Sounds of Darkness

When I first started really digging Halloween music 11 or 12 years ago, this was one of the first ones I found. I have since listened to many, many spooky albums, but this one is unique. This is the only album I know of that combines sound clips from classic films with narration and music. It serves as a terrific introduction to the classic monster movies from Universal studios. If Boris Karloff ever hosted a ½-hour documentary on the Universal monsters, featuring clips from the films, this album would serve as the soundtrack.

Karloff is the perfect narrator, not only because he starred in many of the films he discusses, but because his voice is so perfectly suited for this kind of script. The sound clips do a terrific job presenting the horror of each film without giving much plot away, and all the classic scenes are represented (the mummy walks, “I bid you … welcome”, “It’s alive!”). The music, by Verne Langdon, provides a nice backdrop for the script – his music also provides background music for the sound clips that had no score. Langdon was clearly influenced by the classic scores from some of those films.

No, this is not a scary album … not at all. But there truly is no other album like this out there. It is absolutely charming in the way it re-introduces the classic horror movies to an audience that (at a time before home video or DVD) probably hadn’t seen or read about those classic films in awhile. I hope it will inspire you to revisit those movies yourself.

Sorry I've had so many posts where I cannot share the album, but I know this one is back on the market ... saw it at my favorite horror DVD site, Creepy Classics. I'm pretty sure Mr. Langdon would appreciate your business ... this recording is truly one-of-a-kind. Here's Mr. Langdon's own website, if you are curious.