Borrowing from a concept he first explored in The Witch, Mark Korven‘s score for The Lighthouse gives a voice to the film’s monolithic “Lighthouse.” A monotonous, deafening wail roars out intermittently, overwhelming everything. This is the call of the Lighthouse, a siren song meant to attract those poor souls marooned within its grasp. It is otherworldly, unsettling, and yet has a tinge of reassurance – more than enough to satisfy its mad inhabitants.
Although it dominates, the sound of the Lighthouse is not alone. Korven draws inspiration from the duality of the surrounding landscape for the bulk of his score. Clear skies and calm seas can, at any moment, give way to battering waves, howling winds, and biting rain. In an instant, the serene can become deadly. At times, Korven lets singular notes hang in the air for uncomfortably long durations, creating a slight, almost subconscious unease. At others, roiling whirls and piercing shrieks crescendo into chaotic explosions, when the storm unleashes and madness ensues.
The brilliance lies in how the various pieces tie together. The bulk of the score feels like a collage or soundscape, as Korven mixes strings, horns, and inhuman noises from his “Apprehension Engine,” which then mesh seamlessly with the film’s organic sound design of wind, waves, birds, creaking wood. It becomes a medley of madness, and all the while the Lighthouse calls for us to come ever closer and submit.
