shine), All You Need Is Death stars Olwen Fouéré (The Northman, Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Charlie Maher, Simone Collins (The Last Duel) and Gary Whelan (Dracula Untold). All You Need Is Death has screened at Beyond Fest and Sitges Film Festival and will play Glasgow FrightFest in March 2024.
All You Need Is Death is in cinemas 19 April from Blue Finch Film Releasing.