Sounds of Darkness

William Castle - Ghost Story - Thrilling, Chilling Sounds of Fright & the Supernatural (1972)
Sound Effects

I have a deep appreciation for the film projects of William Castle. Castle made horror films in the late 50’s and early 60’s, and nearly every film involved some kind of gimmick to get people into the theaters. “House on Haunted Hill” was filmed in “Emergo” … at the climax of the film, when a skeleton emerges from a vat of acid, an inflatable skeleton attached to a wire floats over the theater audience. In “The Tingler”, some theater seats were wired with joy buzzers set to go off when the Tingler got loose in the movie. And in “13 Ghosts”, a ghost viewer with red and blue cellophane strips would either vividly show the ghosts (for the brave movie-goers) or remove them (for the chickens). Castle would do just about anything to get butts in the seats. He was a showman.

Each track features the sound of some innocent soul who finds him or herself in a bad situation … meeting up with a man-eating flower, a vampire, a zombie … and the listener is treated to what follows. It gets a little corny at times, but it’s all in good fun. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard some of the sound effects on other albums … some of the screams, howling beasts, and laughing goblin sounds are familiar.

No, it’s not that scary. It has all the standards you can hear on any spooky sound effects album … howling werewolves, screaming women, wind, organ music, etc. Think of it as an updated “Chilling Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House”, only the situations are a bit scarier than a creaky bridge or a burning fuse. It’s not a showstopper, but it’s fun.

Man ... I can't find a share for this one. I'll put it on 4shared.