John Carpenter
John Carpenter has been responsible for much of the horror genre’s most striking soundtrack work in movies he’s both directed and scored, such as Dark Star (1974), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), Christine (1983), Starman (1984), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Prince of Darkness (1987) and They Live (1988) to name a few.
The themes that drive them can be stripped to a few coldly repeating notes, take on the electrifying thunder of a rock concert, or submerge themselves into exotic, unholy miasmas. It’s work that instantly floods his fans’ musical memory with imagery of a menacing shape stalking a babysitter, a relentless wall of ghost-filled fog, lightning-fisted kung fu fighters, or a mirror holding the gateway to hell.
Composers before him had used minimalism to create terror, whether it was two piano notes for a killer shark or the stabbing strings of a mother-obsessed psychopath, but it was Halloween’s brilliantly interwoven synth melodies that truly took genre scoring to a new, more sinister level.
Carpenter will be performing a retrospective of his soundtrack work as well as original compositions taken from his Lost Themes albums accompanied by a full live band and spectacular visuals.
Following the instantaneous sell out of his tour dates in Manchester and London, this show presents a unique opportunity to experience Carpenter’s pioneering work in a live setting.
