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Terry's
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Halloween
– Original Motion Picture Soundtrack HIP-O
Records – 2007
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I didn’t like this remake as a film.
I think Rob Zombie was the wrong director for this material.
Someone like M. Night Shyalaman or Tom Tykwer would have been much
better choice for the material because of their focus on character and suspense rather
than violence. I do have to admit Rob Zombie did do an excellent
job of picking the right composer and songs used in the film.
The HALLOWEEN Soundtrack is really good. Zombie has audio clips spread throughout the CD
mostly from Malcolm McDowell’s dialogue in the film. Tyler Bates makes “Halloween 2007”creepy with
a distressed female voice, twisted off-sounding piano sound and ambient
thumps and hot electronic signal waves. It’s amazing how Blue Oyster Cult’s
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” fits with HALLOWEEN (both versions).
The guitar notes have an autumn like feel and the soft vocals and
drums just seem so right. I’d say the same about the next song, Nazereth’s “Love
Hurts.” It’s got a
timeless quality and does mesh with what was happening in the movie. Peter Frampton’s “Baby I Love Your Way
(Live)” seems a little out of place, though it is something you would
have heard on the radio the timeframe the story takes place.
Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” seems a much better fit for this film
even though it came out 3 years after the story takes place. I love the choice of Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s
“Let It Ride.” It kind of
helps that BTO was the first group I ever liked and in my book you can
never go wrong with using anything from this underrated band. “God Of Thunder” was an excellent surprise as
I watched this film. This
KISS song really puts the film and your audiospace in the right atmosphere
of something lurking in the darkness that will soon strike. I’ve never really been a fan of Iggy Pop and
it’s the only throw away song on the soundtrack. The inclusion of Alice Cooper’s “Only Women
Bleed” seems appropriate, especially with Zombie’s focus on torturous
female violence. Though I like the enthusiasm of The Misfits
“Halloween II” I don’t really see the attraction to the band’s
vocals or music. Tyler Bates strikes a second time with “The
Shape Stalks Laurie.” The atmosphere of terror is captured big time with
thundering drum hits, tension building electronic sampling and the way
Bates reinvigorates John Carpenter’s piano notes.
I hope his entire score is released on CD Rob Zombie picked a real gem with Nan Vernon’s
take on “Mr. Sandman.” Her
voice is haunting and almost surreal.
It’s also somewhat cool that Zombie used this song, because it
wasn’t used in HALLOWEEN but rather HALLOWEEN II. Another thing I loved about this soundtrack is
how the linear note booklet was put together.
Each song gets its own booklet page with a still from the movie.
This soundtrack will please any fan of the film, the music or the songs.
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