Christine Soundtrack CD

Christine Movie Soundtrack
1983, Columbia .
John Carpenter.
Verese Sarabande, CD, 1991, VSD-5240.
Rating:

John Carpenter’s horror, based on a novel by Stephen King, about a car possessed, may not be the scariest movie ever made but its convincing evocation of teenage life in 1950s America distracts from its more ridiculous moments. Carpenter’s cold, electronic score is perfect in the film (used in conjunction with a roster of songs from the era) as school nerd Arnie (Keith Gordon) falls under the spell of an abandoned flaming red Plymouth Fury with a dark past. Though the score also works well away from the film, some the cues are ultimately little more than stingers used to punctuate dramatic moments. Clever use of ‘Here Comes The Bride’ to accent the ‘love affair’ between man and car is particularly effective in ‘Show Me’. Beyond this, the best cues are chase (to the death) sequences, ‘Moochie’s Death’, ‘Buddie’s Death’ and the excellent ‘Christine Attacks’, the only track from the score used on the original release of the soundtrack back in 1982, mainly populated by the likes of Buddy Holly, Danny and the Juniors and Little Richard. A chilling, effective cruise through Carpenter’s filmic landscape.
Christine Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.

Track Listing:
1. Arnie’s Love Theme
2. Obsessed With The Car
3. Football Run
4. Kill Your Kids
5. Rape
6. Discovery
7. Show Me
8. Moochie’s Death
9. Junkins
10. Buddie’s Death
11. Nobody’s Home
12. Restored
13. Car Obsession Reprise
14. Christine Attacks (Plymouth Fury)
15. Talk On The Couch
16. Regeneration
17. Darnell’s Tonight
18. Undented
19. Moochie Mix Four

Other Versions Available:

Motown, LP, 1983, ZL 72139.
Rating:
Though John Carpenter created an atmospheric score to accompany this Stephen King adaptation, it failed to evoke the 1950s period in which the film is set. This collection of pop classics from the era feature the likes of Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Danny And The Juniors, along with the atmospheric ‘Harlem Nocturne’ by The Viscounts and 1980s rocker ‘Bad To The Bone’, that opens the movie. A great collection deserving a re-release.

Side Two:
6. I Wonder Why (Dion & The Belmonts).
7. Harlem Nocturne (The Viscounts).
8. Little Bitty Pretty One (Thurston Harris).
9. Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Here To Stay (Danny & The Juniors).
10. Christine Attacks (John Carpenter/Alan Howarth).
11. Bony Moronie (Larry Williams).

Halloween Soundtrack CD

Halloween Anniversary Edition.
1978, Compass International.
John Carpenter.
Verese Sarabande, CD, 1998, VSD 5970.
Rating:

John Carpenter’s classic slasher flick gets the 20th Anniversary treatment, complete with dialogue, in this crisp, re-mastered re-issue. Released in 1978, Halloween was one of the first of a new trend toward teenage stab movies that became highly imitated, most notably by the ‘Friday the 13th’ series. Considered far superior to Friday, Halloween took the age old premise of a boogieman like ‘shape’ shadowing a small community and striking on Halloween night, in this case, the lunatic local Michael Myers. John Carpenter’s score, like the film itself, is a sparse, cold affair and rather repetitive, which is of course the point, the killer being an emotionless automaton. While the film benefits greatly from this score however, its ability to transcend it is limited; many of the cues, while effective, are almost identical. Proof of the score’s limitations was also born out in Carpenter’s ‘Halloween II’ (1981), which failed to add much to the original; maybe a reflection of the film’s one dimensional subject matter? Where this edition stands out from earlier releases is in the excellent sound quality, both of the score itself and the dialogue from the film. Unlike many re-mastered editions that sound identical to the originals, this release boasts fantastic stereo separation and clarity. Cues and dialogue have also been compiled in film order, giving the listener a strong sense of story without the distractions and musical edits that come with watching the film itself. Collectable.
Halloween Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.

Track Listing:
1. Halloween Theme.
2. Halloween 1963.
3. The Evil Is Gone!
4. Halloween 1978.
5. The Boogie Man Is Coming.
6. The Shape.
7. The Hedge.
8. He Came Home.
9. Trick Or Treat.
10. The Haunted House.
11. The Devil’s eyes.
12. The Boogie Man Is Outside.
13. Damn You For Letting Him Go!
14. Empty Street.
15. See Anything You Like?
16. Lock The Door.
17. He’s Here?
18. Light’s Out.
19. Cut It Out.
20. Tombstone.
21. The Shape Stalks Laurie.
22. Turn Around.
23. Unlock The Door.
24. The Hanger.
25. Call The Police.
26. Last Assault.
27. Was It The Boogie Man?