By JASON COMERFORD In retrospect, Halloween III never had a chance. Series mastermind John Carpenter, not wanting to rehash the same stalk-and-kill template he’d helped create, rolled the dice on a novel concept: Do away with the Shatner-masked slasher Michael Myers and create a new story, linked to its predecessors only by its Halloweentime setting. The end result was practically booed off the screen, opening to middling box office and scathing reviews; British screenwriter Nigel Kneale even took his name off the project, disgusted with the way his original concept mutated in the filming process. Myers, easily the least interesting of the 80s matinee maniacs, was brought back for a series of middling sequels (see: the law of diminishing returns), but the franchise’s oddball offshoot still continues to have a devoted following for its lopsided but entertaining mixture of gory witchcraft and paranoid sci-fi. Carpenter, on this round merely a producer, reteamed with Alan Howarth to create the music for the new film, continuing with the all-electronic, do-it-yourself ethic that made the first Halloween’s score so iconic yet not bound to its thematic material. Of particular note is an ominously ubiquitous television commercial for Silver Shamrock Novelties, which on Halloween night threatens to transmit a lethal signal to mask-wearing trick-or-treaters everywhere. Carpenter and Howarth appropriate the melody and structure of the nursery rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down” for their own insidious ends by changing the singsong lyrics to suit the story and adding an eerie warbling effect to the vocals. The film’s director, Tommy Lee Wallace, contributes a spoken admonishment to listeners not to forget their masks... Halloween III’s moody electronic soundscape was released by Varese Sarabande first on LP and then later on CD. An expanded edition limited to 1,000 copies was produced by Howarth in 2007; original pressed copies are becoming hard to come by, but Howarth still offers CDR copies on his website. CAUTION regarding flashing images in the video below: The below youtube clip produces flashing lights and rapidly alternating images, which might induce an epileptic seisure in prone individuals.
What do you think? Click here to submit a comment READER COMMENTS: |
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Individuals submitting comments Composers' Websites: Official John Carpenter Website Official Alan Howarth Website Krzysztof Komeda has a very |
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| Howlin' Wolf | The contest period for this installment will run until midnight on Thursday, October 28 when the final installment in "13 CHILLS" premieres. |
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| deinonych | Ahhhh! John Carpenter's scores are the best! My favorites are Assault On Precinct 13, The Fog, Escape From New York (also with Alan Howarth) and The Thing with Ennio Morricone. Not only does Carpenter develop the coolest beats, he also strikes that perfect note of dread. In the realm of horror, it's tough to find music more saturated with atmosphere than in the films of John Carpenter. |
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| Fons | A director and score composer in one? You may suspect budget reasons but in Carpenter's case it turned out to be a winning combination. It doesn't happen very often that a director also changes the musical landscape for a movie genre like Carpenter did. Okay, the Carpenter-Howarth synthesizer sound may be a bit dated by now but with the matching images the music still works perfectly. My personal Carpenter best: Assault on Precinct 13 & The Fog. |
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| iZombie | Season Of The Witch... outside the catchy "happy, happy halloween" tune with the strobe-ing pumpkin... I liked where Carpenter was going with this film, though we wanted Michael Myers. I heard a rumor once that it was not Michael's fault for the killings, but the mask he was wearing. He was the first test subject, now as a kid I was like wow that is deep thinking on Carpenter's part. As I got older, I am like... what, what happened when he killed as a child... The score is the piercing sound that you can feel deep if you listen loud enough full of spooky ranges and sound scrapes. I did not know there was a expanded version, so I am listening to the first release... it is very much the same style Carpenter and Howarth did for many of their releases... "witch" is a good thing! |
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| Spook | Apart from the insanely catchy 'Silver Shamrock' and the driving 'Chariots of Pumpkins' themes, the main title music with the image steadily getting drawn onto the computer screen is an ominous classic. John Carpenter will never top his THE FOG theme for me, but these quiet gradual building pieces with the little electronic riffs as the image is written, run a close second. The film should have gotten a better reaction…it’s the essence of Halloween (now topped by TRICK 'R TREAT!). |
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| Danny G. | Halloween 3 has earned the reputation of a cult classic. One of the many films that Universal Pictures released in 1982, that got critically lambasted - John Carpenter's The Thing included, which is now revered. Halloween 3 isn't what people had expected because it didn't have Michael Myers and that was a good thing. Halloween 3 is basically a black comedy set on Halloween with the nefarious Dan O'Herlihy pulling a nasty little trick at the end of the night. While everyone from the original Halloween films prior to this one returned, it was a no-brainer that John Carpenter and Alan Howarth would score this film. So without Michael Myers, there had to be new themes and even more suspense. They definitely delivered a great score that is better than the original Michael Myers Halloween scores. The film's Main Title and Chariots Of Pumpkins are awesome tracks. Very exciting stuff. That and the Silver Shamrock jingle, which still gives me the creeps. Halloween 3 delivered on all the goods. Great stuff. |
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| DCD | Ahh, good old Halloween scores. Can't say I'm too familiar with any of them, but the bits and pieces I have been lucky enough to overhear I enjoy. |
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| Murphy Screams | Oh man! This is easily the best of the Halloween scores. Carpenter and Howarth are at their peak here. This also happens to be my favorite sequel in the Halloween series, even though it's very popular to hate it. Three more days 'til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween... |
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| Alan D | I enjoy this score and I enjoy this film. I think the film would have been better received if it was simply titled "Season of the Witch" and not had the "Halloween" name on it. A film with "Halloween" in the title was supposed to have Michael Myers...this one kind of does, but I know a lot of people haven't watched it long enough even to see him on the small screen. The score is a great listen and it uses the same flavor that Carpenter is known for and definately has the feeling of his "Halloween" film music while coming up with new themes. "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" is always welcome here. |
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| Basil | I own the original Varese CD, and the Main Title is perhaps my favorite track. Still, I haven't managed to pick up the expanded version yet... at 1000 copies, one wonders why it isn't gone yet. |
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| Howlin' Wolf | Congratulations Fons - you are the winner drawn from the pumpkin for this installment. Thanks for your participation and we will be contacting you to get shipping information. Thanks of course to everyone for the great comments on this installment - there is nothing like a John Carpenter/Alan Howarth score around Halloween! |
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| David Kessler | Halloween 3 the original Varese release was actually the first score I bought on CD and the Silver Shamrock jingle was playing frequently at our Halloween parties...A great score to an interesting movie that isn't as bad as its reputation... |