The Shining is more cluttered and less successful, full of good ideas that are hampered by too much set dressing. The problem is not so much with Dilla's beats as with the way they are presented. Opening with a bullying salvo from a pissed-off Busta Rhymes, The Shining lards Dilla's soulful productions with half-hearted rhymes from overeager contributors and poorly chosen samples from the horror film that gives the record its title. The contradictory elements should work to create a kind of tension, but instead they just end up sounding mismatched. Dilla's productions are homespun and heartfelt, and it's hard to accept the ranting of Jack Nicholson's unhinged psychopath over top of them. There are a few strong turns: The ever-reliable Black Thought provides a tough vocal over Dilla's ticking-clock production in "Love Movin'" and the hazy slow jam "So Far So Good" is sewn together by D'Angelo's teasing, falsetto hook. Too often, though, The Shining is a strange hybrid of horror and romance, a scattered and slight entry into the catalog of one of hip-hop's true masters.

J Dilla The Shining (BBE)

Klimek Music to Fall Asleep (Kompakt)

A more effective horror film soundtrack can be found on Klimek's Music to Fall Asleep, a grim symphony made up of moaning, minor-key synthesizers and spidery pricks of guitar. The record is distinctly chilling, creating a mood of inescapable dread. Case in point: I recently attended a screening of Murnau's silent classic Faust that didn't include any kind of musical accompaniment. After 15 awkward minutes of total silence, I quietly slipped on my earphones, crouched low in my seat and cued up Music on my iPod. The result was one of the most harrowing — and rewarding — experiences I've had at the movies in quite some time.