Lakeshore Records release Joseph Bishara's score for The Vatican Tapes. The movie follows the ultimate battle between good and evil - God versus Satan. Angela Holmes is an ordinary 27-year-old until she begins to have a devastating effect on anyone close, causing serious injury and death. Holmes is examined and possession is suspected, but when the Vatican is called upon to exorcise the demon, the possession proves to be an ancient satanic force more powerful than ever imagined. It's all up to Father Lozano to wage war for more than just Angela's soul, but for the world as we know it...

I'm left with a bit of an issue here. How does one review an atmospheric horror score fairly? On the one hand the eerie dischord and organic terror sound created works to heighten the onscreen action; but on the other hand, without the visual imagery, it has a habit of sounding cliched and uncomfortable.

Yes, it works well to create tension and the right atmosphere in the movie, but would you want to listen to this on its own merits?

There are 19 tracks (43 min, 58 sec) of music that I can only imagine will be useful for those who want to host a Halloween party and have this as background music, or those that really enjoyed the movie and really want to get hold of the score. Everyone else will be left scratching their head why this has been released as a standalone album.

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Darren Rea