Weeklies

Artist: "John Carpenter and Alan Howarth"
Album: "Halloween III: Season Of The Witch"
Genre: Soundtracks
Label: Varese Sarabande

Reviewer: -RoG-
Posted: 10/13/2008

Review: This is it, John Carpenter's finest Halloween film soundtrack... and it's ironically for one of the most (unjustly) despised films in the series. Make no mistake about it, Halloween III: Season of the Witch soundtrack is nothing short of brilliant, and it's a shining example of just how creepy minimalism in music can be when written well. The soundtrack is entirely compromised of quiet, lurching synthesizer driven tracks which all helped instill a sense of oncoming dread in anybody who watched the film. The cold analog synths are the perfect companion to the soulless robots in the film who kill without saying a word or displaying any shred of emotion. "Chariots of Pumpkins" will always be my favorite, simply because I associate it with the fantastic intro to the film which shows the computerized flashing pumpkin image (used to activate the microchips in the masks) being constructed one line at a time.

It's also quite a departure from Carpenter's other works, which often used a variety of live instruments. It's also the first score he worked on where the music was written while watching the film footage. "The film is first transferred to a time coded video tape and synchronized to a 24 track master audio recorder; then while watching the film we compose the music to these visual images. The entire process goes quite rapidly and has 'instant gratification,' allowing us to evaluate the score in sync to the picture."

The Season of the Witch soundtrack deserves far more recognition than it gets (as does the movie itself), and it's an absolute must-have for anybody looking to beef up their Halloween music collection. If you're looking for eerie music to play in your homemade spookhouse, you could do a lot worst than these tunes. Just beware of how the infamous Silver Shamrock jingle (titled "Halloween Montage" on the soundtrack, it's actually just a spookified version of "London Bridge is Falling Down") has the tendency to get stuck in your head to the point where you'll wish you were wearing one of those deadly masks. Happy, Happy Halloween, Halloween, Halloween... Silver Shamrock.

Overall rating: WholeWholeWholeWholeHalf
(Scored on a 0.5 - 5 pickles rating: 0.5 being the worst and 5 being the best)

Reader Comments

Member
Oct 14th, 2008, 12:36 PM
Is this album still in print? the last time i saw a copy on amazon it was over 30 dollars used. I Know I-Tunes has it now
is hopped up on goofballs
Oct 14th, 2008, 01:10 PM
Oh holy crap you just got the Silver Shamrock jingle stuck in my head. Thanks a bunch, RoG.
Member
Oct 14th, 2008, 05:35 PM
Damn the jingle.
You'll thank me later...
Oct 14th, 2008, 10:06 PM
The jingle alone reminds me that there is nothing unjust about hating this movie.
Smooth Operator
Oct 15th, 2008, 04:15 AM
I used to dislike this movie because Mikey wasn't present. I still dislike this movie because of that damn jingle (my brother and a friend of mine decided to sing along everytime it played in the movie). Honestly thought it's a decent flick, with an original plot.
Jack Burton, Me!
Oct 15th, 2008, 01:05 PM
Heard much about how III was the worst, but it's one of the best I find. You just gotta look at it as not a Halloween movie, more like it's something on its own. Carpenter and Hill's idea of doing a Twilight-Zone type series on Halloween stories would of been great had that Akkad guy decided to bring back Mike.
Jack Burton, Me!
Oct 15th, 2008, 01:05 PM
And I haven't heard all the music from the film, but Chariots of Pumpkins is damn good.
Fanboy
Oct 15th, 2008, 08:39 PM
Fourteen more days to Halloween, Halloween, Halloween....have you got your mask?
pickled
Oct 15th, 2008, 08:50 PM
Happy, Happy Halloween, Halloween, Halloween... Silver Shamrock.