The Call (soundtrack)

Development

John Debney was the composer for the film’s score. In their first conversation, director Anderson requested something “very edgy, electronic, in your face,” built from found sounds and unconventional for most of the music, though emotional scenes could be more traditional. Debney relied heavily on intense electronic and synthesized textures, despite his background in orchestral work, while piano and strings supported the emotional beats. He called the film ten times scarier than The Silence of the Lambs, requiring a score that was “very moody, very scary.”

Blending a wide range of instruments and styles proved daunting, as Debney had to merge different textures and colors. His core idea was to break from the norm, which led him to capture mundane noises—like knocking on a piano top to produce a xylophone-like sound, then tuning it. He dramatically pitched and filtered those recordings. For the serial killer Michael, he used a sound akin to an industrial motor or engine ramping up, heard three times, and pitched and tuned it into a jarring, atmospheric effect.

Reception

James Southall of Movie Wave wrote that those who do not mind going to the extremes of dark, textural atmospheres may find material greatly rewarding, but most people will be full of admiration for the professional job the composer has done, yet will never want to listen to the album again. Andrew Barker of Variety and Roger Moore of The Seattle Times considered the score to be chilling and terrifying, while Jake Coyle of The Hutchinson News mentioned it to be somewhat good.