2008 Woodie Awards
Revamped 'Halloween' Sounds Thrill and Chill
Songs from the '70s accompany the new Michael Myers on his killing spree.
Summer Rogers
Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: Online Exclusive
The soundtrack to Rob Zombie's latest endeavor, "Halloween," strays from traditional horror flick soundtracks, to create something eerily different and excellent by intertwining dialogue from the film with songs.
In a genre where music is one of the most important elements of a film; i.e. the "Psycho" theme, which has a suspenseful build up followed by the shower stabbing scene or the "Jaws" theme---just the simple, "da-duh, da-duh," and the audience knows the shark is coming and will attack. It seems odd that the music on the soundtrack is primarily rock songs from the '70s. Perhaps this choice of music from the '70s is a nod to John Carpenter's original "Halloween," which was made in 1978.
Music is key in horror and the selection of songs seems strange at first, but when used in the film, it works fantastically.
This soundtrack is unique in the fact that in between each track is dialogue from the film. The soundtrack begins with a quote by Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell, "Entourage") describing Michael Myers, "These are the eyes of a psychopath." Following the clip is the "Halloween 2007" theme. The third track is a clip saying, "Lauren, is the Boogieman real?" Blue Oyster Cult's, "Don't Fear the Reaper" follows the clip.
The clips and the songs are strategically placed and actually create a sense of irony, making the listener question if this is truly the soundtrack to a horror movie. Also featured on the soundtrack are "Love Hurts" by Nazareth, "Tom Sawyer" by Rush, "Only Women Bleed" by Alice Cooper and "1969" by Iggy Pop. Eric Clapton's, "Baby, I Love Your Way," is also featured, but the odd thing about this song is that it is a live version, which is strange for a film and soundtrack, but it works here.
Watch out for track 23, it's a real scream…literally.
The album is rounded out with Nan Vernon's version of "Mr. Sandman," sung in a breathy-whisper.
There were a couple of tracks that were purely score. Composer Tyler Bates, who also worked on the score for Zombie's "House of 1,000 Corpses" (2003) and "The Devil's Rejects" (2005), reworked the original "Halloween" theme. The '78 "Halloween" theme was the initial leitmotif audiences associated with the killer, Michael Myers, but Bates reworks it in such a way that it terrifies audiences in a new way.
The new theme, dubbed "Halloween 2007," is spine chilling. People can still identify the song and identify it with "Halloween," but realize it is a completely new version. The other track composed by Bates is called, "The Shape Stalks Laurie." This song alone is terrifying, even without the images of a six-foot tall psychopath lumbering along, trailing someone. It is composed in such a way, that listeners can use their own imagination to create a sense of what is happening, which may be even more frightening than what actually happens in the movie.
In a genre where music is one of the most important elements of a film; i.e. the "Psycho" theme, which has a suspenseful build up followed by the shower stabbing scene or the "Jaws" theme---just the simple, "da-duh, da-duh," and the audience knows the shark is coming and will attack. It seems odd that the music on the soundtrack is primarily rock songs from the '70s. Perhaps this choice of music from the '70s is a nod to John Carpenter's original "Halloween," which was made in 1978.
Music is key in horror and the selection of songs seems strange at first, but when used in the film, it works fantastically.
This soundtrack is unique in the fact that in between each track is dialogue from the film. The soundtrack begins with a quote by Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell, "Entourage") describing Michael Myers, "These are the eyes of a psychopath." Following the clip is the "Halloween 2007" theme. The third track is a clip saying, "Lauren, is the Boogieman real?" Blue Oyster Cult's, "Don't Fear the Reaper" follows the clip.
The clips and the songs are strategically placed and actually create a sense of irony, making the listener question if this is truly the soundtrack to a horror movie. Also featured on the soundtrack are "Love Hurts" by Nazareth, "Tom Sawyer" by Rush, "Only Women Bleed" by Alice Cooper and "1969" by Iggy Pop. Eric Clapton's, "Baby, I Love Your Way," is also featured, but the odd thing about this song is that it is a live version, which is strange for a film and soundtrack, but it works here.
Watch out for track 23, it's a real scream…literally.
The album is rounded out with Nan Vernon's version of "Mr. Sandman," sung in a breathy-whisper.
There were a couple of tracks that were purely score. Composer Tyler Bates, who also worked on the score for Zombie's "House of 1,000 Corpses" (2003) and "The Devil's Rejects" (2005), reworked the original "Halloween" theme. The '78 "Halloween" theme was the initial leitmotif audiences associated with the killer, Michael Myers, but Bates reworks it in such a way that it terrifies audiences in a new way.
The new theme, dubbed "Halloween 2007," is spine chilling. People can still identify the song and identify it with "Halloween," but realize it is a completely new version. The other track composed by Bates is called, "The Shape Stalks Laurie." This song alone is terrifying, even without the images of a six-foot tall psychopath lumbering along, trailing someone. It is composed in such a way, that listeners can use their own imagination to create a sense of what is happening, which may be even more frightening than what actually happens in the movie.
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