A Worthwhile Throwback

John Carpenter has always been one of the most beloved American film makers and his movies disgusted and delighted audiences over the span of two decades. One of the things that his movies have always been notable for was their thrilling and haunting soundtracks, a sound that is very much coming back in style after the success that was the Stranger Things soundtrack by S U R V I V E. It has never made more sense at any point in time to put out this release, and it’s exciting to know that the masterworks from the soundtracks of John Carpenter are still just as fresh and skin puckering as they were the day they came out.

The album features an incredible selection of film themes ranging from lesser known movies like In the Mouth of Madness and Assault on Precinct 13 to essential films such as Big Trouble in Little China and The Thing. One of the most compelling themes is actually the album opener “In the Mouth of Madness” which is a furious guitar track that seems like it could be off a modern rock album until the track hits the centerpiece and makes a startling change. At the middle of the track the signature synths of Carpenter come bursting in, turning the atmosphere of the track from exciting to uneasy and menacing. The track exists in this space for around thirty seconds before returning to the guitars, but the rest of the track is listened to with the knowing that there is something sinister lurking in the background, waiting for a silent moment to pounce.

The other standout from the earlier half of the album is “Prince of Darkness,” which contains the synth that Carpenter is most known for but this time it is deeper and more visceral, rattling around the edges with feedback and imperfection, creating a tense and dramatic atmosphere that finally breaks open after about a minute and a half in the track. Once it breaks open it becomes somehow more menacing; the message of the song is clear — in the beginning there was something to hide from, and towards the end it becomes something to run from.

Some of the more notable tracks come from much beloved films — a particular standout is the theme of The Thing, a film which has long been held as one of Carpenter’s masterworks and among the most terrifying films of the era. The track takes that same terror and translates it effectively into an audio medium, allowing Carpenter to showcase his skills behind both the boards and the cameras. The track is slow and plodding, much in the same way the film is. There’s always an air of uneasiness, the silence between keys in the beginning lingers too long, and the tones of the keyboard are ever so slightly off key and out of focus, there’s something wrong, and like the film, it is impossible to pinpoint what exactly until it is much too late.

Lastly, the theme for Halloween is a triumph that cannot be overlooked, while The Thing may be the most terrifying entry from Carpenter Halloween is his most successful by far. The iconic track will come as no surprise to any lover of film and listening to it again, the iconic piano sections constantly under threat of being overwhelmed by a rising synth tone is indicative of the feeling of the film itself. Many of these tracks have similar motifs and thematic elements, but “Halloween” is undoubtedly the most copied and influential of all his themes, it’s influences can be felt readily in modern works like Stranger Things and It Follows, even by those with no background in music or horror.

There are rare humans that have so much skill behind so many different types of art, and all the world is lucky to have the works of John Carpenter readily available for both their ears and eyes. This remastered collection of his greatest film themes is essential to any lover of synth music or horror films. The works contained within are at the purest quality they have ever been presented in and represent important influences in the worlds of music and film as the world shifted to recognize the power of the synth.