Halloween

The Fog

Music by John Carpenter

 

 

 

 

Minimalism or resourceless? Almost monothematic, Halloween (1977) was one of the biggest hits of American independent cinema and its musical theme is today one of the most famous in history. Not bad for an B project in which the director was also the writer, editor and composer.

Essentially electronic, the soundtrack consists of the main theme and its harmonic structure in variations or repetitions (many repetitions). If Carpenter´s intention was to concentration and claustrophobia, the result was perfect. Starting with an rhytmic exercise, from Carpenter´s music student days, he developed the hypnotic main theme. Short and repetitive motifes have become a cliché in suspense since Bernard Herrmann created the theme of Vertigo, but Carpenter's merit was to have created the greatest symbol to the genre. The influence of Herrmann is noticeable - and mentioned by Carpenter himself - in counterpoint between high and low passages, as in Laurie's Theme. The use of stingers (brief sound attacks to provoke the audience's attention) is also constant on the music. But Halloween has a lot going for it: it's a great thriller, inventive and unpretentious as never saw after. A classic in minimalism, resourceless and talent.

 

And Carpenter would repeat the proposal in The Fog (1980), another efficient exercise in climatic horror in a moment when fantastic and horror cinema were moving to splatter borders. In the same economy "minimalistic" of Haloween, the music for The Fog centered on piano melodic lines as support to suspense. The main theme is a variation over Halloween, with its circular motifs of piano and scale variations. With piano and electronics to tune in the "low temperature" of the soundtrack, the result is impressive in its involvement. Carpenter worked its limitation in direction of functionality in a strong climatic result as heard in the mystery of The Fog Rolls In or the underground ostinatos of The Fog and Antonio Bay. The result is an ambient music of suspense. As a bonus the expanded edition of label Silva Screen brings unreleased tracks and an radio interview with the actress Jamie Lee Curtis.