Preview Clint Mansell’s unsettling score for new pandemic horror film ‘In the Earth’

One of the most talked about films at this year's virtual edition of Sundance Film Festival was In the Earth, the new horror film from British filmmaker Ben Wheatley (Kill List, High Rise). Made during the pandemic, the film plays off our fears: "As the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run. Through the night, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness, the forest coming to life around them." It's out Friday, April 16 in theaters and you can watch the trailer below.

Upping the tension is In the Earth's intense score by Clint Mansell who has worked with Wheatley previously on High Rise, Rebecca and Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, as well as on such films as Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, and Moon. In the Earth is one of Mansell's most purely synthetic works, at times wondrous and beautiful, and at other times deeply unsettling. “I often write scripts with actors in mind but this was the first script that was written with the music specifically in mind," Wheatley says. "From the start I knew I wanted a soundtrack that would be both diegetic and nondiegetic. That would allow Clint to stretch his legs sonically and have the score front and foremost. This film is partially a concert movie, with Clint being the sound of Doctor Wendle’s experiments."

Wheatley adds "This is also pure Mansell sound from his studio. There’s little arranging in the traditional sense. No orchestra to interpret it. This is from his hands. I love this score. Play it LOUD.”

Mansell's score is also out next Friday, being released by Invada Records and Lakeshore Records. (Pre-order.) You can get spoiler-free taste of what's in store with a special audio trailer for the score. That premieres in this post and you can watch that below.