Robert Folk - Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The character of Dar, valiant warrior who can telepathically communicate with animals, was introduced in Don Coscarelli's 1982 fantasy film, THE BEASTMASTER. Very loosely based on concepts in Andre Norton's 1959 science fiction novel of the same name, Coscarelli's film transposed Norton's extra-planetary adventure novel to a barbaric sword-and-sorcery world not far removed from that of CONAN THE BARBARIAN, which had preceded BEASTMASTER into production and was released some months earlier in the same year, launching a new but short-lived trend of heroic fantasy movies. While the film did not enjoy huge success at the box office, it did develop quite a strong cult following, thanks to frequent screenings on cable television and this prompted the filming of a sequel nearly a decade later, helmed this time by Sylvio Tabet, who served as executive producer on the original film. The story had little connection to the events of the first film and the tone is definitely much lighter. To compose the music for BEASTMASTER 2, Sylvio Tabet brought in composer Robert Folk after having been impressed by his musical contributions to the cult horror film TREMORS. From the very beginning, Tabet made it clear to the composer that he was under no obligation to reflect the music from the first BEASTMASTER film in his sequel score, as the new story was quite different from the original film. Folk's music gives the film a tremendous amount of energy, playing straight man to the film's humorous elements and lending credibility to it's formulaic plot. The story's mix of primitivism and modernity is reflected in the score's abundant sense of musical contrast, as Folk flavors Dar's barbaric world with broad musical strokes and violent orchestral interaction, emphasizing the Beastmaster's confidence while designing more sympathetic melodies for Jackie once she's become stranded in his primitive home.