Horror legend John Carpenter turns 78 this Friday, and Halloween Night: John Carpenter Live from Los Angeles is now streaming on Screambox. Bloody Disgusting is celebrating with John Carpenter Week. For John Carpenter’s birthday, Patrick Brennan champions the composer’s underrated works.
Halloween. Escape from New York. Assault on Precinct 13. These are the movies that usually come to mind when fans think of John Carpenter as a film score composer (hell, a lot of us practically have the music from those movies committed to memory).
Their themes are iconic and showcase what’s made the legendary director’s musical output so memorable. Through the synthesizer – an instrument he will always be synonymous with – Carpenter creates layers of atmosphere anchored by melodic hooks that refuse to leave your brain. As a result, he joins the ranks of film composers whose instantly recognizable style has helped them achieve rock star status (at least to us movie nerds).
As is the case with any popular musician with a lengthy catalog, it’s easy to get caught up listening to just the hits. There’s a reason why certain Carpenter scores, like the films they’re paired with, have become seminal records for so many fans. But there are many other fantastic pieces of music to be found throughout his career.
So, here are five John Carpenter scores that deserve more love. Some are underappreciated while others appear to be slept-on entirely. All, as the kids say, are bangers. Give them a spin, if you haven’t already, and see if you agree.
Village of the Damned (1995)
If you’re only familiar with John Carpenter’s 80s output, then his remake of the sci-fi horror classic Village of the Damned will be a fascinating listen for several reasons. For starters, those curious to hear what his synthesizer would sound like accompanied by a small orchestra will find their opportunity here. Also adding to the unique flavor of the score is the fact that Carpenter had a different musical collaborator for this picture. While much of the previous decade was spent working with Alan Howarth, this project saw him teaming up with Kinks lead guitarist Dave Davies, most notably on the track “March of the Children.” The end product is a score that sounds unlike anything heard in a Carpenter film to that date.
Prince of Darkness (1987)
The second film in John Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Trilogy” is a steady and deliberate affair. The tension ratchets up incrementally, similar to how the laws of nature slowly begin to defy themselves as the movie’s title baddie gestates in his glass womb. The score to Prince of Darkness illustrates that mounting dread beautifully, providing a smorgasbord of highlights. The pulsing “Opening Titles” plays like a staccato heartbeat, informing us of the impending awakening of the sleeper, while “Darkness Begins” sounds like the perversion of a sacred hymn, complete with a demonic organ and choir. But it’s “The Devil Awakens” that really brings the heat, beginning with a hint of quiet menace before exploding into chaos. It’s Carpenter’s most complete sounding score from start to finish, and it’s no surprise that it’s one of his favorites.
Body Bags (1993)
Listen: I defy you to tell me “The Coroner’s Theme” isn’t a goddamn bop. If that single opening track was the only decent piece of music found in Body Bags, I’d still say the score was underrated; that’s how much it slaps. Thankfully, while it definitely is a high point, there are plenty of other great moments in this collaboration between Carpenter and Jim Lang (who would go on to work with John on In the Mouth of Madness the following year). There’s the jazzy Twin Peaks-esque “Long Beautiful Hair,” the chillingly disturbing finale that is “…Pluck it Out,” and “The Picture on the Wall,” which sounds like a distant cousin to Halloween’s “Main Title Theme.” It might not be the moodiest entry in Carpenter’s discography, but it’s hell of a lot of fun.
Christine (1983)
This may seem like a weird choice for a list of underrated works, but hear me out. Yes, it’s been agreed upon in recent years that “Moochie’s Death” is an absolute heater of a tune. It’s uncanny the way Carpenter is able to give voice to Christine’s single-minded rage and bloodlust, and it’s often the theme that comes to mind for folks when they think of the film. But what always gets me in the feels when watching the movie are the score’s quieter moments. There’s so much going on in “Arnie’s Love Theme,” for instance. On the surface, there’s the sound of the character’s obsession building, but beneath that, we hear the aspects of Arnie’s personality that make him a perfect target for an entity like Christine: his loneliness, insecurity, and self-loathing. To me, this is one of Carpenter’s most emotionally rich musical outings, and it deserves a place amongst his best works.
Vampires (1998)
If you’re a fan of the blues or Memphis soul, you’re probably going to perk up when you look through the list of musicians John Carpenter enlisted for Vampires, his criminally underrated horror western. Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Don, one-half of the iconic Stax Records instrumental group Booker T & the M.G.’s, lend their immense talents to the score, along with Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan guitarist Jeff Baxter. Big names aside, what makes this movie so interesting sonically is the fact that it gives us both sides of the Carpenter musical experience. We get the synth maestro with his brooding and atmospheric melodies (“Sunrise Death,” “Valek’s Portrait”) and the rock & roll-loving bandleader (“Slayers,” “Motel Sex”). It all makes for one of the most versatile and infinitely listenable scores to be found in Carpenter’s catalog.
Follow along all week long as we salute John Carpenter.
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