Halloween Diversions III: The Revenge

Well, kids, this entry wraps up my little Halloween Diversions series. Thank you for indulging me. After Halloween, Waggadoogoo will return to its regularly-scheduled programming of diarrhea, unbelievably hot weather, and insect infestation (honestly, my house is like an entomologist's wet dream right now). I'm closing this sucker up with a discussion of some of my favorite women in horror films, particularly within the slasher subgenre. Yes, my friends, I'm talking about the Final Girl, a term used to define the last girl standing who goes head-to-head with the psycho killer in slasher films. Film professor Carol J. Clover defined the trope in an essay and (later on) a book entitled Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film—an excellent read, if at times a little overshot. So, I invite you to forge ahead and take a gander at my list of

THE TOP TEN FINAL GIRLS OF ALL TIME

10. Jessica Harper, Suspiria (Dir. Dario Argento, 1977)
An ideal princess for Dario Argento’s psychedelic fairytale of hell, Suspiria, Jessica Harper shines in the role of tormented dance student Suzy Banyon. By turns sweet and unaffected, there’s just something magical about her, which suits the film’s fantastical overtures quite nicely.

9. Kelli Maroney, Chopping Mall (Dir. Jim Wynorski, 1986)
Chopping Mall, Jim Wynorski’s way-out-and-wacky schlockfest about killer robots in a galleria, embodies the ridiculous heights the slasher film reached by the mid-‘80s and, as such, is one of my all-time favorite cult films. Kelly Maroney, our leading lady, also happens to be one of my all-time favorite cult film stars (check her out in Night of the Comet). She suits Chopping Mall perfectly, mixing airy network television wholesomeness with enough action film bravado to give the film’s climax some actual weight—think the cast of The Facts of Life meets Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. And, I’m sorry, but whenever I see that poofy mane of cotton-candy-like hair of hers, I just want to eat it!

8. Kathryn McNeil, The House on Sorority Row (Dir. Mark Rosman, 1983)
Kathryn McNeil manifests all of the qualities of the Final Girl trope: she’s sweet, good-natured, and down-to-earth, but also honest, pragmatic, and thoughtful. She’s the only girl in her sorority who sees the potential harm in the gag she and her sisters are planning to pull on their caustic and taciturn housemother. McNeil doesn’t really bring anything new to the table here, but she’s compelling and charming enough that we appreciate her stock character’s familiar and time-tested traits all over again.

7. Vicky Dawson, The Prowler (Dir. Joseph Zito, 1981)
Fans of Amy Steel (further down on this list) do not want to miss the fantastic Vicky Dawson in The Prowler. From the acerbic wit to the tomboyish, go get ‘em vibe to the naturalistic delivery of her lines, Dawson is a solid pinch-hitter for Steel in every way, including looks. The Prowler is a rather meandering mess of a slasher film, but is rescued by Tom Savini’s outrageous gore effects and ingénue Dawson.

6. Daria Nicolodi, Tenebre (Dir. Dario Argento, 1982)
Tenebre, maestro Dario Argento’s return to the standard giallo film after his two back-to-back supernaturally-charged thrillers Suspiria and Inferno, is a frenzied stir-fry of the slasher subgenre gone Italiano. Daria Nicolodi (Argento’s one-time lover) has a genuine screen presence that shines through all the layers of dubbing and is fantastic as usual here. She’s especially good in the screeching, psychotic finale, which closes with an unforgettable shot of her wailing maniacally in the rain, obviously stymied by the grotesque carnage she has just witnessed.

5. Marilyn Burns, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Dir. Tobe Hooper, 1973)
Oh my. Marilyn Burns’ portrayal of Sally Hardesty in the latter half of subgenre classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is an undiluted embodiment of sheer terror. Out of all the Final Girls on this list, Sally undergoes the greatest physical and mental torment, and her determination to persevere through it is incredible. Jumping out windows and running away from a chainsaw-wielding maniac through all kinds of underbrush, Sally’s Final Girl sequence is just as exhausting and agonizing for us as it is for her, made possible by Burns’ fraught and utterly believable performance. Brutal, visceral, and haunting.

4. Olivia Hussey, Black Christmas (Dir. Bob Clark, 1974)
The exotic and enchanting Olivia Hussey is terrific as troubled and trapped sorority girl Jess Bradford in the late Bob Clark’s suspenseful work of genius, Black Christmas. Jess is so honest and gentle that we genuinely fear for her in her struggle against the film’s faceless and psychotic killer. A more likable Final Girl there has never been.

3. Sigourney Weaver, Alien (Dir. Ridley Scott, 1979)
Despite its ample production values and high-brow science fiction atmosphere, Alien is a gritty slasher film at heart. But, with its elite cinematography and art direction comes a Final Girl with considerably more sociopolitical weight. Gorgeous, strong-jawed Sigourney Weaver is a revelation as Lieutenant Ripley—an enduring, proactive, and bold cinematic template of the modern feminine. Ripley is a resolute space Amazon—a woman with tremendous will, intellect, and sexual power who defies the traditional action film practice of purveying masculinity as spectacle. Indeed, Ripley’s unflinching self-reliance allows her to excel at her duties as a commanding flight officer and fosters within the audience a growing acceptance of nontraditional female roles. Cross-gender identification has never been so seamless. And, even though the character was originally written as a man, Ripley stands as an indelible postfeminist hero whose authenticity and unchallenged resolve has allowed women to take charge and own the center stage in subsequent decades of action and horror films—Cynthia Rothrock owes her career to this woman.

2. Amy Steel, Friday the 13th Part 2 (Dir. Stephen Miner, 1981)
If any of the ladies on this list can be summed up as a “fan favorite,” it’s Amy Steel. Leading the cast of the spectacular second installment in the long-running Friday the 13th series, Steel is renowned by horror fans for her hoydenish portrayal of camp counselor Ginny. Steel’s work here is remarkably textured and effortlessly natural for a slasher film—and particularly for a Friday sequel. Her terror in the extended finale is instantly believable. What really sets the bar high, however, is her resourcefulness. Ginny isn’t some flighty damsel waiting for the cops to take Jason down. She’s assertive in her struggle against him, and uses her brain to survive, yielding one of the few examples in all of slasherdom wherein the Final Girl directly and succinctly hones in on the psychosexual fury that propels the killer (“Jason, mother is talking to you!”). Anyone who dismisses the Friday series as nothing but a shallow showcase of blood and boobs should revisit Steel’s performance—there’s some honest depth and craft there.

1. Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween (Dir. John Carpenter, 1978)
Honestly, who else did you expect to be at number one? Jamie Lee Curtis is the pioneer and archetype of the modern scream queen. It’s impossible to discuss her career without bringing up slasher films, because her early résumé is so saturated with them, and for good reason: as Laurie Strode, Curtis created the now-commonplace template of the intelligent, introspective, and sexually reluctant Final Girl. Not only did she do it first, she did it best. Like Curtis’ other slasher performances (in Prom Night, Terror Train, etc.), Laurie is complexly rendered—she is at once awkward but adroit, hesitant but intrepid, plain but pretty. To top it off, she’s one of horror’s all-time best screamers—who can forget her primal shrieking as she tumbles over the banister? Director John Carpenter also crafted an interesting symmetry between Laurie and killer Michael Myers—one of sexual repression and confusion—thereby codifying the masculinized victim-hero and feminized killer dynamic that defined the latter day slasher heyday. With Laurie, all that pent-up energy bursts out of her during that unforgettable battle with Michael from inside the closet—a scene that paved the way for all the redemptive Final Girl-versus-psycho-killer showdowns for decades to come.

Happy Halloween!

Endorsement

Actually, my ideal president would be Cynthia McKinney. She is one of the few truly genuine politicians out there, and fights honestly and ardently for the silenced and marginalized (aka, us). But, because Green Party candidates are unfairly eschewed from the mainstream media and the national discourse alike, she doesn't stand a chance. That being said, this election is too important for my vote to be squandered, so I've already shipped my absentee ballot for Barack Obama and Joe Biden back to the United States. Please vote for Barack Obama on November 4 -- it's the only way we can avoid the complete and utter collapse of the United States as we know it.

PS: Californians, please vote a resounding "HELL TO THE NO" on Proposition 8.

Please note that this is my own personal presidential endorsement and in no way reflects the opinions or positions of the Peace Corps or the U.S. Department of State.

Halloween Diversions II

First of all, some news from the Burkina front: I've finally started school (which is going well so far), and I shaved my beard. It's so freaking hot here that I just couldn't take it anymore. But now my face is slick and smooth. What a feeling!

Okay, now on to the good stuff. I have another list for you all, as part of my Halloween Diversions series. Get your Netflix ready, because I'm about to spout off

THE TOP TEN HORROR FILMS THAT AREN'T HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13TH, THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, AND THE EXORCIST THAT YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS HALLOWEEN!

Like every year, you're likely to find lots of horror fare on TV this Halloween season. Unfortunately, the films that get airtime rarely veer outside of the mainstream, meaning we get the original Halloween on repeat, Friday the 13th marathons, and Night of the Living Dead right after Trading Spaces. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely LOVE all of these major horror hits. However, it's always nice to diversify and expand your palette. Below are some unconventional horror favorites of mine that I recommend watching as we head towards October 31.

10. Peeping Tom (Dir. Michael Powell, 1960)
Michael Powell's masterful analysis of objectification and psychological frenzy is truly a deluxe thriller. Perhaps the most unsettling thing about Peeping Tom is that central character Mark actually isn't a bad guy. He isn't inherently evil—he is simply a man that has become so consumed by his predilections and cerebral trauma that there's no turning back. Karlheinz Böhm (credited as Carl Boehm) gives a chilling and understated performance in this role. The actor portrays Mark as a stammering, nervous, awkward, and insecure fellow in the vein of Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates. He doesn't trust himself any more than we trust him. Because Mark is a fully-developed human being rather than a knife-wielding caricature, we become sympathetic towards him, to the extent that we are almost complicit in his murderous affairs—certainly a disturbing experience with which audiences in 1960 likely didn't know how to cope. Böhm is supported by a game cast, including the winsome Anna Massey as the doe-eyed heroine and Maxine Audley as her mother (in a particularly eerie and poignant turn). The action is livened up by sumptuous cinematography and lighting design, which impart portentous feelings of dread and mystique. Sadly, Peeping Tom is also known for destroying the career of director Powell, who simply made the right movie at the wrong time. Imagine the penury that Alfred Hitchcock would have faced if Psycho were filmed in color!

9. Hell Night (Dir. Tom DeSimone, 1981)
Linda Blair, in all her schlocky ‘80s glory (complete with a period costume), trapped in a scary old mansion overnight with a deformed, insane killer; in other words, what are you waiting for? Hell Night is essential slasher viewing, straight out of the banner year of 1981. It’s cheap, brazen, and quick, but it also boasts tremendous atmosphere and mounting suspense and is, therefore, quite a fun ride. Hell Night also features one of the most convincing, yet surprisingly neat, decapitation effects I’ve ever seen—it’s all in the economy of the editing.

8. The House on Sorority Row (Dir. Mark Rosman, 1983)
The sorority prank gone awry is by far my favorite slasher film plot device (see Hell Night), and it’s handled here with tremendous gumption and an eye for subtle filmmaking—a rarity in 1983 slasher cinema, when the subgenre started to go full-tilt with boobs and cheddary gore galore. It’s not as firm and crisp as it could be, but it’s cleanly presented, and the story is effervescently told. There are excellent performances throughout the fresh young female cast—particularly from congenial lead Kathryn MacNeil and Eileen Davidson as mega-bitch Vicki (possibly the single greatest ideation of this slasher film trope).

7. Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (Dir. John D. Hancock, 1971)
Let's Scare Jessica to Death is a leading exemplar of understated, low-budget 1970s horror. Gritty, brooding, atmospheric, and cerebral, the film's true assets are its earnest performances, isolated farmhouse location, and unsettling, eclectic score composed by Orville Stoeber. It’s a triumph of its era. The film succeeds for the same reason Stanley Kubrick's The Shining succeeds: it uproots the viewer's sense of a conventional narrative. By forcing us to see things through the eyes of the disturbed Jessica (played fantastically by sweet-faced Zohra Lampert with just the right amount of poignancy and tragic mental instability), we aren't given an objective viewpoint. Thus, security is thrown out the window and a general uneasiness runs rampant throughout. The rug is all but completely pulled out from under us by the time the credits roll. Are the things we see through Jessica's perspective even happening at all? Let's Scare Jessica to Death is likely too ponderous and subtle for today's horror audiences. It substitutes action and gore with style and mood. However, the film is a must-see for anyone with an interest in '70s film, and indeed with an interest in '70s history in general. Like the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the principle characters in Let's Scare Jessica to Death are disillusioned hippies overcome by the horrors of rural America—the decline of the "love generation."

6. The Exorcist III (Dir. William Peter Blatty, 1990)
Though it plays more like a crime thriller with a supernatural pretext, The Exorcist III still packs in some hardcore horror heraldry to elevate it to the same league as the terrifying and spellbinding 1973 original. Decapitated statues of Christ, old ladies crawling across ceilings, and a yellow-eyed Jason Miller are just some of the terrifying imagery found in this haunted house of a battle between faith and reason. There are terrific, if at times overexerted, performances abound, notably from the venerable George C. Scott, who takes over the role of Lieutenant Kinderman (played by Lee J. Cobb in the original film), and does a fine job exuding brooding frustration, cosmic awe, and even a bit of humor. And, no, you don’t need to see the incoherent Exorcist II: The Heretic (which is psychotronically terrible in the best possible way) to appreciate this third entry.

5. Dressed to Kill (Dir. Brian De Palma, 1980)
Masterful and resplendently stylish terror from Brian De Palma. Dressed to Kill is one of the best-shot films I've ever seen; rarely do you see such impeccable cinematography outside of a Hitchcock film. The fastidiously-planned scenes sustain the horror and suspense brilliantly. Along with De Palma's flawless direction, you'll find terrific performances from the cast, especially Angie Dickinson as the insatiable Kate Miller, Nancy Allen as a feisty and quirky prostitute, and Keith Gordon as Dickinson's resourceful son (Michael Caine is great, as always). As a seasoned horror fan, this type of film rarely shocks me outright. However, there are several moments in Dressed to Kill (such as the virtuousically-filmed art museum and subway sequences) that made my jaw drop. Indeed, surprises are integral to this film, and you'll likely find your mouth agape several times as you view it. Trust me: you'll be hard-pressed to find a thriller more gripping and tense than this. And, with its deliriously nail-biting conclusion, Dressed to Kill is De Palma's zenith as a horror auteur.

4. Carnival of Souls (Dir. Herk Harvey, 1962)
Skip M. Night Shyamalan’s self-indulgent, overstylized, and overrated The Sixth Sense and head straight to the source material with Carnival of Souls. The film is a hallucinatory romp through the afterlife that, much like the original Night of the Living Dead, owes a lot of its spooky factor to its low-budget, bald-faced camerawork. Buoyed tremendously by a vibrant but frigid organ score by Gene Moore and a distant, ethereal, and quirkily nuanced performance by lead Candace Hilligoss—you don’t see acting like this in films these days unless it’s bogged down by a postmodern, self-referential conceit. Easy viewing tip: Carnival of Souls is in the public domain, which means you can download it for free (and legally) all over the internet.

3. Deep Red (Dir. Dario Argento, 1975)
Easily Dario Argento’s greatest giallo in terms of depth, style, and sophistication, and undoubtedly one of the best entries in the entire subgenre. Meticulously constructed in every aspect, Deep Red is an essential study in cinematography, with flair by the boatload. While I find the killer's identity to be somewhat unsatisfying, this minor complaint is superseded by the film's many iconic images of horror, unforgettable murder sequences, and strong performances from leads David Hemmings and Daria Nicolodi. Forget about the shabby dubbing.

2. Black Christmas (Dir. Bob Clark, 1974)
Is it un-chic to watch a Christmas movie outside of the Christmas season? Not when it’s a dark, well-acted, and superbly crafted shocker like Black Christmas. Bolstered by taut and atmospheric direction from the late Bob Clark (better known for his other Yuletide classic, A Christmas Story) and terrific performances from lead Olivia Hussey (who was good enough for the titular female role in Franco Zeffirelli’s masterful 1968 take on Romeo and Juliet) and a supporting cast of feisty character actors—most notably 1970s favorite Margot Kidder as foul-mouthed, drunken sorority sister Barb. WARNING: Never confuse the original 1974 version with the aggressively awful 2006 remake.

1. Alice, Sweet Alice (Dir. Alfred Sole, 1976)
One of my favorite films of all time. Alice, Sweet Alice is a well-acted, first-rate mystery thriller with gobs of atmosphere, creepy shots, and a superb cast. Paula Sheppard turns in a particularly good performance as the unbalanced Alice who is implicated in the brutal murder of her sister (played by a young Brooke Shields). The stunning Linda Miller is also fantastic as Alice's desperate mother, pulling off the scenes where she is required to be frantic with tremendous aplomb. These two strong female leads are supported by some wonderfully eccentric character actors, including Alphonso DeNoble as the morbidly obese, opera-listening, and paedophilic Mr. Alfonso and Jane Lowry as Alice's batty and domineering aunt Annie. Filming took place in Paterson, New Jersey, whose working-class atmosphere serves the story well. The ratty old abandoned warehouses, the gritty brick walls, and the deceivingly benign appearance of the down-home Neo-Gothic church are perfect. The script is intelligent and pensive enough to actually keep you guessing as to who the killer is. And the proceedings are buoyed by several tense sequences and such nice stylistic touches as the killer's yellow-rain-slicker-and-translucent-mask get-up. The film has an underlying theme of lost innocence, which it addresses both poignantly and eerily throughout. There is also, of course, the theme of Catholic morality and justice, which rears its ugly head before all is said and done.

Honorable Mention: Just Before Dawn (Dir. Jeff Lieberman, 1981)
Yes, it’s a standard killer-in-the-woods slasherfest, hot on the heels of the success of Friday the 13th, but Just Before Dawn is easily one of the better imitations. Assured pacing, arresting visuals, and some chilling sound design (that periodic whistling in the distance!) make this a cut above the rest. Director Jeff Lieberman pushes his location—the gorgeous Oregon wilderness—to its fullest potential, giving a truly backwoods, isolated feel. Things are spiced up periodically by a gloomy, unimposing electronic score by Brad Fiedel, who would go on to do the soundtracks for the first two Terminator films. Also, as I can recall, this is one of the few slasher films wherein the killer uses a serrated blade. Ouchies!

Halloween Diversions

Hey, y'all.



Well, Halloween's coming up. It's one of my favorite times of the year and -- wouldn't you know it? -- they don't celebrate it here in Burkina Faso (duh). So, I'm doing what I can to enjoy the Halloween season my own way. One of my favorite things about Halloween is that it gives me the opportunity to spout off about my ardent love for horror films without people looking at me like I'm deranged and sadistic. And, seeing as how school still hasn't started yet for me (I know, right?), I have a lot of time to spout off! So, with that being said, I'm using this post to kick off a month of blogging diversions here at Waggadoogoo, wherein I will pontificate and educate on the essentials of horror cinema. Today, I present to you my own personal list of ...

THE TOP 15 HORROR FILM SOUNDTRACKS OF ALL TIME!

15. Pino Donaggio, Dressed to Kill (1980)
Lush, romantic, and devastatingly gorgeous, Pino Donaggio’s main title theme from Dressed to Kill immediately sets the tone for an admirably complex and multilayered horror shocker that is arguably the best imitation of Alfred Hitchcock ever committed to celluloid (thanks to enterprising director Brian DePalma). Donaggio’s work here is an ornate showcase for full-bodied string instruments of all sorts, with some solid woodwinds thrown in for punctuation. The dreamy ensemble creates slinky, swooping motifs that underscore the elegant-but-grotesque New York City atmosphere portrayed on the screen, while hinting at the dark and prurient secret at the heart of the film’s story. Best tracks: “The Shower (Theme from ‘Dressed to Kill’)” and “The Forgotten Ring/The Murder.”

14. John Harrison, Day of the Dead (1985)
Definitely a product of the mid-‘80s, John Harrison’s score for the underrated third entry in George Romero’s Dead Trilogy is rife with urgent synth beats. The compositions are vaguely gloomy, with heart-pounding throbs and lamenting keyboards set in a minor key. At the same time, however, the music is full-bodied and sinewy, and some slow and vibrant synthesizer strings give us a glimmer of hope in the apocalyptic pastiche, as if a higher power is reassuring us that we’ll make it out alive if we’re fast and resourceful enough. There’s also a delicious, subtle Caribbean flavor to the overall texture of the music, perhaps employed to match some of the locations used in the film. Now I know what a digital steel drum sounds like.

13. Riz Ortolani, Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972)
Piercing string jabs set on reverb define this eerie and uncomfortable soundtrack composed by horror and cult vet Riz Ortolani for Lucio Fulci’s astounding giallo Don’t Torture a Duckling. Ortolani, who also made some jazzy Christmas music in his day, rounds out his compositions with some cool, quiet, and ominous saxophone moans, which at times sound perverse and resonate brilliantly with the crisis of divine morality that serves as the subtext of the film. Audacious, revolting, and inappropriately romantic and sentimental … if that’s wrong, then I don’t want to be right.

12. Richard H. Band, The House on Sorority Row (1983)
If you didn’t know any better, you’d be convinced that this was a Pino Donaggio score. With its robust string and woodwind compositions textured with deceptively playful music box jingles, Richard H. Band’s score for The House on Sorority Row is reminiscent of Donaggio’s work on Tourist Trap, another early-‘80s slasher gem. However, this shouldn’t shortchange Band’s work. He creates a wonderfully haunting, childlike theme that crops up in various manifestations throughout the energetic and efficient soundtrack.

11. Tim Krog, The Boogey Man (1980)
In his soundtrack for the schlocky supernatural-slasher effort The Boogey Man, Tim Krog proffers a murky, cacophonous electronic thunderstorm. It’s foreboding and solemn, but also strangely rhythmic enough that you might catch yourself tapping your foot to it. In the end, it sounds like Krog initially wanted to create an electropop album, which he then simmered in the extracts of his greatest nightmares, adding just a dash of delectable sleaze to fit the early-‘80s template. Fans of the soundtrack for Halloween III: Season of the Witch (which is featured further down) should definitely pick this one up. Best tracks: “The Boogey Man (Version 2)” and “Gloom.”

10. Lalo Schifrin, The Amityville Horror (1979)
So effective that it was used in the trailers for the shoddy 2005 remake, Lalo Schifrin’s Oscar-nominated score for The Amityville Horror is a mortifying look at demonic possession’s clash with the Christian faith and nuclear family values. Indeed, this is a discarded score that was originally intended for the The Exorcist, a film that, with the exception of “Tubular Bells” and a few other selections, ended up being score-less. As much as I love Schifrin’s score, it’s the chilling, stiff silences in The Exorcist that make that film so scary to me—I think a formal soundtrack would have felt obtrusive against the proceedings that are shown on film. The music works brilliantly in Amityville, though, spurring ample hyperactive demon-o-mania for a film about one of the most sensationalized news stories of the modern era. Best tracks: “Main Title” and “The Ax.”

9. Goblin, Suspiria (1977)
Welcome to Hell. It really is a shame that Italian horror auteur Dario Argento had a falling out with the equally Italian and equally brilliant Ennio Morricone after Morricone scored Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. However, this presents a conundrum for me: if Argento and Morricone hadn’t parted ways, chances are the director never would have crossed paths with Goblin, a gifted, innovative, and possibly psychotic Eurogroup who created harrowing scores for much of Argento’s later work—the most famous of which being the one they recorded for Suspiria, a jewel in Argento’s repertoire. In short, Goblin’s Suspiria score is just as harrowing, disorienting, and frenetic as the film itself, feverishly weaving together bombastic synth organ blasts, feral guitar warbles, out-of-control percussion, and a chorus of demons—I swear they mined the pits of Hades to assemble these singers. Best tracks: “Suspiria” and “Sighs.”

8. Ennio Morricone, Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Quintessential Morricone—yet, at the same time, not. Ennio Morricone’s score for the box office bombtacular Exorcist II: The Heretic has most of the aural elements one can find in a great deal of the composer’s work: the female singers/moaners, the melodic Spanish guitar, and even some cracking whips that sound like they were leftover from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly soundtrack. However, there’s something astonishingly different about this. It’s so much more ethereal than a lot of Morricone’s other scores—particularly the ones he composed for Westerns, which tended to be bold celebrations of machismo mixed with old-school romance. The Exorcist II score is unusually ghostly and organic, at times sounding like something that standard audio equipment would be incapable of recording. What ultimately makes it a fantastic musical work, though, is its distortion of implacable ethnic chants and motifs into convincing horror movie strains. It’s as if Morricone did his research at a haunted madrasa. Best tracks: “Seduction and Magic” and “Night Flight.”

7. John Carpenter, Halloween (1978)
Ah, yes. The obvious, but deservedly classic, entry. What can really be said about Halloween and director John Carpenter’s stunningly spare and sinister soundtrack that hasn’t been said a thousand times before? Not much, other than that both the film and the score are virtuosic feats of strength, both reverent of the past while breaking new ground, and still managing to enrapture and swoop audiences off their bearings thirty years later. I read some silly statistic a little while ago that noted Carpenter’s Halloween theme as the most-downloaded cell phone ringtone of all time, beating out the 50 Cents and the Rihannas of the world. If that’s not achieving cultural resonance, I don’t know what is.

6. Bernard Herrmann, Vertigo (1958)
A sophisticated and sumptuous meditation on desperate love, obsession, and deception, Bernard Hermann’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Vertigo, was decades before its time, providing a serious and uncompromising musical template that would be echoed in complex adult thrillers for decades to come, from The Silence of the Lambs to Basic Instinct. Despite this prescience, Hermann’s score also features some wonderfully exuberant romantic swells that are utterly germane to Old Hollywood, which compel you to observe that, “They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.”

5. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth, Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s score for the undervalued and highly enjoyable B-movie cheddarfest that is Halloween III: Season of the Witch is an exemplary work of electronic wizardry—or should I say “witchery”? Truly a score that stands on its own without any visual accompaniment, this is a tech noir triumph that could easily have been independently released as a concept album, summoning its own feelings of anxiety in the decadent, future-obsessed, and globally industrializing 1980s. The remarkable and supple synth work on display here is at once magnificent and loathsome; the computerized blips sneer at you with their preprogrammed perfection, which is astutely in line with the megalomaniacal, dystopian vein of the film and, indeed, also with James Cameron’s disillusioned visions of technology, which he portrayed with chilling immediacy two years after the release of Halloween III in the original Terminator film. Best tracks: “Main Title,” “Chariots of Pumpkins,” and “Drive to Santa Mira.”

4. Jerry Goldsmith, Alien (1979)
Droning strings off in the distance, echoing the vast, empty expanse of space: brilliant. Soft dabs of coordinated flute bursts, mimicking the complex beeps and chatterings of omnipresent electronic interfaces: masterful. Slowly rumbling timpani accompanying the foreboding flyby of a state-of-the-art, yet brutishly utilitarian, starship: extraordinary. Cold, strange, and isolating, Jerry Goldsmith’s score for Alien is perfectly suited for the film, in which the audience encounters a futuristic vision that supplants the wonderment of the ray guns and lamé suits of Buck Rogers with a sober, workaday look at a cargo liner’s space crew and its dreadful discovery of something so horrifyingly … alien. Goldsmith’s music isn’t ceremonious or operatic. It asserts grandeur, to be sure, but is ultimately tempered by pessimistic, reticent anxieties, reinforcing the futility of the crew’s efforts to eliminate the evil, slimy presence. A gothic masterpiece.

3. Bernard Herrmann, Psycho (1960)
Assaulting and harrowing with frenzied in-your-face precipitation. Bernard Hermann’s authoritative superscore for Alfred Hitchcock’s endlessly revered slasher-shocker is at the top of the heap of my many favorite film soundtracks. Psycho was as much of a departure for Hermann as it was for Hitchcock: gone are the amorous, hazy swells of the Vertigo soundtrack (number 6 on this list), replaced here by aggressive and unbelievably percussive strings and a jolting dissonance that you can cut with a knife—no pun intended.

2. John Williams, Jaws 2 (1978)
If John Williams created the most memorable and influential soundtrack theme in modern cinematic history for the original Jaws, he further refined his all-too-familiar shark-stalking motif for the 1978 sequel, immersing it in a symphonic palette of pleasant new melodies whose adventure-filled sum is even greater than its exquisitely varied parts. Along with providing pitch-perfect accompaniment that adapts to the film’s oscillations between brooding melodrama and slasher film histrionics, Williams’ score brings unquestionable elegance to the otherwise drive-in-worthy Jaws 2. Also, given its triumphant crescendos and conventional string and brass ensemble (including some mellifluous harps), this is one of the first works in Williams’ oeuvre where the composer went “mainstream,” setting the stage for the grandiose, hummable, and audience-friendly scores he created for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, et cetera. Williams’ all-American latter days, which saw their beginnings in Jaws 2, are worlds away from the eclectic and downright odd music he created for Robert Altman’s Images. Best tracks: “Finding the ‘Orca’ (Main Title),” “The Menu,” and “Ballet for Divers.”

1. Harry Manfredini, Friday the 13th (1980)
Okay, I’ll be honest: Harry Manfredini’s work on the Friday the 13th films isn’t the most original material in music history. He pays distinct homage to Bernard Herrmann, and maybe Krzysztof Penderecki, in his compositions, and I swear he even rips off the Jaws theme at one point in Friday the 13th Part 2. I hardly care about any allegations of pilfering, though, because Manfredini’s music throughout the early half of the Friday the 13th series is just so damn appropriate and effective. Raw, rough, and vicious strings coalesce into a homegrown work of horrific genius that firmly implants you among the imposing trees and darkened cabins of that deadly campground. Just like the films, Manfredini’s music is visceral, not cerebral; its primary duty is to provoke a cheap reaction rather than stimulate the intellect—sorry, Penderecki aesthetes—and it does so with remarkable succinctness. Ki ki ki, ma ma ma …

Oh, and an honorable mention for Jay Chattaway’s oppressive synth score for Maniac.

Hot Vlog Action!

Here is a couple of scintillating new videos I just made. The first is of my neighbor showing off her new baby, and the second is a tour of the outside of my house!