Fletch and Jimmy escape to Wales for a weekend of debauchery only to find themselves in a village where all the women have been enslaved by a lesbian vampire curse...

Well known for her lyrical style and penchant for melody, composer Debbie Wiseman has written soundtracks for countless television shows and an increasing number of films - Haunted, Flood, Middletown, Wilde, The Lighthouse, Warriors, Tom’s Midnight Garden and Arsène Lupin. In 2004 Wiseman was awarded the MBE for her services to the film industry, recognising her as one of the UK’s leading score writers.

The soundtrack to Lesbian Vampire Killers features The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Crouch End Festival Chorus and classical singer Hayley Westenra with whom Debbie collaborated on Flood.

I first heard Wiseman's work a few years ago when I reviewed the soundtrack to Haunted - an album I still dig out and listen to every now and then. I remember then thinking that there was a huge future waiting for her in motion pictures... but since then, despite the fact she's written plenty more scores, she still writes predominately for TV. In recent years I've spotted her name attached to quite a few quality productions - most notably The Passion and Jekyll.

So, it was with eager anticipation that I noted that Wiseman was the composer on this soundtrack when it arrived for review. It soon became apparent that her writing has matured since I last heard her work. Not that Haunted was anything other than impressive, just that Lesbian Vampire Killers is a more polished work.

From the opening 'Centuries Ago...' we know, thanks to a little music cliche magic, that this is the soundtrack to a vampire movie. In places, this was very reminiscent of Interview with a Vampire, but then as the movie's supposed to be taking a sideways look (with a knowing wink) at the genre, it's no surprise that the soundtrack does too.

The unexpected highlight for me was the inclusion of Showaddywaddy’s 1976 chart topper 'Under the Moon of Love'. While it's a rather tacky track it brought back a flood of nostalgia - mainly as I wasn't expecting to hear this when I started the album.

While the main them runs throughout the album, there's plenty of different styles to keep soundtrack buffs interested. There's the comical 'Give Me One Last Kiss'; 'My aXe Girlfriend' which opens like a Charlie Chaplin composition and then moves on to borrow heavily from the 'Cancan'; the hauntingly beautiful 'Jimmy, I Love You'; and the second half of 'You're a Virgin?' has a ring of Adiemus about it.

Over this album's 54 minutes of music, which are spread over 20 tracks, there's something here that everyone should appreciate. If you loved the movie then you'll want to buy this, but equally if you are just a fan of beautiful soundtracks you should add this to your collection.

9

Darren Rea