Forty years later, the theme from John Carpenter's slasher flick Halloween is still just as a terrifying. For the first time since 1982's Halloween III, Carpenter is back for the movie's new installment — wherein Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode to face Michael Myers once again — as executive producer, creative consultant and, most crucially, as composer.
"The Shape Returns" begins with that iconic melody, but a minute in, those stabbing synths are cut into tiny pieces by quietly piercing beats. Carpenter is joined by his son Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies, both contributors to recent albums Lost Themes I and II (and film composers in their own right). The arrangement is subtle, but significant, with the younger musicians not necessarily modernizing Carpenter's soundtrack but expanding the horror.
John Carpenter's Halloween soundtrack comes out Oct. 19 via Sacred Bones.
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