John Carpenter ‘Halloween’ 2018 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Review: filmmaker/composer adds new layers to his signature horror theme (and score) for director David Gordon Greene’s sequel.
★★★★★
Sure, the upcoming Halloween film is directed by David Gordon Green, but the influence of director/composer John Carpenter is felt throughout this direct sequel to his 1978 horror classic. Not only because it pays homage to that film and his legacy, but Carpenter also has skin in the game: he composed the new score as well (out October 19 on Sacred Bones Records ).
Click here for my list of best John Carpenter scores.
The new Halloween entry marks Carpenter’s first Halloween franchise score since 1982’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and follows close on the heels of his recent spate of solo albums including Anthology, Lost Themes and Lost Themes II.
Click here for my 2017 interview with Carpenter discussing Anthology
Like those albums, the new soundtrack was co-written with Carpenter’s son Cody and godson Daniel Davies, and it offers a musical complexity and aggression setting it apart from earlier Halloween scores, mixing original elements with entirely new compositions and modern production techniques.
The main theme still compels, it’s off-kilter 5/4 piano figure conjuring eternal dread, but Carpenter offers a subtle revamp here, with a shuffling techno beat and a churning undercurrent of guitars.
Laurie’s Theme is a complete departure from its namesake in the original film. In lieu of the sing-song, cracked lullaby delivery, comes something darker and more tragic, a mournful Gothic piano and synth piece that echoes the trauma Jamie Lee Curtis’s character Laurie Strode deals with in the film.
Prison Montage is similarly tragic in scope, with the title theme’s motif merely hinted at under piano and icy synth textures, before lurching into Michael Kills, an industrial dirge that makes you tap your feet whilst being terrified.
Michael Kills Again goes one better, and is the most memorable of all the new compositions, a Trent Reznor-ish aggressive track with skittering beats, guitar stabs and wall of sound synths that is nightmare fuel for the ears.
The Shape Returns retrofits the title theme with creepy clicking percussion, oceanic textures and abrasive sound design elements that sound like Myer’s work-boots stomping on grass with unrelenting precision (perhaps made from the sound of rubbing pants??)
The Shape Kills/Ray’s Goodbye rework the two note piano figure The Shape Lurks from the original 1978 score, and personifies Myer’s unstoppable supernatural presence, while Laurie Sees the Shape’s propulsive drum machine beats and shimmering sonics recalls elements from Carpenter’s score for his sci-fi classic Escape From New York.
The Shape Hunts Allison is another stunner, spiked with New Wave glitz, while The Shape Burns takes the main theme in yet another direction, adding an unexpected sense of uplift with major keys.
Halloween Triumphant is the perfect finale for both film and album, fusing many of the signature pieces into a near 8-minute medley punctuated with a soaring guitar solo.
As someone who has seen the new Halloween movie, I can say that Carpenter’s score is the biggest highlight next to Jamie Lee Curtis’s performance, elevating an at-times scattershot film to more epic heights. It’s also one of his best scores period, and a stellar collection of music in its own right.
Buy it on Amazon:
JOHN CARPENTER 2018 TOUR DATES
Oct 10: Amsterdam, NL @ Tivolivredenburg Grote Zaal
Oct 11: Paris, FR @ Salle Pleye
Oct 13: Barcelona, ES @ Auditorium Sitges
Oct 14: La Rochelle, FR @ La Sirene
Oct 16: London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Oct 18: Newcastle, UK @ Tyne Theatre
Oct 19: Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands
Oct 21: Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
Oct 31: Los Angeles, US @ Palladium