Halloween

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Varese Sarabande Records, 1983

REVIEW BY: Eric E5S16

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 10/31/1998

There are soundtracks that feature unique music. John Carpenter's Halloween (the first one, starring Jamie Lee Curtis), is one of those. The title theme's piano is just as haunting as the rest of the orchestration. Like the theme song, "Loomis And Shape's Car" is pretty much identical to the main theme song. Another composition, "Shape Escapes," features the same haunting piano piece. This haunting song is the major focus, and is featured throughout many of the score's compositions.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

"Meyers' House" is just as eerie as the main theme. It's haunting, and it sounds like from a scene where something is just about to happen, very slowly. And throughout this song, it also features the haunting piano piece heard in the main theme.

"Michael Kills Judith" is another "waiting for something to happen" musical number, like "Meyers' House". You can just imagine with a title such as this one, Judith is slowly being scared out of wits, not knowing when the movie's killer, Michael Meyers, will jump out at her.

"The Haunted House" is another familiar composition (from my memory), that features the piano as the main focus of the song. This song is just as classic as its main theme. I envision this song playing as you are walking through (obviously) a haunted house, giving you an eerie feeling. Another composition that features this same music is "Laurie Knows". And, "Laurie Knows" also features a bit from the original main theme.

"The Shape Lurks" and the soundtrack's ending piece, "The Shape Stalks," are great pieces of music where it's like a "search/chase scene." It could be used, like say, in a cop scene, where it's 'time to get the bad guy.' "Better Check The Kids" is another 'coming to get ya' composition, where as the kids are carefully being watched, again, you never know when Michael Meyers will strike.

This soundtrack uses the same compositions of one song (or more) throughout. Most soundtracks are that way. But, still, as haunting as these songs are, this soundtrack is best used for people who develop their own haunted houses for the Halloween season. Likewise, it is best used for those who like to create their own mystery audio inventions. Like creating an audio murder mystery, as in a radio play. I'm sure many of these compilations can be used in a murder scene, or where there's the "good guy trying to catch the bad guy", or vice versa. This music can set the mood, for envisioning the scenes in your imagination.

Rating: B

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 1998 Eric E5S16 and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Varese Sarabande Records, and is used for informational purposes only.