This is an interesting one. The score isn't nearly as prevalent in this entry as it is in the first two, but it makes the most of its shorter runway. It offers nice variations on the material developed for this iteration of the franchise and it has, for my money, the best modern versions of the main theme.
At the same time, the reason the score is shorter is that there are several songs throughout. That can be a dicey proposition but here Green brilliantly incorporates them not only into the mood of the piece but as easter eggs. Where HALLOWEEN II opened with "Mr. Sandman," this opens with "Midnight Monsters Hop," which is a little more on point but in context has the same off-kilter, unsettling effect. It then pinballs between punk (Dead Kennedys, The Cramps), horror standards (Blue Oyster Cult's "More Cowbell"), and a well-curated handful of indie dream-pop tracks that play well with the love story subplot (even if the subplot itself doesn't play very well). The movie tries to be many things but one of them is a Stephen King riff, so the soundtrack similarly pulls a lot of different pop culture threads and ultimately settles into an amalgam of 80's era Carpenter and 80's era King, with a dash of Nicholas Winding Refn's playlists.
I haven't listened to it yet but the score should make for a really good, tight listen on album. This is one case, however, where I'd welcome a mix of score and songs a la HEAT or DRIVE. I wasn't expecting that.
Has anybody’s started shipping yet? I am seeing posts all over the internet of people showing off their copies but mine still hasn’t shipped. I know tomorrow is the official release day, just wondering if they were shipping early.
Has anybody’s started shipping yet? I am seeing posts all over the internet of people showing off their copies but mine still hasn’t shipped. I know tomorrow is the official release day, just wondering if they were shipping early.
The copy I pre-ordered from Sacred Bones was delivered on January 12th.
Has anybody’s started shipping yet? I am seeing posts all over the internet of people showing off their copies but mine still hasn’t shipped. I know tomorrow is the official release day, just wondering if they were shipping early.
The copy I pre-ordered from Sacred Bones was delivered on January 12th.
WTF?!? I pre-ordered on the day it went on sale and it still hasn't shipped.
The copy I pre-ordered from Sacred Bones was delivered on January 12th.
WTF?!? I pre-ordered on the day it went on sale and it still hasn't shipped.
Weird, not sure why yours hasn't shipped yet. I did pre-order both the CD and Vinyl "Blood Twister" version... that shouldn't make a difference though (I would think).
I love John Carpenter and "the boys" but I really struggle to see what everyone liked in this score. It feels so "by the numbers" as though they were as unimpressed by the project as I was.
I love John Carpenter and "the boys" but I really struggle to see what everyone liked in this score. It feels so "by the numbers" as though they were as unimpressed by the project as I was.
I really liked this one too but not sure why… kinda weird. I think, to me, it kind of harkened back to some of his old stuff. I can hear elements of Christine and Prince of Darkness in it. It’s gotten the most spins out of the 3 from me.
Christine and Prince of Darkness are two of my favorites (from Carpenter/Howarth) and I am just not hearing any of that here. Are there any tracks that stand out to you which I should revisit? Other than "The Junkyard" all of the tracks are so short that very little develops within their soundscapes. When I think of Prince of Darkness, especially, I think of how every track grows and pulsates and creates a new element of the dreamscape nightmare leading into the next track.
Finally received my CD and had a chance to take it all in. SPOILERS!
I think what makes this score so good is the same thing that makes the film so bad - it’s a departure from the series. There are some new themes and an overall different sound from the first two. I like this a lot. I just wish I could say the same about the film.
