We caught up with television and film score composer Joseph LoDuca about his recent score for the hit horror series CHUCKY on SYFY and USA Network, which premiered on October 12, 2021. Joseph LoDuca tells us all about how he got into scoring music, composing the music for CHUCKY, and lots more. Check it out below!

How did you get into scoring music?

JL: I got lucky. While I was a student at university, I was introduced to Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell who were making their first feature, a small independent horror film entitled Evil Dead. I had no clue how to score to picture, but was confident enough in my music chops. The lesson to all the aspiring musicians out there is, just say YES! It became a cult classic, and pointed the way to a career in music. When they moved to Hollywood, I stayed in Detroit and built my studios with a steady flow of scoring commercials. So when the next film projects came along, I was ready.

How did you get involved with CHUCKY?

JL: Don Mancini, CHUCKY’S creator, invited me to score the latest two CHUCKY films which he also directed, CURSE OF CHUCKY and CULT OF CHUCKY. Don is a masterful filmmaker, and we have found many ways to surprise and delight each other in the use of music. It was a no-brainer for me to say yes to working on the series. Without giving anything away, there are many inspired choices embedded in the soundtrack of each episode.

What was going through your mind when you started putting together the music for a series based on an horror icon?

JL: Good question. When I first came on board, much to his credit, Don gave me free reign to start fresh and respond to the film he had just made. The first thing I noticed was that up to that point, there had been no consistent theme for CHUCKY. I immediately heard a toy piano and and the music developed from there.

What were some goals for yourself with this score?

JL: My goals for the score are the same as the goals of the series. First is to make the little bastard as evil and devious as ever for the loyal fans. Next is to make the difficult journey of our middle school heroes compelling to a whole new generation. In other words, update the genre. Third is to be able to blend all of Don’s crazy music and film references into a fantastic auraltapestry. I mean, we have Berlioz to Billy Eilish, from Bernard Hermann to the GoGo’s.

What are you hoping people get out of it when they watch CHUCKY?

JL: I want them to die to see what happens next. Not die literally, but to feel the dread, the excitement and the scary good fun of it all. There are plenty of these emotions in the music, for sure.

What trends in music and film scoring are you interested in lately?

JL: We live in a time where the sonic palette of a composer is limitless. The ways which we can mutate, mangle and strangle sounds, all at the press of a few mouse clicks is staggering. It used to be way harder, and it is a big part of my process in writing for CHUCKY’s series. Who knows where it will lead in season 2? Fingers Crossed. Stay Tuned!

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Stream CHUCKY here

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