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Review: John Carpenter’s Lost Themes (LP)

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I got home around midnight last night from my day job and like a kid on their birthday, I tore into my copy of John Carpenter’s Lost Themes. The cover already invoking a horror vibe, I read the linear notes as I usually do with projects like these. The notes written by Daniel Schweiger, immediately remind me of the fifteen films Carpenter has both directed and composed the music for. He brought up the visuals from films like Big Trouble Little ChinaHalloween, and The Fog. This reminder got me excited as I put the needle to the record thinking of all the monsters, good guys, and anti-heroes Carpenter has given us over the years. And then I read “Lost Themes asks Carpenter acolytes to visualize their own nightmares.” And with a cold beer in my hand I let Lost Themes paint a picture in my dark apartment.

Ultimately, that is what Carpenter wants us the listeners to do. To forget his past catalog, to forget any visual cues from his films, and to let his music to get our imaginations going. Its a bit tough the first time around to not imagine an evil car chasing after you with Vortex or to imagine Snake Plissken trying to escape some alien infested space station filled with cybernetic dinosaurs (I might have an over active imagination). Ultimately the story and visuals are up to you, and that is what is great about this album is that it is fun. Any fan of Carpenter’s work or 70’s/80’s synthesizer rock will enjoy this album. It invokes much from his catalog and takes inspiration from synth-based composers like Goblin with the help of Cody Carpenter (the band Ludrium) and Daniel Davis (I, Frankenstein). 

Excellent album artwork design by Jaw Shaw featuring photography by Kyle Cassidy.

Excellent album artwork design by Jaw Shaw featuring photography by Kyle Cassidy.

Between the artwork and the single word titles for each track this task is made easier to create our own imagery. This obviously would have been harder if he made tracks entitled Snake Plissken Battles Through Space to Stop the Killer Cybernetic Dinosaurs From Kidnapping the Vice President of Earth (seriously, how isn’t this a movie already?) If I were to compare Lost Themes  to any time period of Carpenter’s score catalog, I find it is closer to resembling the scores of They Live and Escape From New York than say Halloween or Assault on Precinct 13. But even when the listener isn’t trying to imagine their own story line the album sounds just as great as his classic scores.

Carpenter wants us to exercise our imagination and helps us with the task by creating his best music since the 1980’s (although I still love the score to Into The Mouth Of Madness). Read any review on the album and you will see how much of a diverse the imagery that is invoked by this hypnotic and atmospheric piece. John Carpenter has proven again that his is a master story teller.

Track Listing:
1. Vortex
2. Obsidian
3. Fallen
4. Domain
5. Mystery
6. Abyss
7. Wraith
8. Purgatory
9. Night
*10. Night (Zola Jesus and Dean Hurley Remix)
*11. Wraith (ohGr Remix)
*12. Vortex (Silent Servant Remix)
*13. Fallen (Blanck Mass Remix)
*14. Abyss (JG Thirlwell Remix)
*15. Fallen (Bill Kouligas Remix)

*Remixes are download only. The LP version does come with a download card

 

 

BUY IT! CONSUME IT!

BUY IT! CONSUME IT!

Buy it here:

Amazon.com 

The Official Sacred Bones Site

Or your local record store!

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

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Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

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Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

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Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

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