Midnight Syndicate - "Plankett's Grove"

Hidden away in a remote mountain valley, the secluded village of Illswich was born from the ambition of its fortune-seeking founder. While outsiders might view it as nothing more than the dying remnants of a bygone age, those who call it home guard its secrets with unshakeable resolve. This CD features 53 minutes of immersive gothic folk horror and dark fantasy music and soundscapes with artwork by Pascal Casolari.

Plankett's Grove, the latest album from Midnight Syndicate, is out today! Another release full of their signature instrumental Gothic horror and Halloween sounds, it's perfectly timed for the lead up to All Hallow's Eve.

Things are beginning to get spooky and the air is turning crisp. We are getting closer! Enjoy.

"Scary Sounds" Cassette

We have reached the end of another week, so that means it's time for another Freebie Friday! Time to share another forgotten gem from the murky depths of my Halloween "spooky sounds" collection.

After last week's dud of an offering, I'm really excited to rebound with this.

There are a ton of releases called Scary Sounds, but this particular version of Scary Sounds is in fact SIXTY full minutes of the creeps! I don't have much background info on this release other than it was composed in 1998 by Steven L. Hartman, produced by the Stanley-Lawrence Company, and released in cassette and CD formats.

The quality of this release is excellent, with two full sides of clean, rich audio. Both sides rely predominantly on heavy reverb and left-to-right channel "warbling" over a base of somewhat standard thunder, synthesizer organ, swamp critters, and a few echoing evil laughs and groans. And a few clips played backwards? But it all works! A real pulsating creepiness is achieved on both sides without any cheap, silly, or annoying sounds prevalent in many of the releases from decades before. I would sum it up by saying this is a more mature, atmospheric and developed "spooky sounds" release.

Each side is broken up into three segments. Side A being Ghoulish/Eerie/Creepy, and Side B being Morbid/Haunting/Spooky. Exceptionally great track names, but each side plays well as a single track. There are a few breaks in the sounds, but I couldn't absolutely identify where the track breaks are supposed to be. So for me, each side plays as one single track.

I bought this one on a whim, based solely on the cool pen-and-ink skull drawing on the cover, and it paid off nicely. It was an unexpectedly cool release for the price and offers a full hour's worth of the creeps! This one is highly recommended to add to your collection!

DOWNLOAD "SCARY SOUNDS" HERE.

  

Aphex Twin - "Matchsticks"

A long time ago, I decided that I wanted to take my meager Halloween yard display to the next level. I wanted to build more detailed props including coffins and tombstones. I thought more about lighting effects and the use of color. And I wanted to add to the overall creepy feel of the display through the use of music. No more silly "spooky sounds" cassettes (although they ARE still really fun!), I wanted to take the display from fun to deadly serious...

It was at about this time that I discovered the dark ambient genre. I happened upon my wife's CD collection, where she recommended Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II. I dropped the disc in the player and was absolutely amazed by what I heard. Tracks that were more akin to background sounds without any lyrics of identifiable repeats. And so much creepy atmosphere! I instantly knew that audio like this would make a perfect backdrop to my display. It added an unsettling soundtrack that would lay "behind" the visuals of the display without overwhelming or drawing attention away from the main focus.

I ended up grabbing six tracks from the Apex Twin CD to make my first "display soundtrack playlist." Every track a haunting, atmospheric cut to instill fear and unease in the trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.

And since that time, I have continued to refine things throughout my display, including the audio portion. I continue to discover new artists and tracks from the dark ambient genre, and use them in the display.

But every October I still go back to that original playlist to revisit those memories. And every time I hit play on this track, the one that begins that original playlist, I still get a sly smile and a jolt across my belly as it transports me back. Matchsticks will always be an important piece of Highbury history and will always be in my October playlist.

Take a listen and enjoy.

  

This Tape Is Haunted!

A shoutout to Brent at Planet Doom Haunt for reminding me that this one just came out. Lamp & Dagger just released This Tape Is Haunted!, a GREAT throwback compilation reminiscent of all those great old nostalgic "spooky sounds" records and cassettes! This one is right up my alley!!

Grab a copy of this gem over at the Lamp & Dagger Bandcamp page. Enjoy!!

WARNING!

• This tape contains audio which may be frightening and/or disturbing.

• This tape may cause panic, fear, nausea, distress and other ailments.

• This tape features recordings of the paranormal and the supernatural.

• This tape is most certainly haunted!

• This tape could very well be the last thing you ever listen to.

LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK!

 

"Scary Sounds of Halloween" Cassette

Warning: This Tape May Scare The Heck Out Of You!

Haunt your house with this cassette featuring clinks, clanks, rattling chains, howling witches, screaming victims, and more!

Chances are, you may have come across this cassette cover before, with its instantly recognizable kitty cat illustration on the cover. I have wanted to add this one to my collection for a while now, and I finally made it happen not long ago.

If there was a wheelhouse of classic 80s and 90s novelty "spooky sounds" cassette releases, this one would land somewhere right near the middle. It has all of those nostalgic, spooky sounds: howling winds, weird cat howls, screams and laughs, wolves, and in the case of this particular cassette, an overabundance of demonic growls and laughter.

It's your basic collection of sounds in a continuous 15 minute track. But flip to the second side and things get a bit more...spooky. Many of the sounds are repeated, but it adds a little spice with a fantastic organ arrangement, the echoed cries of a child, bats, heavy breathing, a cat, more demons, and if I'm hearing it correctly, the "hee-haw" of a donkey. Huh? (Listen at about the 3:45 mark and see for yourself. I say it's a donkey!).

Overall, this one really nails that Halloween nostalgia vibe with all the classic sounds. It has a high production quality and it's a ton of fun to just kick back and listen to. Another highly rated Freebie Friday classic. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD "SCARY SOUNDS OF HALLOWEEN" HERE.

"The Haunted Horror House" Cassette

Welcome to the Haunted Horror House. Just follow the footsteps from room to room and you'll experience the worlds that lie beyond each door. Turns your home into a chamber of horrors. Great for Halloween, Theme Parties, or around the campfire. Enjoy 40 minutes of original sound-score music and effects.

Step inside the Haunted Horror House. You're expected!

Recorded in 3-Dimensional Horror-Phonic Sound!

This week's Freebie Friday offering was picked up on a whim. I had never heard of The Haunted Horror House before, and there really wasn't any information available on it. But, it was in my budget (cheap!) and with that name, the silly cover graphics, and all of the wild claims plastered on it, how could I not pick this one up??

This cassette was released in 1990 by C.C. Marketing out of New York City. A quick search revealed that they were long gone. And info on the inside flap of the cover tells me their whole gig was releasing cassettes like this. Their list of other "greats" include Crazy Calls, Power Walk, The Massage Tapes, The Romantic Guitar, The Christmas Caroling Kit, Brazilian Dreams, and much more! Yeesh.

When I dropped the wonderful orange cassette into the deck and pressed play, I was somewhat surprised. It was good! I didn't know what "3-Dimensional Horror-Phonic Sound" was, but it apparently meant a high-quality sounding cassette, especially compared to other novelty Halloween cassettes from the era. And it was in fact, roughly 40 minutes long, split over the two sides.

Side A (1. Enter The House  2. The Hall of Horrors  3. The Rack  4. Mad Dogs  5. Where Am I  6. The Chapel of Chills  7. Chain Saw Massacre  8. Step Outside) has a nice collection of standard spooky sounds and cool echo and reverb effects, running continuously without any breaks between the tracks.  The Chapel of Chills not only has the best track title ever, but has a nice "gothic chamber with thunderstorms" music feel to it.

Side B (1. The Graveyard  2. The Basement  3. The Clock  4. The Swamp  5. Run For Your Life  6. Come Again!) is another collection of standard sounds that run continuously. Run For Your Life is the standout, with its odd and hilarious "snarling jungle cat" sound effect...

For a chance purchase, this cassette turned out to be quite a find. I'm surprised it doesn't show up more often with its high-quality sound and amazing cover art. This one is definitely going into the collection and will get a few more plays this Halloween season for sure! Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD THE HAUNTED HORROR HOUSE CASSETTE HERE.

SVARTSINN - "September Dirge"

Summer has ended, and the chill of October approaches. Bring on the darkness...

Another wonderful, richly atmospheric dark ambient track from Norwegian artist, Svartsinn.

The Johnson-Smith Novelty Company Horror Record

So with my decision to jump back in this Halloween, I soon started thinking ahead to another month of spooky, fun content for the blog. And of course, one of the first things I thought about was music. Music has always played an integral part of my Halloween season, and by extension, my life in general.

I started researching new options for my Freebie Fridays segments, where I share gems from my ever-increasing collection of old novelty Halloween "spooky sounds" records, cassettes and CDs throughout the month of October. I quickly realized that I had shared everything in my current collection, so it was time to go out and snap up a few more classics.

And I came upon a Halloween holy grail that I somehow hadn't heard of before...

The Johnson-Smith Novelty Company Horror Record!

Seven full inches of glorious Halloween novelty record cheese. Chock full of hilariously bad and poorly produced sound effects. Originally sold along side whoopie cushions and x-ray specs through ads in the back pages of horror comics and similar publications of the 1970s. I knew I had to add this one to the collection.

And while I still don't own a copy yet, I DID find something way more amazing than the record itself.

About 15 years ago, Jason Ellis, head curator of the absolutely amazing Scar Stuff blog, decided to take his love of this record to the next level. He took the original audio and animated it using the incredible art of Eerie Publications' classic horror comics. The same comics that housed the those original Johnson-Smith ads that you could have bought this record from. 

And the results are simply stunning! This video quickly made the rounds when it was first released, but I thought it was time to share this one again. It's just too damn good not to!

  

"Halloween Horror - Scary Sounds From The Hex Files" Cassette

Well, here we are. Somehow, we have already come to the final Friday in October. Time for one last Freebie Friday, where I comb the depths of my vintage novelty Halloween record and tape collection and then share it with all of you. Luckily, we are finishing with a bang!

An array of screams, howls and spooky sound effects to greet trick-or-treaters or put chills down party goers' spines!

More than 73 minutes of continuous scary sounds.

And how! This tape is a monster (giggle, giggle) clocking in at a walloping 71 actual minutes of Halloween greatness. I was completely surprised when after flipping the tape to side two, I was rewarded with another side of sound effects! Usually I get the same exact recording on both sides, but K-Tel International's Halloween Horror - Scary Sounds From The Hex Files from 1997 really delivers the goods.

It's a great mix of new and old sound effects, flowing nicely through each effect throughout both sides of the cassette. Lots of monster growls and upchucks (listen for it, I'm not joking), howling winds, howling dogs, a few "borrowed" screams and moans, another pissed off cat, rattling chains, creaking doors, and racing heartbeats. But the best effect is the organ that shows up almost half way through side two (which now that I look at it, may actually be side one - I mislabelled the sides, although it doesn't REALLY matter, right??). A really great creepy sound that intensifies the other sound effects going on at the same time.

Overall, it's a great, high quality addition to anyone's Halloween soundtrack collection and one that I would seriously consider playing at my home haunt display. And it's a great way to cap off another October of Freebie Fridays! Enjoy, and Happy Halloween, 'ya creeps!!

DOWNLOAD "HALLOWEEN HORROR - SCARY SOUNDS FROM THE HEX FILES" HERE.

  

"Sounds of Halloween" Cassette

Somehow we are already into our third weekend in October, and we're starting it off with another Freebie Friday! As with every Friday throughout October, I scour my collection of vintage novelty Halloween records and cassettes and then share them with all of you.

This time around, we have Distribution Madacy Inc's Canadian novelty gem from 1998, Sounds of Halloween.

Warning: This Cassette Is Not To Be Listened To In The Dark. Listen To This Cassette At Your Own Risk!

Sounds That Will Keep You And Your Children On The Edge Of Your Seat During Parties Or On Dark Stormy Nights.

"Spine Chilling" / "Hair Raising" / "Heart Pounding" Sound Effects

Instantly, with warnings like these, Sounds of Halloween completely hits the mark for me. Another in a long line of novelty releases with crazy, over-the-top warning labels, coupled with some really great cover illustration work. In researching this release, I actually found out that they put some effort into this, releasing at least three different covers: the cat & pumpkin (this one), a skull pumpkin & deranged hospital worker, and a really great pumpkin & haunted house.

They also had another similar release called Halloween Tricks & Treats, although it looks like it has slightly different tracks including a full-length Halloween story. And if it has anywhere near the quality that this release has, it is going on my want list right now!

Sounds of Halloween has your standard collection of Halloween sounds including thunder and rain, howling winds, snarling wolves, church bells, a pissed off cat, rattling chains, a few "borrowed" screams and laughter, creaking floors and doors, some weird and random space noises, a REALLY cool organ, and a few other odd sounds thrown in for good measure. But the production quality is higher than average and has a surprisingly full sound to it.

It's a fun, continuous 18-minute mix that hits the sweet spot for the nostalgic sounds of Halloween. The only drawback is that the same track is repeated on side two, robbing the listener of another potential 18 minutes of ghastly greatness!

DOWNLOAD "SOUNDS OF HALLOWEEN" HERE.

"Sounds To Haunt Your House" Cassette

It's the first Friday of October, and that can mean only one thing...

Freebie Fridays!

If you're new to the Cemetery, you've stumbled in at just the right time! Every Friday in October, I dig up one of the vintage novelty Halloween soundtrack cassettes or vinyl records from my ever-growing collection and share it with all of my "spooky sounds" junkies.

I've been doing this for quite a few years now, and I still absolutely love doing it. It's a great way to share the love during the Halloween season, and a great way to discover some really neat-and-or-hilarious old novelty soundtracks from Halloweens past.

So let's get down to business!!

Absolutely The Scariest, The Most Chilling, Blood Curdling, Hair Raising, Bone Chilling, Heart Stopping, Shocking, Terrifying And Daring Spooky Sounds Ever Recorded!

Welllllllllll, I might not go THAT far, but Dominion Entertainment/K-Tel's 1992 cassette release, Sounds To Haunt Your House, is actually not bad, even with a few shady practices thrown in...

I had picked this one up on the cheap, based solely on the silly graphics on the front of the sleeve. I wasn't expecting much, but I ended up being somewhat surprised...

Upon listening to the first side I noticed the overusage of the echo reverb voiceover that guides us along, but luckily there was a solid base of nice, high-quality "standard creepy" sound effects. And the effects were layered nicely, with a higher than average production quality.

But as I got half way through the first side, I started to hear sound clips that sounded a bit familiar... "We have such sights to show you..."

WAIT. WHAT? They LITERALLY ripped off audio directly from Hellraiser. The shady side of novelty Halloween soundtrack production rears its ugly head again. Hilarious!

But they weren't done there. As side one drew to a close, I also noticed more "borrowed" audio. This time, a few screams taken directly from the classic novelty cassette, Horror Sounds of the Night. It takes guts to lift audio from such a beloved and well-known release!

As I started side two, I was actually impressed. Another 20 minutes of different sound effects, which was nice. Most cassettes simply repeated the same track on both sides, but this was a continuation of the loose story (and sampling) from side one. More high-quality, "creepy" sound effects ending with the voiceover. 

But again, the same scream from Horror Sounds of the Night. And did I recognize the wolf howl from Night in a Graveyard? Hmmm.

As I continued on, I realized that this cassette was pretty much "borrowing" audio from many sources, now including audio directly from Texas Chainsaw Massacre II. Unreal.

But what can I say? Sounds To Haunt Your House is actually a fairly decent release (especially compared to some of the drivel released in this genre), even if it DOES directly rip off audio from other, well-known sources. I still have to give this one a recommendation for your collection, as I think you'll get a kick out of it too. Happy Friday!

DOWNLOAD "SOUNDS TO HAUNT YOUR HOUSE" HERE.

  

"Ghostly Sounds" Soundtrack

Rattling Chains, Squeeky Doors, Ghostly Screams...

A Haunting Experience

With only a few hours to spare, I make it in for one last Freebie Friday for 2018! And this one is worth the wait!

If there's one thing that I have learned during my time of collecting and sharing my ever-expanding collection of classic novelty Halloween records and cassettes, it's that the rules never really applied. I have at least three different labeled cassettes that contain the exact same soundtrack and now I have at least two records with the exact same name. And this particular soundtrack even has two different release versions!

Power Records out of Newark, New Jersey was another of the novelty record labels that existed during the late 1960s through the late 1970s, releasing everything from Halloween novelty records to Superhero spoken word children's stories.

One of their most popular releases was 1974's Ghostly Sounds Halloween novelty record. Or was it called Ghostly Sound Effects? It depends on which side of the record sleeve you were looking at.

It says Ghostly Sounds on the cover, so I'm going with that. Of course this version is not to be mistaken for the other Ghostly Sounds soundtrack by Peter Waldron (although that version is really great, too!).

This version has 11 tracks, all of which are traditional, novelty sound effects. But all are really well composed. The standout track for me being The Phantom of the Cathedral, with its spooky array of classic organ, laughing and howling wind sound effects. So good!

Oh, and if you're an even bigger collector of Halloween novelty records than I am, you'll need to go out and find the second version of this record. The other version has similar tracks, the only difference being that it includes the narration of the track descriptions that are printed on the back sleeve. You can listen to one of the tracks here, although I like the original version better.


DOWNLOAD "GHOSTLY SOUNDS" HERE.

  

The Cramps - "Garbage Man"

We're at the start of a three-day holiday weekend. Time to get crankin' on my next Halloween project. The motivation is finally hitting hard and it's time to fill my days with orange and black, leading up to the big night.

Now I just need some killer music to REALLY get me into the mood...

Take it away, Lux!

"Horror Sounds of the Night" Cassette

So for the first Freebie Friday of the year, I'm offering up an absolute classic. By now, I'm sure everyone has heard of Horror Sounds of the Night, but in case you haven't, it is THEE pinnacle of novelty sound effect cassettes that became the standard soundtrack for all 80s Halloween kids. This was the Halloween soundtrack that launched a thousand imitations.

I finally grabbed an original 1986 copy of this cassette, where the 20-plus minute sound track is repeated on side A and B. Upon pressing play, I was instantly transported back to those magical nights of being one of those 80s Halloween kids again. Enjoy the memories!

 DOWNLOAD "HORROR SOUNDS OF THE NIGHT" HERE.

  

"Haunted House" Soundtrack

Recorded Live in Transylvania Studios.

Take a trip through the haunted house if you dare! Turn your home into a scarry (sic), chilling, fearful domain of monsters, ghosts and goblins.

This week's Freebie Friday soundtrack is a vintage classic from 1985. (Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the) Haunted House, from Haunted House Music Co. (no, not the classic Disney release by the same title) is an accompanying Halloween soundtrack to Night In A Graveyard, another low-budget-but-wonderfully-campy release from the same year. And more great sleeve art with that classic, creepy vintage illustrated style!

Side one takes us on a 15 minute trip through a haunted house with the usual, vintage spooky sounds. Side two is a separated collection of various spooky sound effects. Apparently, this label had a third release entitled, The Ride of the Headless Horseman put out the same year, although I do not have that one to share yet.

And yes, although this release had been shared years ago by Scar Stuff, Cult of the Great Pumpkin and Mostly Ghostly Music Sharing BLAAAHHHHGGG!, the great campy factor of this record is just too much fun not to share again.

Warning: Do not listen to this recording alone.

May be hazardous to your health.

Parental guidance suggested.

 

DOWNLOAD "HAUNTED HOUSE" HERE.



Halloween Weather Forecast Update:

Holding steady! I hope this forecast sticks...


 
 

"Night In A Graveyard" Soundtrack

Spend a night in this graveyard IF YOU DARE!

Recorded LIVE on the estate of COUNT DRACULA! 

Bring the Murky, Creepy, Slimmy (sic) Atmosphere of a Monster Infested GRAVEYARD into Your Home...


Next up for our Freebie Fridays giveaway is the Halloween soundtrack record from 1985, Night In A Graveyard, on Haunted House Music Co. Records (Golden Circle, Inc., Stamford Connecticut).

This record is a load of campy fun and is better than a lot of the other old soundtracks that are out there. Side one is a 12-minute track that takes us through a night in the graveyard, while side two is a collection of various sound effects.


Warning: Do Not Listen To This Recording Alone. May Be Hazardous To Your Health.

Parental Guidance Suggested.

Enjoy your "slimmy" (sic) journey as you spend a Night In A Graveyard! Download here IF YOU DARE!

 

Sounds To Make You Shiver! Soundtrack

Bloodcurdling! Terror! Horror!

Listen in terror to Count Dracula! Scream along with his victim! Go mad in the Haunted House! Hear Frankenstein break loose! Horrific Sounds for Halloween fun!

Relive your childhood Halloween memories IN STEREO!!

 

While it may (or may not) be National Haunted House Day, we haven't forgotten about Freebie Fridays! This week, it's a Halloween soundtrack classic - Pickwick International's Sounds To Make You Shiver! from 1974, composed by Wade Denning.

And yes, this is a common release that has already been posted on a multitude of blogs, but I still find this release to be quite entertaining. Especially with some of the, uh "authentic" sound effects from side two... 

From the back of the record sleeve:
This record is designed for Halloween fun—designed to make the chills run up your spine, and small children climb to the safety of their parents' laps.

Turn the record on and the lights out, then prepare for a visit to a haunted house, complete with banging shutters, eerie screams, the hoot of an owl, the squall of a cat, the growl of a dog...scraping chains, stealthy footsteps, howling winds, rain on the window pane, maniacal laughter, a witch's screech, moans and groans.

"Sounds To Make You Shiver" is an ideal record to play on Halloween night within earshot of the front door—then you'll throw a litle reverse fright into the trick-or-treat gangs of small fry in their sheets and masks.

"Sounds To Make You Shiver" is an extra kick for halloween parties and halloween plays.

The "Visit to a Haunted House" side is designed primarily for general scaring. The reverse side is for specific uses. There are separate bands of specialized sound effects, including howling wind, banging shutters, creaking doors, chains and footsteps, horrible laughs, death-agony screams, a witch's cackle, and a whole menagerie of animal noises.

The sound effects side is ideal for background noises that will give extra authenticity to mystery play or skit. Just play the record on cue in the wings and the audience will shiver and love it.

So now, with this preparation, douse the lights, turn the record on loud volume, sit back...and relax...if you can.

Enjoy the bloodcurdling horror of Sounds To Make You Shiver!