Interview With Horror Film Composer Frank Dormani

Music is an integral part of cinema, setting the mood for the specific scene. This is especially true in horror films. I remember when I was a child, knowing something was going to happen because ‘the scary music” was playing. I didn’t realize till I was an adult just how important the music in horror films was. An unfitting score can kill the tension in a film. Recently I got the chance to talk to Frank Dormani, a film composer who does scores for horror films as well as Lifetime and Hallmark films. We talked about some of his favorite film scores, some of the films he’s worked on, and what’s coming next.

PopHorror:  What was your inspiration for going into film scoring?

Frank Dormani: Being a film enthusiast as well as a musician my entire life, it only made sense for me to venture into this craft. I began writing music to picture in 2015, shortly after hearing two of my all-time film scores for the first time – San Andreas and Kick Ass. While these are not the most popular film scores of all time, I love them endlessly and have to always express that when asked what my inspirations are.

PopHorror: You’ve mentioned a couple of your favorites already, but what are some of your other favorite scores?

Frank Dormani: I separate my favorite scores into different genres of film. For action movies, it has to be Kick Ass and Kick Ass 2. These scores have beautiful character and color, memorable themes, and simply feel-good vibes. For horror, pretty much everything released between the years 1994 and 2000. For thrillers, I have always been a fan of Geoff Zanelli’s Disturbia score. After venturing further back into 80s & 90s thrillers, I have developed a greater love for Jerry Goldsmith and James Newton Howard. I have always appreciated their work immensely, but the more I listen to their work the more I fall in love with it. Jerry Goldsmith’s work has been a monumental influence for me in my TV thriller scoring, thanks to David Bateman who I work alongside for these movies. If you’re reading this, thanks, Dave!

PopHorror: Musically, what are your biggest influences?

Frank Dormani: I appreciate music of all genres, from film music to pop punk to metal to jazz. I have always been a huge pop punk fan, to the point where I will incorporate pop punk when a director requests something upbeat, fun, and energetic for a scene in a movie. I often write in this style for a party scene, a dance scene, even a main title scene. I wrote pop punk for a scene in Late Checkout as well as the main titles for New Fears Eve. It is wild to be able to write in different genres for a slasher movie, but the directors loved it and rooted for it all the way through. Another reason why I love scoring movies- you never know what you’re going to get to compose. This is what keeps the job so fun and interesting.

(Note: You can read our review of Late Checkout here!)

PopHorror:  How did you get your first job scoring films?

Frank Dormani: While these first few jobs were done for passion and personal projects, my first scoring efforts were for Buried Hatchet Productions short films. BHP is the company my brother Vincent Dormani and I co-founded about 10 years ago. Since then, we have developed a production company making horror shorts that take place in the same cinematic universe, acquiring a total of ~2.8 million views across our channel. The foundation of my contracting work as a composer is rooted in BHP and our fans who also create films. Everything fell into place from there.

PopHorror: How do you decide what kind of score you’ll do for a specific film? Is it a collaborative process with the director? How much freedom are you given?

Frank Dormani: That is very much a creative collaborative process. My goal is to elevate a movie, short or feature length, while considering the desires of the director. Once we are set on a style, references, and temp score, I pretty much have the freedom to create what flows out of my mind for the given task. Things will be altered once we are in the revision stage, which is a whole process in itself.

PopHorror:  You did the music for Phantom Fun-World which was one of my favorite indie horror films of last year and involves two of my favorite people: Tory Jones and Spooky Madison (read our interview with Spooky Madison here). How did you come to be involved in the project?

Frank Dormani: Thank you for watching and enjoying the movie! I became involved with the project by submitting several musical pitches to director Tory Jones, as his contact info was provided to me by the cinematographer on the project, Tyler Horner. I had scored a few films of Tyler’s before this, so he had great things to say about my work which I am very thankful for. Tyler also has a feature I am scoring titled, The House Among The Trees.

PopHorror:  You composed the score for Josh Graves soon to be released Late Checkout. What can you tell us about the film and your score?

Frank Dormani: This film is a gory kill fest, to say the least! The special FX are wild on this one, elevating each on-screen death. They did not cheap out on gore for this one, I will tell you that in confidence. This score is very early-2000s metal in nature. I crafted a score consisting of gritty organic sounds, synthetic elements, bombastic orchestral instances, and headbang-worthy metalcore breakdowns. Everyone involved in this movie really enjoyed this effort. The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will be available on all streaming platforms on February 16th, 2024!

PopHorror: You composed the score for PJ Starks and Eric Huskisson’s New Fears Eve, which is very highly anticipated. How did you become involved in the project and what was your process like?

Frank Dormani: I love this movie from front to back. PJ and Eric share a love for 90s slasher films and their orchestral scores, as do I. So, this was a no-brainer. We had to go for the full orchestral madness you hear in movies like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Urban Legend. There is one kill in this movie that I have never seen before EVER, and one that will make you wince and cry of laughter at the same time. We have a name for that kill, but I won’t share it yet. Just hold on tight and wait for it when you watch this movie, you will absolutely know it when you see it,

PopHorror: You recently reteamed with Spooky Madison for her short Rabbit Season. What’s it like collaborating with Spooky and what can you tell us about your music from the film?

Frank Dormani: Spooky is awesome, and received a lot of love for their role in Phantom Fun-World. I’m happy to see Rabbit Season come to life for them, as it truly is an amazing proof of concept for a full-length movie.

PopHorror: You’re working on Tory Jones’ reimagining of The Wicked One, The Boy From Below. What is it about working with Tory that you enjoy?

Frank Dormani: I admire Tory’s love for the craft of filmmaking, and his desire to create new horror legends. Horror fans love a good slasher, and Tory certainly knows how to develop a character you will want to dress up as for Halloween. The Boy From Below has an all-star cast. Dee Wallace, Richie Ramone, Tommy Lee Wallace, Felissa Rose, Chaney Morrow, and tons more have joined this 90-throwback slasher.

PopHorror: You’re working on the score for the reboot of The Slasher Nurse. How did you become involved and can you give us any hints as to what the score will be like?

Frank Dormani: I became involved in The Slasher Nurse by submitting a press kit and pitch to director Dave Kerr, who eventually reached out to me and set the collaboration in stone. We are going for a gritty 2000s score, with my modern hybrid twist. We have just begun the process, so I can’t provide many hints as to what the sound truly is just yet.

PopHorror: Are there any upcoming projects you are excited about that you’d like to mention?

Frank Dormani: I am always ecstatic to be working alongside David Bateman for the Lifetime thrillers, Hallmark rom-coms, and action movies he brings to the table. I am constantly learning from David, therefore I am very grateful to be one of his writers as he is such a gifted composer. Plus, he’s just a really great guy to work for and talk to every day. We have a plethora of movies coming up this year spanning across several genres, so it will never be a dull day in the studio!

PopHorror: To end things off I want to just ask a fun question. What’s your favorite scary movie?

Frank Dormani: This is THE question! I have to go ahead and say I Know What You Did Last Summer. Timeless, perfect cast, great score, perfect setting, brutal killer, and a twist so good you have to watch it three times to truly grasp it.

PopHorror:  Thank you very much Frank for taking the time to talk to us. I look forward to hearing your work in many more projects.

Frank Dormani: Thank you to Charlie and PopHorror for having me on this interview!