by Taylor Kingsbury
Staff Editor
There is a chill in the Autumn night, and a methodical breeze whispers through the trees.
You walk through the darkness, lost in your thoughts, unaware of the faceless thing that creeps up behind you.
Your footsteps crush the dead leaves beneath your feet. But as you stop, you notice the crackling of the leaves continues. It is then you realize that you are not alone.
You turn to face the source of the noise, but there is nothing visible behind you. Still, the sound draws near, and you can almost feel the invisible presence breathing down your neck.
You panic and begin to walk faster, but the sound grows. You begin to run, but the unknown thing chases closely behind you. You stumble and fall on the cold concrete. You whirl around, your eyes wide with terror as it draws closer to you.
Then, as you lay helpless on the ground, before you can even utter a syllable of the terror in your throat, it is upon you.
Halloween is here!
The holiday that makes holidays worth celebrating will soon be upon us, and nothing makes this time of terror more delicious than some good, spooky music to set the mood.
The best place to start for some scary Halloween sounds is with horror film scores.
Since the inception of the genre, the music in horror films has been more crucial to the creation of genuinely frightening cinema than any other film element.
The most obvious example of a fine horror film score is that of the perennial holiday classic “Halloween.” Director John Carpenter’s eerie title theme is still the most chilling, with the rest of the score holding the mood just as aptly.
The remastered 20th Anniversary edition of the “Halloween” soundtrack is a mandatory body of music for any Halloween festivity.
Another good party pick is Bernard Hermann’s superlative score for Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.”
With this score, Hermann showed us that the violin is truly the world’s most frightening instrument. Each piece of music creates an atmosphere of genuine dread that modern filmmakers only dream of matching.
A less obvious choice is the score to Dario Argento’s masterpiece “Suspiria.”
The film is a personal favorite, and the title theme alone is enough to send chills down the strongest spine.
The film and soundtrack have both been lovingly remastered, and are available packaged together in the special edition of the “Suspiria” DVD.
Avoid those cheesy “Night in a Graveyard” sound effects discs and keep digging for horror film score compilations.
These sets are very inexpensive and are a great way to get classic movie themes on one disc.
Outside of the soundtrack genre, there are many other great options for Halloween sounds.
One great party disc is the recently released “Tino’s Breaks Volume 6: Halloween Dub.” This latest entry in the DJ popular series boasts some great atmospheres and though they are not really meant to sound “scary,” the disc sets a great tone for a night of costumed mayhem.
Fantomas could very well be the official band of Halloween. On their self-titled debut and its follow up “The Director’s Cut,” Fantomas create sonic soundscapes that would creep out just about anyone.
“The Director’s Cut” consists of renditions of film themes, each one done in a manner that is decidedly Fantomas, which is completely unpredictable. When this band lunges into pummeling passages, their tenacity is frightening enough, but in their quieter moments, Fantomas is even more capable of creating a genuinely chilling atmosphere.
When your interest is not to scare your party guests, but to scare them away, you have many more options available.
The new Disturbed record is so awful, it should send your average guest screaming toward the door.
If that doesn’t work, Dashboard Confessional should get rid of the Disturbed fans.
Then, when the 13-year old girls are still hanging around, shake them off with a good healthy dose of Pig Destroyer.
Their latest opus “Prowler in the Yard” will terrify anyone. The bravest among you will devour every note of this grindcore masterpiece and ultimately be richly rewarded.
If you have the stomach for extreme metal, you won’t find much better than Pig Destroyer.
May your festivities be safe, fun, and memorable. But over all, have a scary, happy Halloween.
