"It's almost time, kids!"
Yes, it's that magical time of year where every one celebrates all things spooky, scary, and weird. It's Halloween! And although most of my friends and I tend to celebrate horror all year round, it's nice to see every one else getting in the spirit.
Regarding local haunts and mazes, I've already hit up: Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, Knott's Scary Farm, Haunted Hayride, Rotten Apple 907, and The Backwoods Maze.
Movie-wise: whereas last year, I challenged myself to watch 31 horror anthologies, one per day; this year, I've done a deep dive into Hammer Horror, one of my many blind spots for all these years! I strongly recommend this set as your starting point. BRIDES OF DRACULA, THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and PARANOIAC have been stand outs. (Now onto the Christopher Lee DRACULA movies!)
But it wouldn't be a proper Halloween if I didn't make a mix to share, right?
For reference, I think you should go back to some of my previous Halloween mixes.
- Recommended Listening: Halloween Hits - A 2015 Rob G Mix
- Deep Cuts & Spooky Songs: A 2017 Halloween Mix
- 6 Non-Soundtrack Recommendations You Have To Hear!
- A Normaltown Halloween 2014 Mix
For this one, I did something a little different.
Previous playlists have been catered to a specific theme, or keeping with a certain tone or flow, this one I consider more of a snapshot. Some of it is very Halloween-specific, some of it is not. It just happens to be what I'm listening to right now in October of 2018. And so, this one's a bit more personal in that regard. Old stuff, new stuff, remixes, soundtrack cues, covers, pop rock songs and beyond. This is what my Halloween for 2018 sounds like...
Track listing:
This Is HALLOWEEN! A 2018 Playlist!
1. Vortex (Uniform Remix) by John Carpenter from LOST THEMES REMIXED
2. The Shape Returns by John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies from HALLOWEEN 2018
3. That Moment You Gave To Me by Ludrium (aka Cody Carpenter) from REFLECTIONS
4. One 60 Clone by Daniel Davies from EVENTS SCORE
5. Superuser by Netrvnner from EPISODE 1 (and the EXTREMITY Soundtrack)
6. Thought Contagion by Muse from SIMULATION THEORY
7. A Nightmare Reimagined - Overture by Joe LoDuca from THE EVIL DEAD - A NIGHTMARE REIMAGINED
8. The Shape Hunts Allyson by John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies from HALLOWEEN 2018
9. John Carpenter's Halloween by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
10. Nightmare Isn't Over (HALLOWEEN II Rework) by Le Matos
11. Chariots Of Pumpkins by Umberto from Death Waltz Recording Company
12. Pam Grier's Head by John Carpenter from GHOSTS OF MARS
13. Rats by Ghost from PREQUELLE
14. Cry Little Sister by Marilyn Manson
15. Theme From Killer Klowns From Outer Space by The Dickies from KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE REIMAGINED
16. The Rules by Jeremy Zuckerman from SCREAM: THE TV SERIES
17. Main Title Theme by Daniel Hart from THE EXORCIST TV SERIES
18. Constantine Main Theme by Bear McCreary from CONSTANTINE: THE TV SERIES
19. Metallica T-Shirt by Wolfie's Just Fine from PERFECTION, NEVADA EP
20. Revenge by Rob from REVENGE
21. Halloween Triumphant by John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies from HALLOWEEN 2018
John Carpenter's music has become somewhat synonymous with the season at this point. I'm a huge, huge fan of his "Lost Themes" albums, and knew I had to kick it off with a remix of his track "Vortex." This track could get any party going.
I wanted to keep it in the family, literally! And so the next few selections reflect that, starting with "The Shape Returns" from the new 2018 HALLOWEEN movie, composed by John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies. From there, why not hear one of Cody's solo tracks? "That Moment You Gave To Me" is pure pop bliss ala ERASURE from Cody's alternate moniker LUDRIUM. And from there, let's hear a cut from Daniel Davies new solo album "Events Score," the track "One 60 Clone!"
After that, I went with the closing credits song to EXTREMITY, the latest film by director Anthony DiBlasi (LAST SHIFT, Clive Barker's DREAD) that I just put out through the Dread Central Presents label via Epic Pictures. (Multiple ways to check out EXTREMITY right here!) This track has been one of my go-to pieces of music all month.
The new MUSE album doesn't come out until November, but for those that pre-ordered it, we've been treated to a few advance tracks, including this one "Thought Contagion."
From there, I wanted to delve into some fun score tracks, starting with Joe LoDuca's newly reimagined theme for EVIL DEAD. LoDuca has been a part of the entire EVIL DEAD franchise, minus the remake, but including the recently wrapped ASH VS EVIL DEAD series. Last Halloween, he performed a new live re-score at a special screening of THE EVIL DEAD, and now, that music is available both digitally and on vinyl! The "Overture," which is reminiscent of the Showtime MASTERS OF HORROR theme, is beautiful and haunting!
Hey, it's HALLOWEEN, right? Let's hear a bunch of variations on the HALLOWEEN theme. First up, "The Shape Hunts Allyson," my favorite new cue from the HALLOWEEN 2018 score. Followed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' reinterpretation of John Carpenter's original theme. Going in chronological order, that brings us to LE MATOS curious track "Nightmare Isn't Over," a tribute to HALLOWEEN II's theme that changes the infamous 5/4 timing of the theme to traditional 4/4!
The main HALLOWEEN III cover comes from Umberto! Sadly, I couldn't find this version on You Tube, so there's an alternate cover by Andrioux embedded below, but you can hear the version I intended streaming right here.
A new vinyl release of John Carpenter's GHOSTS OF MARS soundtrack arrived earlier this year, and it's a pretty rockin' collaboration with the guys from ANTHRAX. So next up is (spoiler-alert) "Pam Grier's Head."
GHOST is a band I have tried countless times to get into. I rather liked my starting point, which was the EP "Popestar." But... I just find their music kinda silly. That said, their new single "Rats" is pretty cool, so I included it here. And who better to follow that than Marilyn Manson with his cover of "Cry Little Sister," made famous by THE LOST BOYS! John Massari and The Dickies re-recorded the theme song and score for KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE for this special 2018 version. That's up next.
Then, a handful of horror TV themes! Jeremy Zuckerman's music for MTV's SCREAM series was always a highlight for me, melding Bernard Herrmann's strings with a touch of Marco Beltrami's modernized 90's style score for the movies. "The Rules," you'll recognize as the opening title music. Then we hear Daniel Hart's excellent opening theme for THE EXORCIST TV series. Hoping one day we'll get the rest of his excellent score from season one. And capping it out is possibly one of my favorite TV themes in ages, Bear McCreary's CONSTANTINE main theme!
A few years back, remember Jon Lajoie's acoustic act WOLFIE'S JUST FINE? They made that incredible tribute to FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V: A NEW BEGINNING. He's back with a new EP called "Perfection, Nevada," and the stand out here is "Metallica T-Shirt."
As we wind down, I wanted one intense modern score, and when it comes to that, look no further than the mysterious ROB with his theme to REVENGE. And lastly, if we're starting with Carpenter, we should end with Carpenter. From the new 2018 HALLOWEEN movie yet again, "Halloween Triumphant."
There you have it!
Below you'll find a You Tube version of this playlist, but I encourage you to make your own Spotify, Apple Music, or whatever else version! Hope this gets you in the mood for Halloween.
After all, we're all entitled to one good scare, huh?
