The Dark Fantastic: Musical Landscapes Of Horror
 

There's still not a lot I can do with my computer...yet. I'm in awe of those who can download (or is it upload) their own avatars, send in photos of their pets, movie clips, even line item quote a single sentence from a monolithic post. But one thing I can do (because a friend came over and showed how step by step) is rip and burn my own cds. Mostly I burn cds for walking the mall on weekend mornings but this year I've decided to make my own Halloween opus.

1. "The Murder" from Psycho composed by Bernard Herrmann. What better way to start than with the shrieking strings of Psycho piercing the eardrums like a knife into entrails?
2. "Promenade" from Pictures From An Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky. Probably the least atmosfearic of the lot, it was necessary to set the tone for a musical exhibition of dark art. The image here isn't that of a well fed bearded art lover appreciating the vistas through cigar smoke, but that of scurrying wide-eyed children running amok with open candy bags.
3. "The Hunt" from On Dangerous Ground composed by Bernard Herrmann. Not a horror movie of course, but the music has all the energetic excitement perfect for Halloween.
4. "The Detective" from Lord Of Illusions composed by Simon Boswell. Vividly brings to mind the rheumy lights of a big city late at night where anything unnatural or supernatural is sure to happen.
5."Theme" from The Shining composed by Wendy Carlos and Hector Berlioz
6. "Bydlo" from Pictures At An Exhibition composed by Modest Mussorgsky. According to the liner notes a bydlo is "a Polish peasant wagon with enormous wheels and drawn by oxen." One can only imagine what unholy haul is being drawn.
7. "Introduction from Swan Lake composed by Tchaikovsky. Great vampire music.
8. Moonlight Sonata, 3rd mvt. composed by Beethoven. Rudolf Serkin, Piano. The master must have composed this during October as it's a beautifully scary piece of Halloween music.
9. "Prelude" from The Naked And The Dead composed by Bernard Herrmann. More appropriate music from a non-horror source.
10. Frankenstein composed by Bernhard Kaun.
11."Main Title" from The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad composed by Bernard Herrmann.
12. "The Balloon" from Mysterious Island composed by Bernard Herrmann
13. "Theme; Up The Cathedral; Descent Into Mystery" from Batman composed by Danny Elfman.
14. The Shadow composed by Jerry Goldsmith
15. Toccata and Fugue in D minor composed by J.S. Bach. Virgil Fox, organ. Quintessential classical horror music. Virtually a Halloween doesn't go by without this being heard somewhere on film, tv, or radio.
16. Friday The 13th composed by Harry Manfredini. Regardless of what you thought of the film this is still a pretty good piece of music.
17. "Theme" from Tales From The Crypt composed by Danny Elfman.
18. Little Fugue in G minor composed by J.S. Bach, orchestrated and conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Another great piece of classical music with Halloween pummeled all over it.
19. "Theme" from Halloween composed by John Carpenter. Hard to envision Halloween without it.
20. Pathetique Sonata, 1st mvt. composed by Beethoven. Rudolf Serkin, Piano.
As with the Moonlight Sonata, this has all the dark mystery of Halloween. Think of them as piano sinatas.
21. "The Little Hut On Chickens' Legs" from Pictures At An Exhibition composed by Modest Mussorgsky. Musical representation of "Baba Yaga, a Russian witch who eats human bones...and rides through the air." Indeed, strange music for stranger visages from the Cordwainer Smith of classical music.
22. "Prelude" from Psycho composed by Bernard Herrmann. I end as I began, with some of the very best Halloween has to offer.