John Carpenter & Spooky Movie Music
It's that time of year again…spooky season! Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot revisit their conversation with horror writer, director and composer John Carpenter. Then, they share their favorite spooky movie music.
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John Carpenter
John Carpenter is best known as the director of horror masterpieces like Halloween and They Live, but his innovative film scores elevate the films to a whole other level. Carpenter explains to Jim and Greg that he initially started composing synthesizer-based scores for his movies as a cost-saving measure. He downplays his musical skill, but says he does enjoy performing his music in a group with his son and godson.
Spooky Movie Songs
Horror films wouldn't be nearly as scary without their soundtracks. Jim and Greg share moments in movies where songs are either recontextualized or scoring is done just right to deliver maximum frights.
Jim
- Frankie Valli, "The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)" from Midsommar
- Childish Gambino, "Redbone" from Get Out
- Magnet, "Willow’s Song" from The Wicker Man (1973)
- Mike Oldfield, "Tubular Bells" from The Exorcist
- Colin Newman, "Alone" from The Silence of the Lambs
- Bauhaus, "Bela Lugosi’s Dead" from The Hunger
Greg
- Goblin, “Suspiria” from Suspiria (1977)
- Wayne Bell and Tobe Hooper, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
- David Lynch and Peter Ivers, “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” from Eraserhead
- Tangerine Dream, “Rain In the Third House” from Near Dark
- Krzysztof Komeda, "Main Title" from Rosemary's Baby
- Philip Glass, “Helen’s Theme” from Candyman (1992)
Featured Songs:
- John Carpenter, "Halloween Theme - Main Title," Halloween (Original 1978 Motion Picture Soundtrack), Columbia, 1979
- John Carpenter, "The Shape Stalks," Halloween (Original 1978 Motion Picture Soundtrack), Columbia, 1979
- Bebe Barron and Louis Barron, "Forbidden Planet Soundtrack - a) Main Titles - Overture - b) Giant Footprints In The Sand," Forbidden Planet, Planet, 1976
- Bernard Herrmann, Joel McNeely & Royal Scottish Orchestra, "Scotty Trails Madeline (Including: Madeline's First Appearance, Madeline's Car, The Flower Shop, The Alleyway, The Mission, Graveyard, and Tombstone)," Vertigo: Original Motion Picture Score, Varèse Sarabande, 1995
- John Carpenter, "Dark Star," Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998, Rodeo Suplex, 2017
- John Carpenter, "Skeleton," Lost Themes III: Life After Death, Sacred Bones, 2021
- Dimitri Tiomkin, "High Noon - Theme," Movie Memories: Music from the Greatest Films, Colosseum, 1995
- John Carpenter, "Dead Eyes," Lost Themes III: Life After Death, Sacred Bones, 2021
- Frankie Valli, "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)," The 4 Seasons Present Frankie Valli Solo, Philips, 1967
- Goblin, "Suspiria," Suspiria: The Complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Cinevox, 1977
- Childish Gambino, "Redbone," "Awaken, My Love!", Glassnote, 2016
- Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, N/A, 1974
- Magnet, "Willow's Song," The Wicker Man, Trunk, 1998
- David Lynch and Peter Ivers, "In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)," Eraserhead: Original Soundtrack, I.R.S., 1982
- Luniz, "I Got 5 On It (feat. Michael Marshall)," Operation Stackola, C Note, 1995
- Mike Oldfield, "Tubular Bells, Part One," Tubular Bells, Virgin, 1973
- Tangerine Dream, "Rain In the Third House," Near Dark (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Varèse Sarabande, 1987
- Colin Newman, "Alone," A-Z, Beggars Banquet, 1980
- Krzysztof Komeda, "Main Title," Rosemary's Baby (Music from the Original Motion Picture Score), Dot, 1968
- Bauhaus, "Bela Lugosi's Dead," Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape, Beggars Banquet, 1982
- Philip Glass, "Helen's Theme," Candyman (Original 1992 Motion Picture Soundtrack), One Way Static, 2014
- Pearl Jam, "Yellow Ledbetter," Lost Dogs, Epic, 2003
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