John Ottman

Composer John Ottman has been quietly proving himself since penning the moody score for director Bryan Singer's 1995 noir classic, The Usual Suspects. Despite the occasional comedy (Eight Legged Freaks), he tends to gravitate toward horror films like Gothika and suspense-filled dramas such as Apt Pupil -- also directed by Singer. For the Robert DeNiro/Dakota Fanning thriller Hide and Seek, Ottman forgoes the dissonance of the traditional ghost story score and offers up a spooky and highly melodic series of themes that bring to mind Alejandro Amenábar's score for The Others and, of course, Danny Elfman. "Leaving the City (Main Title)" sets the stage with a lush, moon-kissed motif that features the childlike singing of Deborah Lurie -- it's an overused but effective trick that in the right hands can produce an eerie calm over the listener. The song is revisited twice, once again with Lurie, who manages to sound frighteningly similar to Julee Cruise (in fact, the whole thing sounds very Twin Peaks), and again by Sharlotte Gibson in a goth-heavy, radio-ready single version. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide