Halloween Kills

I'm pretty excited for tomorrow's release of Halloween Kills, the second second part of, err, the ninth part of, uh, the second Halloween II but on a new timeline of, or...

Regardless of where it falls within the Halloween franchise timeline, it's supposed to be pretty dark and brutal (like any good second act of a trilogy should be). And anything starring Michael Myers will instantly put me into Halloween mode (holiday OR movie, I guess?). So I'm pretty amped to see it.

Outside of being a huge horror film fan, I'm also a HUGE horror film soundtrack fan. I'm always adding to my vinyl record soundtrack collection, and there is something absolutely iconic about John Carpenter's amazing, and instantly recognizable, score to this franchise.

I just got my first copy of the Halloween Kills soundtrack and I am pleasantly surprised. A darker twist to the original that hopefully sets the tone to the new film. I'm not going to reveal any spoilers to it, but be sure to tune in tonight at 7 pm EST on John Carpenter's YouTube channel for a live Listening Party and Q+A with soundtrack composers John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies. This should be pretty cool!

 

Fröhlich Krampusnacht!

Gruss vom Krampus!

Have you all been good girls and boys this year? If not, you'll be visited tonight by Krampus, the European cloven-hooved, goat-demon who punishes bad children during this holiday season. With a flick of his long tongue and a lash from his birch branched switch, you'll be placed into the basket upon his back and transported to Hell to receive reprimand for all of your misdeeds...

Have you been good this year?

Fröhliche Krampusnacht!

Photo courtesy of Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Photo courtesy of Matej Divisna/Getty Images.

Photo courtesy of iamexpat.de

Photo courtesy of adobestock

And enjoy "Cloven" from the 2015 Michael Dougherty film, Krampus. Douglas Pipes' perfect track to accompany you on your trip to Hell...

"The Haunting of Hill House" Soundtrack

I was late to the Hill House party, but I was immediately hooked and ended up watching the entire series in a weekend. So much more than just a beautifully-shot ghost story. It was filled with gut-wrenching sadness, yet I just couldn't turn it off. I can't recommend this series enough!

And the Newton Brothers' soundtrack perfectly sets the tone of sadness and melancholy of it all. This one has been on repeat all day long...

Happy Birthday, John Carpenter!

(Image courtesy of George Wilhelm/Los Angeles Times)

The master of horror (who is still very much alive) turns 70 today. Don't ever stop, good sir! In honor of his birthday, here is a live video that I shot of Carpenter performing the title track to his 1983 film, Christine, at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit, Michigan back in November, 2017.

Stranger Things 2 - Full Deluxe Soundtrack

Only three more days until we all binge on season two of Stranger Things! Until then, dive into the brand new deluxe edition of the original music soundtrack by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein to get you excited!

Harry Manfredini / Hot Ice - "Theme From Friday The 13th Part 3"

Escape From New York - "The Duke Arrives/Barricade"

"You are the Duke of New York. You're A number 1!"

I can listen to the theme song from John Carpenter's Escape From New York all day long, but this track is my weekend jam!

Waxwork Records - "The Thing" Deluxe Vinyl Soundtrack

I've been collecting vinyl records for 25-plus years now, but the record that showed up at my door today may be the new greatest piece in my ever-expanding collection. I have been an avid collector of Waxwork Records' horror and sci-fi soundtrack releases since their start, back in 2013. Beautifully illustrated covers created by well-known artists, stunningly gorgeous colored vinyl combinations and well-researched and thorough liner notes by directors and composers have become a hallmark of the Waxwork name, and their latest release is undoubtedly their best yet.

John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi horror masterpiece, The Thing, is widely regarded as some of his best work. Carpenter, who is well-known for scoring his own films, actually stepped away from writing the soundtrack for this film, and instead turned it over to legendary Italian soundtrack composer, Ennio Morricone. Morricone's cold, minimalist composition sets the perfect tone to accentuate the theme of stark isolation in the film.

Continuing with that cold, stark theme, Waxwork's "Trapped In The Ice" Deluxe Edition is somewhat of a masterpiece in its own right. The entire package comes housed in a glossy, die-cut outer case with only a stark logo of the film's title.

The outer case then "cracks" apart to reveal the contents inside: a gatefold sleeve, beautifully illustrated by Justin Erickson of Phantom City Creative, a fold-out poster and a matching booklet, complete with a full interview with director John Carpenter.

And if the outer die-cut shell, gatefold sleeve, booklet and fold-out poster weren't enough, the blue and white haze "ice" vinyl may be the best part of this incredible package. A beautiful swirl pattern that almost reflects the outline of Antarctica itself on the cover.

Top to bottom, this is easily one of the best releases to come out of Waxwork (and that really is saying something!). The amount of work that went into this release is staggering and the end product takes its rightful place at the top of my collection.

And unfortunately, with the hype that surrounded this release, the Deluxe version sold out immediately. But you can still find this (as well as the standard white vinyl "snow" edition) on eBay or Discogs, albeit at a premium price. But save your pennies, because this really is a piece that needs to be in your collection!

New Vinyl: "Twin Peaks" Original Score - Mondo

Available today is the vinyl reissue of what is perhaps the greatest score ever written - Angelo Badalamenti's soundtrack masterpiece for David Lynch's Twin Peaks. Released 25 years after the original, Mondo's gorgeous new version features a cool die-cut outer jacket, spot varnish and liner notes by composer Badalamenti himself. But perhaps the coolest feature of all? It's pressed on "Damn Fine Coffee" brown swirl vinyl...

Twin Peaks is available now over at Mondo. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy not only for the gorgeous new packaging, but for the stunning score contained within! It's a damn fine vinyl offering.

"The Witch" Soundtrack by Mark Korven

The soundtrack to the new, critically-acclaimed horror film The Witch was released yesterday, and Blumhouse has a great interview with composer Mark Korven. They also preview 2 of the tracks and I'm really impressed by what I hear. A nice change of pace from some of the retro-synth sounds that are currently dominating the genre, as these two tracks are much more dark, sinister and discordant. This is definitely a film that I'm heading to the theater to check out asap...

Coil - The Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser

Coil's original 1987 soundtrack for the horror classic, Hellraiser. The soundtrack was ultimately rejected in favor of Christopher Young's version, as it was deemed "not commercial enough" by the film studio.

Halloween Weather Forecast Update:

Back and forth with the rain possibility. Compared to other areas around the country, I'll take this forecast if the rain can hold off until late. The local channels are forecasting no rain until Sunday, so we'll see. Only 4 days to go!! Fingers still crossed...

 

Goblin - "Profondo Rosso"

An incredible film. An incredible score. Goblin's soundtrack to Dario Argento's 1975 film, Profondo Rosso (Deep Red).

"Canis" by Aleix Pitarch

From Blackest Rainbow:

The premise of Canis is two men are trapped in a house which is constantly under siege from a pack of wild dogs. This 15 minute black and white trip into world of handcrafted characters was quite simply put, intense. The story was dark, and one of the things that struck me was there was no dialog, only soundtrack (sounds of dogs and humans), and the score. The score performed by Aleix Pitarch, is 15 minutes of heavy distorted layered drones, monolithic static blasts and dark ambient industrial.

And here is the trailer for Canis:

Umberto & Maiovvi - "Law Unit"

Available Tuesday, May 19 from Death Waltz Originals/Mondo. Law Unit is a repurposed and edited-down version of Umberto and Antoni Maiovvi’s previous Death Waltz Originals release,​ The Hook and Pull Gang, which was a modern rescore to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Listen to the updated tracks now on the DWO Soundcloud page. Killer.


  

It's Time To Make The Props!

I've got a full, uninterrupted evening of Halloween prop making ahead of me tonight, and I can't wait to get started! I've got the night's soundtrack all cued up...

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Tom Raybould - "The Machine" Soundtrack

Wow. I finally had the chance to watch the 2013 British sci-fi film, The Machine. I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting the film itself was, but Tom Raybould's hypnotic synth soundtrack is phenomenal! Another one going into the haunt-related soundtrack playlist. This will be on repeat for those late night prop-making hours in the garage!

I'm posting the clip of the entire soundtrack, as each track really is spectacular:

Hammer Presents Dracula, Narrated by Sir Christopher Lee

Sinoia Caves - "Forever Dilating Eye"

From the incredible Beyond The Black Rainbow soundtrack:

 

"Beyond The Black Rainbow" Soundtrack, 2014

I recently discovered the 2010 Panos Cosmatos-directed retro 80s science fiction film, Beyond The Black Rainbow, due in large part to the film's soundtrack being co-released on vinyl (hooray!!) by Death Waltz Records and Jagjaguwar.

While the film itself is a stunning visual feast for the eyes, the soundtrack is what really stands out. Sinoia Caves' minimalist, synth-driven tracks drive home the dystopian ambient undercurrent of the cold and sterile environment that envelopes the main characters.

I cannot recommend both the film and the soundtrack enough! Beyond The Black Rainbow is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Enjoy!

Listen to the entire soundtrack playlist here.

 

The Original 1954 "Godzilla" Film Score

Death Waltz Recording Company does it again, this time with Akira Ifukube's score to the original daikaiju classic, "Godzilla" from 1954. And for a limited time, you can listen to the entire score, courtesy of Empire Magazine.

Listen to the classic score in its entirety here.