Behind the Score: Composing the Music for Cinderella's Curse – A Dark Twist on a Classic Tale
Tonight marks the premiere of Cinderella's Curse at FrightFest, and I couldn't be more excited to share the music behind this dark, twisted take on the classic fairy tale. When director and producer Louisa Warren first approached me about composing the score, I knew this would be a unique opportunity to blend the horror and fantasy genres—a creative challenge that I was eager to dive into.
Kelly Rian Sanson as Cinderella. Images provided courtesy of ITN Studios.
Crafting the Score: Balancing Horror and Fantasy
I first read the script while on a family holiday, and I remember thinking how fast-paced and thrilling the story was, filled with intense moments, deadly kills, and high-energy scenes. Right away, I knew the score needed to find a delicate balance between the horror elements and the fantastical nature of the story. My goal was to create music that could evoke both fear and wonder, mirroring the dark, magical world in which Cinderella finds herself.
When I returned home, I began developing themes and ideas for various aspects of the film, working directly from the script. The movie starts with a flashback to Cinderella’s tragic past, so the main theme needed to reflect that sense of loss and grief. But it also had to carry an underlying darkness, hinting at the horror to come.
Original Theme Sketches from Cinderella's Curse. Courtesy of Composer James Cox
The result was a theme that you’ll hear repeatedly throughout the film, especially when Cinderella reflects on her past. It begins with a clarinet doubled with celeste, anchored by a haunting pedal note in the strings. A harp gliss then sweeps the melody into a rich, sorrowful passage led by the cello, with French horn and high tremolo strings adding depth. To bring out the fantasy elements, I layered in a choir, which gives the theme an ethereal, otherworldly quality—a nod to the fairy tale origins of the story.
Sending Themes in the Moment
One of the more memorable parts of the process was collaborating with Louisa while she was on set. I would often record rough versions of the themes on the piano and send them to her directly via WhatsApp. These were very low-quality recordings, but the immediacy of the feedback was invaluable. I can remember Louisa immediately loving the main theme, which was incredibly validating and allowed us to move forward with confidence.
Kelly Rian Sanson as Cinderella. Images provided courtesy of ITN Studios.
Her input didn’t stop there—she also offered subtle notes and suggestions on other themes, like the stepmother's theme. This particular theme features low, shifting chords that modulate through various key changes. Louisa and I decided that since the characters evolve throughout the film, this theme might end up being associated with other characters by the time the story concludes. That flexibility allowed us to adapt the score in ways that feel organic as the narrative unfolds.
The Recurring Four-Note Motif
Another key element of the score is a recurring four-note motif that appears in various forms throughout the film. This motif changes subtly depending on the scene—sometimes it shifts in pitch, other times in rhythm or tempo. You’ll hear it used as a quiet, ominous underscore in some moments, while in others, it’s pushed to the forefront, such as during the high-energy ballroom scene where the motif is played at a rapid pace to heighten the tension.
Original Theme Sketches from Cinderella's Curse. Courtesy of Composer James Cox
This motif became a versatile tool in the score, allowing me to tie different scenes together musically while also adapting to the changing tone and pace of the film. It’s a simple idea, but one that added layers of cohesion and continuity to the music.
Overcoming Challenges: Budget and Time Constraints
Of course, no project comes without its challenges, and Cinderella's Curse was no exception. Initially, we were working with a healthy budget, and the plan was to record the score with live musicians. I had already brought in collaborators to help with the recording, but as the film went through some reshoots and delays, the budget for music, along with other post-production budgets, was drastically reduced.
James' Workspace at the time of writing for Cinderella's Curse. Courtesy of Composer James Cox
This meant that instead of recording live, I had to program the orchestral parts myself. The challenge was to make the virtual instruments sound as real as possible within the constraints we were working with. I focused on using high-quality libraries like Spitfire Audio’s BBCSO orchestra and Audio Ollie’s Nashville Scoring Strings, along with additional percussion elements from Musio, including some impactful sub booms.
A lot of time was spent working with these libraries to ensure that the programming was up to par. It wasn’t just about getting the notes right—it was about making the VSTs feel as dynamic and expressive as a live performance. Once the programming was solid, we moved into the mixing phase, where it became more about refining the sound—adjusting placements, balancing levels, and finding the right reverbs.
For this project, we used FabFilter’s Pro-R reverb for the individual instrument groups, which gave the orchestra its own sense of space. In the final mix, we applied LiquidSonics Cinematic Rooms to glue everything together, adding that final touch of coherence that made the different virtual instruments feel like a unified performance.
Final Thoughts
Even with the challenges we faced, I’m incredibly proud of the score for Cinderella's Curse. It’s a blend of dark, haunting melodies and magical, fantasy-inspired elements that help bring this twisted version of the classic tale to life. I hope audiences feel the same sense of wonder and dread that we set out to create when they hear the music in the film.
