AUSTRALIAN
GUILD OF SCREEN
COMPOSERS
Directory of Members
< Back to portfolio view or list view
Jim Manzie
Big Money Rustlas (2010) - Feature Film
The Storytellers (2000) - Feature Film
Sleepstalker (1995) - Feature Film
Night of the Demons 2 (1994) - Feature Film
Servants of Twilight (1991) - Feature Film
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) - Feature Film
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 (1990) - Feature film
Stepfather 2 (1989) - Feature Film
The Offspring aka From a Whisper to a Scream (1987) - Feature Film
The F.J. Holden (1977) - Feature Film
NSW
Australia first became aware of Jim as the bassist/songwriter with the phenomenally successful chart act OL'55 who announced themselves with a quadruple platinum debut album, “Take It Greasy” in 1976. He wrote the group's first top five hit, "On the Prowl”, and numerous other top ten entries thereafter. “(I Want A) Rockin' Christmas”, which he co-wrote with author Glenn A. Baker, spent seven weeks at number one in Melbourne and won a Radio 3XY Gold Chart Award.
AUer OL'55, Jim turned his talents to commercial jingle writing. His first serious effort for the ANZ Bank won him a Golden Stylus Award for Commercial of the Year. Jim also began to venture into film music during his days with OL'55, when he scored the Mike Thornhill film “The F.J. Holden” (for which he received a Sammy Award nomination).
In 1982 Jim was invited by the legendary Vanda & Young team to become a house producer for Albert ProducFons (home of AC/DC). He went on to produce a charting album for the hard rock act The Choirboys and power pop masterpiece “Sooner or Later” for Tasmanian band The Innocents.
In 1986 Jim set his sights on the active film music scene in Hollywood and beat out 15 established composers at a "cattle call" to land the scoring assignment for the Vincent Price film "The Offspring". After landing “The Offspring", Jim relentlessly worked himself up into the middle level of Hollywood film composers. He went on to score “Texas Chainsaw Massacre III: Leatherface”, “Stepfather 2”, “Servants of Twilight” and for Paramount, his first 'major' studio assignment, “Tales from The Darkside: The Movie”.
Of Jim's work on the later, the director, John Harrison (also responsible for “Creepshow”), commented: “"Tales From The Darkside” was enhanced by his work. His music not only gave the story the perfect atmosphere, it added production value to the entire film.”