Yes, we must get this out of the way right off the bat. It’s not “ha ha ha, chi chi chi” that we hear during those ultra-tense moments during any given Friday the 13th film. But for the last 35 years, that line – or rather sound – has been ‘misquoted’ the world over during those summer night walks through the woods, or scary dark nights in the living room with the electricity out. Ha ha ha, chi chi chi… But that’s not what it really is. As the title indicates, it was “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” as in “killer killer killer, mommy mommy mommy.”
I know this because Harry Manfredini told me. And since he composed the music for not only the first Friday the 13th, but the seven of the sequels, I’d say he’s the expert on those eerie whispering, clicking, and orchestral sounds that we hear during these films.
He mentioned that the whispered syllables were only put into the movie in order to notify the audience that the killer was present since you may recall that in the first film, we never see the killer until she is revealed. Everything is from the killer’s point of view. Even when there is a red herring (ie. the bow and arrow scene in the original film), you can tell it is a red herring because those sounds are not being heard.
I can’t speak for other horror fans out there, but I think that good music can make or break a horror film – or any film really – but especially a horror film. And the music of the Friday the 13th series has always been top-notched and memorable. Forget those whispered syllables for a minute and just concentrate on the actual music the next time you watch them. Or better yet, listen to the music without the film if you can, and it will take you instantly back to Camp Crystal Lake.
His music always put me in mind of classic Hitchcock composer Bernard Herrmann, and that’s not accident. He said that a conversation about music scores will always begin and end with Herrmann. He told me that he also enjoyed the scores of Danny Elfman, John Williams, Leonard Bernstein, and the more obscure Tommy Williams.
Harry Manfredini’s score is unique in its sound, and I proved this to myself shortly before I met him when Carolyn and I watched Swamp Thing, and I immediately recognized the style of the music as being his.
As you can tell, I relished the change to meet Harry Manfredini at the HorrorHound in Cincinnati on March 23, 2014. In fact it was one of the highlights of the show. Sweetening the pot even more was that his autographed photo was a mere $15, and the photo with him was free. Okay, he’s not an immediately recognizable face in the entertainment industry, and the average Joe wouldn’t even know his name. But he had something far more important: an ultra-cool legacy, because nearly everyone in the world will know that music and those whispered syllables… even if they can’t ‘quote’ it right.
Celebrities of the 2014 Cincinnati HorrorHound will conclude here…
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