Review // Ben Lovett – The Old Ways OST

Directed by Christopher Alender and written by Marcos Gabriel “The Old Ways” is a spooky horror film currently streaming on Netflix. Cristina Lopez (Brigitte Kali Canales) is a journalist sent to her birth place in the Veracruz state in Mexico. Cristina is researching for a story on tribal culture and Witchcraft. She is kidnapped by a group of Veracruz locals and held hostage suspected of being possessed by a Demon. The group is led by a Bruja (Julia Vera) a Latin American term for a female Witch. There is also the Bruja’s son and assistant Javi (Sal Lopez) and Cristina’s cousin Miranda (Andrea Cortes.) The film is a delicious slice of horror. Chilling, eerie, ominous and spine tingling scary. A large part of this nightmarish atmosphere is achieved through the dark arts of the film’s score, composed by Ben Lovett.

Ben Lovett is a Los Angeles based musician and film composer. Lovett has been composing for films since 2005’s “Last Goodbye” and since has mainly composed for science fiction and horror films such as “The Wolf Of Snow Hollow,” ”Synchronicity,” “The Signal,” and “I Trapped The Devil.” For this reviewer, a soundtrack fan and avid collector, Lovett raised the bar of modern, independent, horror films with the remarkable 2018 score for the film “The Ritual” and the 2019 score for the film “The Wind.” Both soundtracks have a natural, organic, tribal, horror folk sound, mixed with a dark twist of neo-classical style, heavy on the strings, and haunted, traumatic, over-worldly sound effects. Ben’s latest score for “The Old Ways” sounds like the third in an unholy trinity, except this time with a Latin American accent.

Ben Lovett said

I got involved with The Old Ways when director Christopher Alender played me a recording of an ancient Mexican death whistle and I thought it was the most terrifying thing I’d ever heard.

The 17 tracks on “The Old Ways” mix instruments of ancient Mexican origin, played by Martin Espino and Mexika on Percussion with guitars, guitarviols, mandolins, strings and vocals. From the opening track, “Veracruz” the Mexican/Spanish sound is obvious as is the earthy, tribal like, horror folk sound that Lovett has honed so well on previous scores. When the soundtrack requires pace, the drums throb and pound, underlined by intriguing, exotic percussions, twisted cello strings and unsettling, unearthly sounds. When the film requires gentler sound Lovett moves towards the guitar and mandolin, often played in a Spainish style, accompanied by spectral sounds and delicate string arrangements. The atmosphere is often charged with a sinister, portentous foreboding vibes and pure jump out of your skin surprises.

The majority of the soundtrack is fantastically dark and haunting but there is also songs like “La Llorona” sung by Whitney Moore. A warm, lazy, Spainish folk song that almost juxtaposes the disquieting horror folk.

“The Old Ways” is a great horror film and a fantastic soundtrack. Lovett has, once again, delivered a claustrophobic, moody, ghostly musical nightmare. One for the horror fan, soundtrack fan and leftfield music fan.

“The Old Ways” has found the perfect release partner in the independent label Burning Witches Records. A label that has released many, exquisitely packaged, film soundtracks. Its available as a limited edition “Clear and Red Smoke” vinyl and download.