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Halloween Soundtracks Getting 40th Anniversary Vinyl From Mondo
The first five soundtracks of the Halloween franchise are getting special vinyl releases to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original. John Carpenter is a rare artist, having created a classic story and composed a classic score in a single movie, which he achieved to magical and influential effect with 1978's Halloween. David Gordon Green (Stronger) helmed the newest Halloween, due out this October, with a chance to carry on Carpenter's legacy in a direct sequel to the first film.
Slasher icon Michael Myers is back for the 2018 installment, titled simply Halloween, despite being a follow-up to the original. Jamie Lee Curtis is also back as Laurie Strode, for her first appearance in the franchise since 2002's Halloween: Resurrection - which will be conveniently ignored. What will not be ignored, however, is Carpenter's now-iconic theme song that helped define the entire series, and will also be a part of the new movie that is scored by Carpenter himself. His music will be honored just in time for the 40th anniversary of the first Halloween, along with several other franchise soundtracks.
Mondo Music announced on Tuesday that they worked with Death Waltz Recording Company to release remastered vinyl reissues of the first five Halloween films' soundtracks, starting with Alan Howarth's music for Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: Revenge of Michael Myers on Wednesday, July 25. Return will be a red & white vinyl record with artwork by Gary Pullin, while Revenge will be blue & white with artwork by Randy Ortiz. Both records contain liner notes by J. Blake Fichera and will sell for $32. Both can be purchased in a $60 bundle, however, along with a free slipcase that can house all five records when collected. Check out a gallery of the new Halloween soundtrack reissues below:
The vinyl reissues will continue in August with the soundtrack for Halloween III: Season of the Witch. The 1982 sequel is infamous for being the only Halloween movie not to feature Michael Myers, but has slowly built a cult following in the decades since its release, and the initial shock of the change. Carpenter didn't direct Season of the Witch, but did collaborate with Howarth on the music, which is also something of a departure from the sound of the classic theme. Carpenter and Howarth's Halloween II soundtrack comes out in September, with the original Halloween finishing up the reissues in October. The artwork for movies 1-3 is by Mike Saputo, Paul Mann, and Alan Hynes, respectively.
This is the first time that Halloween 4 and 5 will be released on vinyl in 30 years, while the first three films will get re-releases of previous versions but with all new artwork. The remastered audio and newly minted collection is a must-have for audiophiles with an affinity for horror movies, the kind of collector that almost certainly loves Carpenter's work both behind the camera and in the recording studio for Halloween.
The new vinyl records will be a worthwhile celebration of the impact that Carpenter's music had on the Halloween franchise, and the horror genre as a whole. It remains to be seen if the new Halloween will come anywhere close to living up to the legacy of the franchise's best installments, and it makes a bold choice to disregard major plot details of the other sequels. It'll inevitably be compared to the original, but the presence of Curtis atop the cast and Green behind the camera gives hope that it will succeed. Still, an instantly recognizable villain and iconic score will only take the sequel so far, after that its story and new characters will need to pick up the slack.
