Halloween: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 09.25.2007
Rob Zombie’s third soundtrack revives the 70’s, but will it be as eerie as the movie?
My Story
Every year around Halloween, it’s compulsory to me to make some sort of Halloween mix-tape or playlist. And it’s not all about “Monster Mash” and “Nightmare On My Street” (though those will always be favorites), but more about the tone and feel of Halloween. The trees turning bare, the air growing cooler, the night coming sooner…it’s a creepy time and it deserves creepy music.
When I read the tracklisting for the soundtrack to Rob Zombie’s Halloween, I thought that maybe Rob and I had something in common. So just how does Zombie’s foray into Halloween mixtapes fare?
His Story
Rob Zombie, a successful metal artist and formerly the frontman for White Zombie, began his directorial career in 2003 with the release of House Of 1000 Corpses. A graphic horror movie, Corpses took three years to find a distributor, despite its association with a well-known musician. Though the movie didn’t do very well commercially, it has since gained a cult following with horror aficionados and internet fans. The soundtrack House Of 1000 Corpses featured several bits of dialog and a few original songs by Rob Zombie, mixed with older songs by singers ranging from Buck Owens to the Ramones. The soundtrack did a good job at capturing the backwoods terror of the film and peaked at #53 on the Billboard charts.
Zombie followed with the 2005 sequel The Devil’s Rejects. The sequel fared better commercially and with critics. The soundtrack album reached #156 on the Billboard charts. Devil’s Rejects combined audio clips from the film with classic rock standards by acts like James Gang, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Allman Brothers Band, once again capturing the decidedly southern flavor of the lead ghouls in the movie.
In 2007, Zombie tackled his biggest project yet: a remake of John Carpenter’s legendary Halloween. The film was released in August of 2007 and became Rob Zombie’s biggest film yet, breaking historical Labor Day records. Prior to the movie, a soundtrack was released.
The Album
On August 21, 2007, Hip-O Records released Halloween: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, the soundtrack album to Rob Zombie’s film of the same name.
The Bands & The Songs
The Movie Clips
Before I get into the music of Halloween, let me start off by saying that I really enjoy the movie clips interspersed here. The dialog is matched up well, like “Is the boogieman real?” leading into BÖC’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper” or the funny “”I hope she likes cripples?” quote kicking off Frampton’s “Baby, I Love Your Way”. It’s a good way of making these catalog classics, 25 or more years old, sound fresh.
Tyler Bates – “Halloween 2007”
After some cautionary words from Dr. Loomis, the soundtrack kicks off proper with a reworking of the classic Halloween theme. Tyler Bates, who has worked on scores for movies like See No Evil and the 2004 Dawn Of The Dead remake, does a good job of mixing the creepy Carpenter classic with some techno elements, including some eerie female groans and an electro-beat. While this isn’t as good as having the original score, it is a nice, short modernization that keeps enough of the original’s vibe to remain true.
Blue Öyster Cult – “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”
This is the signature hit by BÖC, from 1976’s Agents Of Fortune. It reached #12 on the charts. The version here is the album version and not the edited single version, in case you’re wondering. Once you get the “More cowbell” ridiculousness out of your mind, you remember that “Reaper” is a creepy, menacing cut. This belongs on ANY Halloween mixtape. No band has found this vibe before or since. That guitar breakdown halfway in is downright spine-chilling.
Nazareth – “Love Hurts”
While “Love Hurts” doesn’t exactly fit in with our Halloween theme, it’s inclusion in the movie (young Michael Myers sitting on the curb dejected at not getting to go trick or treating) was inspired. Plus, it’s just an awesome song. It’s hard to believe the first band to record this was the Everly Brothers. Hard rockers Nazareth’s version (from Hair Of The Dog) was released in 1975 and it reached #8 on the Billboard charts. Perhaps the original power ballad.
Peter Frampton – “Baby, I Love Your Way (Live)”
Another love song. What the hell? While I appreciate the song’s commentary on the relationship between Debbie Myers and her boyfriend, it just does not fit here as the fourth song on the album. This is the #12 pop hit from Frampton Comes Alive! which was released in 1976. I like how the soundtrack is keeping its entries all in the same era, firmly planting the movie in the late 70’s, early 80’s (the original Halloween came out in 1981).
Rush – “Tom Sawyer”
From Rush’s 1981 album Moving Pictures, “Tom Sawyer” actually missed cracking the Top 40. While, once again, this isn’t a typical “scary song”, “Tom Sawyer” does do a good job at capturing Michael Myers’ cryptic nature.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive – “Let It Ride”
This is from 1973’s Bachman-Turner Overdrive II and it reached #23 on the Billboard charts. I like the melodies on the verses and the percussion break, plus the guitars, acoustic and electric, sound great. Once again, you can’t complain about the song’s greatness, but its inclusion on this soundtrack is questionable.
KISS – “God Of Thunder”
Now this is more fucking like it. Once again, “God Of Thunder” easily captures the menacing nature of Michael Myers. This was the B-Side to the KISS single “Flaming Youth”, which reached #74 in 1976. Also included on the classic album Destroyer. No doubt young Michael listened to a little KISS before he gutted his family.
Iggy Pop – “1969”
The Stooges’ “1969” is a song I’ve never cared much for. This is a live version from 1988, performed solo by Iggy Pop. While “1969” doesn’t fit the whole “Halloween” thing lyrically, its punk nature and rebellious attitude certainly capture the spirit of a serial killer, don’t you think?
Alice Cooper – “Only Women Bleed”
A #12 hit from 1975’s Welcome To My Nightmare and no doubt a tongue-in-cheek inclusion by Rob Zombie. Unfortunately, I think the humor was included to the detriment of the album, as this song fits even less than the “Love Hurts”/”Baby, I Love Your Way” combo.
The Misfits – “Halloween II”
FUCK YES! It’s nice to see the Misfits included on this Halloween-themed record, even it is one of their craziest songs. “Halloween II” is a sequel of sorts to the 1981 ‘Fits single “Halloween”, of which it served as the B-side. “Halloween II” uses the same melody as its predecessor, but features frontman Glenn Danzig singing some fucked-up Latin lyrics. It’s creepy as all fuck and definitely a good fit for this soundtrack.
Tyler Bates – “The Shape Stalks Laurie”
More score samples from Tyler Bates. This cut is way scarier, way more foreboding than the remix of the main theme. Another reworking of Carpenters’ original score. Definitely a keeper.
Nan Vernon – “Mr. Sandman”
The album ends with a very strange reworking of the 50’s classic “Mr. Sandman” by singer/songwriter Nan Vernon, who was discovered in the 90’s by the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart. It’s a shame that the rest of the non-“horror” songs on the album weren’t reworked this way, because Vernon has milked every ounce of sinister atmosphere from this track, making it a fitting, surreal event to end the record.
The 411: For the Halloween soundtrack, I was expecting a tour de force of classic horror-themed songs. What we get instead is a few of those classics “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”, “Halloween II”) mixed with ironic choices (“Love Hurts”), 70’s classics (“Tom Sawyer”) and film score snippets. While the soundtrack does a great job of capturing the era (no song here was originally recorded after 1981) and the clips from the movie (dialog and score) are perfect, Halloween will ultimately let you down as an October favorite. In the age of downloads, Halloween will let you down.
