Some songs that appear in horror movies aren’t referential. That’s OK. Some of the best songs on the playlist are purely inclusive. Fast As a Shark,Goo Goo Muck, Angel of Death. All great.
But sometimes they’re more than just not referential. Sometimes they seem totally out of place. But even that’s OK. Everybody But You, Computer Date, Love Is a Lie. Still good stuff. In fact, I’d argue they’re the backbone of this playlist.
Most often, you’ll get these if a band makes a surprise cameo in the movie, playing their tune live at a party or a school dance. Usually this is a nice treat, like Maria Videl in Once Bitten. Sometimes it’s a dirty trick, like The Offspring in Idle Hands.
And just as much might be the case with LA Rock outfit Felony, who are performing at the titular dance in the the film Graduation Day. Their song Gangster Rock seems just a little out of place.
But I get it. It makes plenty of sense that a band would perform a completely innocuous song that’s totally unrelated to the horrific goings-ons around them. Goings-ons of which they are completely unaware. It’s perfectly reasonable. Logically, I might even say it’s preferred. Why would a band, playing a normal Graduation Day dance be playing some spooky or otherwise horrifying jam?
But that’s inner logic. The outer logic is you’re a music supervisor and you should theme it up. And if you’re gonna hard pass on that, at least grab a better song than fuckin Gangster Rock. Which, while not the terrible (I mean, I am including it) is far from the best.
Classic rock fans will immediately note its flagrant similarity to a much more famous song called China Groove by the much more famous Doobie Brothers. Seriously, is this China Groove? It sounds exactly like China Groove. In fairness though, it’s probably the song’s saving grace. Making your tune sound like a more famous hit isn’t the worst move you can make. More famous have engaged in more overt and made more money doing it. So hey.
But more importantly, even under a favorable light, Gangster Rock overstays it’s welcome. Well overstays it.
Now, I could be mistaken, but I doubt Gangster Rock is a 7 and half minute song. But it keeps playing, in almost comic mockery, for what appears to be an impossible amount of time for a song of this nature.
It starts innocently enough, with Felony adorned in some vaguely prohibition-era mobster attire, playing live on stage while kids cut a rug and…roller skate? Sure why not, it’s 1981.
And that’s all well and good for a spell, but the song just won’t end. It powers on, rebelling against all previous notions of pop-rock architecture, approaching an, I’d almost say Prog-Rock level, if it weren’t so blatantly repetitive.
Ultimately, it gets dragged over poor Linnea’s Quigley death at the hands of an aggressive bee-keeper. Wait, he had a sword. Hmm, I’m gonna say he was a fencer. It’s easy to get confused with Gangster Rock stabbing at your cochlea.
Since I couldn’t track down an official release from Felony containing Gangster Rock, I’ve grabbed it directly from the film. However, for the sake of your own sanity, I’ve employed some clever editing to spare you it’s ungodly runtime. Cause no one should be ask to deal with almost 8 minutes of Gangster Rock. Hell, even the 3 and change I’m subjecting you too here is of suspect length.
So grab a fencing mask, strap on a pair of roller skates and do the China Groove…I mean Gangster Rock.
Too Farby Jim Cushinery, Ken Brown and Michael Linn
For the salacious among you, it may be of interest to know that Night Screams provides some much needed nudity no less than 10 seconds into it’s runtime. Not a record I’m sure, but disarmingly quick.
Eagle-eyed slasher fans could be forgiven for thinking it all looks very familiar. That’s not surprising, because you’re actually just watching Graduation Day, an act you’re sharing with 2 of Night Screams characters. And you’re gonna see more.
It’s a strange move, but not the boldest move Night Screams has on offer.
Seems that none of the film’s actresses signed on for getting buff, so director Allen Plone (Phantom of the Ritz) judiciously added in random clips of nudity to make up the difference. He even went as far as to use some actual pornography. Nothing graphic, but still.
You’ll be treated to classic porn icons like Seka and Honey Wilder. You also get Linnea Quigley, but only via the Graduation Day clips. You also get Bobby from The Karate Kid, but he doesn’t get naked.
You’ll also get, at no extra charge, a sometimes amusing, but largely yawn inducing, late-in-the-game slasher that can only be recommended to either completists or the terminally bored.
But, as you’re well aware, there must be some great music to be had, or else what the hell are we talking about, right?
Well, of a sort. There’s a good amount of garbage 80’s sub-rock on display and I think that’s definitely worth noting. Additionally, I rather enjoy the score for Night Screams. It’s minimalistic, synthy and very 80’s. But that’s not what we’re featuring here today.
What we’ve chosen to highlight for the playlist is a bit more poppy. It’s my favorite of the low budget tracks featured in Night Screams, but it really only appears briefly during the film.
Then unfortunately, the movie ends on some lethargic trumpet jazz you wouldn’t even use to put your fish to sleep.
But wait, what’s happening here? Night Screamshas decided to show each of its low-rent murders again during the credits for no particular reason? By God, it’s another bold move. Wait, the trumpet music is fading…c’mon play it..play it….
And then it starts. The exact song I was looking to include. Sometimes you get a fortuitous lie. In this case, it’s an untitled Track I’ve given to calling Too Far.
Performed (I guess) by Jim Cushinery, Ken Brown and Michael Linn – the credits aren’t terribly specific. Their names are attached, but only generally speaking.
But the killings keep going. Oh man. What’s happening now? Oh, they’ve decided to replay some more of that budget rock. Ah, I remember this one. It’s that song from the night club called Chill Out. Hmmm.
Yeah, I’ll just pull the cord on this right here I guess. I think including Chill Out too might be going Too Far.
I love The Stuff. You probably do too. The Stuff is great. It kills all the bad things inside us.
Larry Cohen’s 1985 send up of consumer-culture plays like an Invasion of the Body Snatcherfor the Reagan Era.
It’s fun and light, yet still decidedly unsettling. Maybe that’s because, despite its outlandish premise, its various parts feel so completely believable. You can actually imagine everything playing out this way, should an invasive alien organism present itself as a tasty new dessert. From the corporate feeding frenzy, to the social obsession, to the aggressive marketing campaign, The Stuff’s absurdity feels genuinely authentic.
Which leads us here. There’s no shortage of commercial jingles in The Stuff. There’s even a pretty fantastic extended track about The Stuff. Unfortunately as of yet, despite my longing, this song has not presented itself in isolation.
So, I’ve taken the 2 instances of the song featured in the film and tried to splice them into something resembling a complete version.
Additionally, I’ve surrounded it with other Stuff related promotional material, just for kicks.
Hey, is that Ave Vagoda? Yep.
Graduation Daywill be right back after a word from our sponsor.
The Winnerby Lance Owg, Gabriel Rohels & David Cole
Whenever I throw on an 80’s slasher flick I’ve never seen, I want it to sound exactly like The Boogeyman. It lets you know, right out of the gate, that a certain vibe is headed your way. The shoulders relax a bit and you can settle right into that warm, grainy fuzz of analog era horror.
In the event that the movie doesn’t sound like The Boogeyman however, I want it to sound exactly like Graduation Day; the sort of upbeat, discoed-out answer to that sound.
Can you beat this song? Sure. There’s a whole host of of better songs. There’s even better songs that have started off other horror movies. But if you’re giving me some B-grade horror movie bullshit, raise the flag. And it’s a short list of songs raising that flag higher than The Winner.
Listen to this thing. Are you kiddin’ me with this song? Lance Owg (which is a great name by the way) teams up Gabriel Rohels and David Cole to produce a song so suited to its surroundings, so perfectly a product of its era, so seemingly at odds with the movie, yet so wonderfully in tune with it, that you almost have to stand in awe.
Played over an extended slow motion montage of a highschool track and field competition, it’s priming you for an evening of go-for-the-gold and give-it-your-all horror. Whether Graduation Day makes good on that promise is a bit dubious. Ultimately, that’s up to you, but I like it well enough.
From 1981, right in the thick of the action, it skimps ya a bit on the gore, but there’s plenty of hallmarks here for slasher lovers to embrace; sub-par acting, strange behavior, a live rock band performing at a dance (more on them later) and, of course, some nudity.
In fact, The Queen herself, Linnea Quigley, was cast to replace an actress that would not fulfill her contractual nudity clause. And when you’re in a tight spot, you need to bring in a big gun, and our girl Linnea’s about as big a gun as you can get. Maybe not in 1981, sure, but in retrospect, it’s a serious pull.
Sorry. Linnea gets me sidetracked every time. What were we talkin’ about again? Oh yeah, a song. And a questionable song, to say the least.
Is this a song people wanna hear? I dunno. I doubt it. It’s a song I wanna hear and that counts for something, I think. At least around here, anyway.
Is it a song people are gonna associate with Halloween? Probably gonna go with a big “no” on that one too. But there’s no shortage of songs like that on this playlist.
Is it a song your party goers are gonna wanna hear on Halloween? 2+2 still equals 4, so this one, maybe not such a big hit at the party. Though certainly danceable, you can’t deny.
But, is it Shindig Material? Oh, you better believe…it’s a winner. The Winner, in fact.
Let’s hang out here for a little longer on The Satellite of Love and listen to a couple more choice cuts from Mystery Science Theater 3000’s 11 year reign of terror.
Perhaps the most famous of the terrible songs Joel and The Bots had to sit through was Hear the Engines Roll, also known as Burning Rubber Tires, from the bizarro Spanish E.T.knock-off, Extra Terrestrial Visitors, also known as Pod People.
Idiot Control Now(as Joel and the bots sing in their parody) serves as a nice respite from some of the heavier and darker songs populating this playlist, and I actually kinda like it.
I dunno. It’s fun, catchy, and hearing it just makes me happy. It kinda reminds me of Everybody But You from Night Train to Terror, which is another song that kinda just makes me happy to hear.
Maybe that’s familiarity, or MST3K nostalgia, or just a general disregard for my own well being. Call it whatever you’d like, just don’t get me wrong here, cause there’s no doubt this is an awful song. It’s just an awful song I like hearing. But it’s still awful.
And Pod People itself isn’t any better. Strange puppets, stranger voice dubbing, and one overly enthusiastic young weirdo. It also features Trumpy, the bizarre anteater E.T. named after our President, Donald J. Trump. I keep hoping someone will Deepfake Trumpy into a Presidential debate or some shit, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. Get on that, Interent!
However you may feel about this song, or this film, it’s makes for some great Satellite of Love fodder, and it has definitely become an MST3K fan-favorite. I have to imagine at least some of that can be chalked up to this strange tune.
Now, I don’t know about you gang, but I got a sack of monkeys in my pocket, and my sister’s ready to go!
When it comes to 80’s Party Monster Movies (read: Gremlinsrip-offs) I don’t know if there’s a more joyless entry than 1988’s Hobgoblins.
I mean, it is good for a laugh or two, sure. And it’s certainly not the most horrendous thing you could watch, not by any means. But good it is not.
And I don’t think that’s the Hobgoblins fault. Ok, they aren’t all that fun, nor do they have much in the way of personality, you got me there. But c’mon, they aren’t given a whole lot of screen time to really develop any magic, or work what little magic they have. And it’s a shame, cause this movie could have used all the help it could get.
Naw, Hobgoblins doesn’t have much going for it, and tragically, its under-featured creatures are perhaps its finest asset.
However, it does feature a band trying to put it out there on celluloid. In this case, it’s The Fontanelles, whom we have the pleasure of seeing perform at Club Scum.
Of course, “pleasure” here should be taken with a grain of salt. I think, given their surroundings, the film could have done a lot worse than pull The Fontanelles, a band that seems to need Hobgoblins a lot less than Hobgoblins needs them.
If you’re a Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan, then you’re probably already aware of Jean Paul Sartre and The Heartbreakers Bosch Separatist Rock hit Pig Sticker. Mike and the Bots don’t have many options when powering through something like Hobgoblins, and The Fontanelles’ performance of Kiss Kicker ’99 is ripe for the picking. The guy practically chicken dances with a goofy hat and you can barely tell what he’s singing. It’s totally understandable and an enjoyable distraction.
To be fair though, I think this song ain’t half bad. In fact, it’s a far cry better than Hobgoblins is, that’s for sure.
Hey, what gives? You’re gonna include some whatever-ass Metal song and just gloss over Motörhead?
Yep, and I’m about to do it again.
Cause listen, we’ve all heard Ace of Spades. Nobody reading this right now doesn’t know Ace of Spades. Quite frankly, you’re probably all sick of Ace of Spades. Never mind the fact that no one is associating Ace of Spades with this movie or even Halloween. So, forget Ace of Spades. You’ll hear it on the radio soon enough.
More importantly though, for my money, the Zombie Nightmaresoundtrack doesn’t get any better than Danger Zone.
Nope, not the Loggins classic, but rather this choice thumper from Canadian metallurgists Fist.
In fact, Fist’sDanger Zone predates the Giorgio Moroder composed Top Gunhit by at least an entire year. No real matter though, as Wilson Pickett recorded a song called Danger Zone in 1966. So whatever to claiming on that, ya 80’s upstarts.
If you’re watching Zombie Nightmare, you may note that The Twist ‘N Creme plays an unnaturally prominent role in the film. A lot of stuff happens there, and this Fist tune can be heard loud and clear as car-hop Susie shuts in down for the night.
Unfortunately, she’s about to be accosted (again) by our old friend Jimmy “I Can’t Drive 35” Batton. He leans into yet another unrelenting string of juvenile innuendos regarding his inordinately large dick. The classic art of woo.
Susie is not amused. You might be though, at least that is until Jimbo flips the rape switch and shit gets weird.
Thankfully, our dead-signated Hitter Tony Washington shows up and shoves a softball bat straight through Jimmy and saves that day.
Way to go Zombie! Gotta love a movie that lets you root for the Monster.
John Fasano is an honorary Shindig All-Star because the man understood a simple truth: horror movies and heavy metal fit like a latex mask.
When we honored John back in 2014, we glossed over one Fasano production that definitely abides by this universal law: Zombie Nightmare.
Though uncredited due to some bizarro Canadian financial regulation, John basically wrote and directed Zombie Nightmare. And as such, it’s got what you need: Adam West, Tia Carrere, Voodoo, Rec-League Softball, Dollar Store Columbo, Fasano himself body slamming a dirty greaser, John Mikal Thor’s nipples, a zombie with a baseball bat and one rocking soundtrack.
Letting you know what’s up right from the jump is Motörhead and Ace of Spades. Not a bad way to kick off any movie. Throw in some tracks from Death Mask, Virgin Steele, and a bevy of song produced by pseudonymous Thor bands (including a sweet song called Zombie Life) and you got yourself a soundtrack. Thor also added credited-track Rebirth to the mix and even took it upon himself to synthesize a score as the Thor-kestra. Snap.
If you’ve ever seen the film, then you know defacto-gang leader and vehicular-manslaughterer-turned-food-thrower-turned-bad-innuendo-peddler-turned-sexual-predator Jimmy Batten is one weenie of a villain.
Such a weenie in fact, that he can’t even burn rubber in his sweet Porsche 944 to this Girlschool song that was definitely built for speed. You should at least approach 65 if you’re listening to this tune. What you shouldn’t do is leisurely cruise down Quebec’s miracle mile, particularly if you’re riding high on last night’s hit-and-run murder and you just threw a bunch of spaghetti in your mom’s face. What kinda Teen Beat rebel are you?
Despite Jimbo’s internal governor, you can feel free to let your lead foot linger just a little and get that sucker redlined. C’mon, let’s go!
The Beast Withinby Perry Monroe, Mike Pasqualini and Asbestos Felt
Next up is The Beast Within, another solid Title Track from 1982…
..,is what I would be saying if this song was actually from the film The Beast Within and not confusingly from Tim Ritter’s 1986 fever dream Killing Spree.
If you’ve ever seen Killing Spree, than you might recall that most of the music is practically note for note homages to John Harrison’s Creepshow score. And they sound good, too. I wonder if composer Perry Monroe had an actual Prophet 5 on hand.
No matter though, because wrapping up this bawdy and almost Shakespearean tale of paranoia and deadly misunderstandings, is the aforementioned Beast Within.
It may not be a Title Track, but someone must have hipped Tim to the next best move, cause this Rock ‘N Roll Sweet Song 180’s into a full on Monster rap, complete with a highly detailed plot summary. Yeah, you bet.
It’s also predictably spit in that hard, racially appropriative fashion of the late 80’s, by none other than the films lead, the curiously named Asbestos Felt! Check him out.
But don’t judge this book by its title alone. Judge it by its cover. Then, go ahead judge it by its contents, and then come back and rejudge it by its a title, cause all 3 are working perfectly in tandem to deliver exactly what you’d imagine.
Felt is all-in here and his maniacal expressions and glorious performance are much of what make Killing Spree such a joy to behold. I love this guy, and wish he had more films to his credit.
So, let’s enjoy some low-budget 16mm 80’s backyard madness with the boys from Killing Spree. Here’s The Beast Within.
A Critical Madness by Kay Reed with The Church of Our Savior Choir
Tim Ritter is pretty awesome. If you’re a fan of 80’s shot-on-video, backyard horror, than you’re definitely familiar with old Tim.
The auteur behind such insane fare as Twisted Illusions, Creepand Day of the Reaper, Tim was a to-the-bone horror fan armed with a camera who just said “Hey! I can do that.”
And did it he did, creating some of the most entertaining and charming additions to this bizarre, homespun sub-genre. If you like that sort of thing.
And I do, so I’m gonna give you all a double shot of Tim Ritter tunes. First up, the by-line Title Track to his 1986 bonkers opus Truth or Dare: A Critical Madness.
Like most of Tim’s output, it’s a film that really must be seen to be believed and even then I’m sure it’ll be a little tricky to fully wrap your mind around.
After happening upon his wife fuckin his best friend, Mike Strauber begins spiraling into a critical madness, first by playing increasingly masochistic games of truth or dare with people that aren’t really there, sending him straight to the nuthouse.
Eventually, he disfigures his own face and then fashions himself a weird-ass cooper mask. Then the dickhead orderlies give him a picture of his wife, ya know, to warm up his cold, padded cell. Yeah, that’ll probably lead to increased mental stability.
Predictably (and thankfully for us) it does no such thing, propelling Mike to escape and embark on a Silent Night, Deadly Night 2-style daytime killing spree complete with nunchucks, a full-on mace and maybe even a grenade, I dunno.
Shot when Tim was only 18, it belies his age and at times appears to be the work of more mature folks. Not all the time of course, but it’s still pretty impressive for someone who couldn’t even legally get drunk.
Which leads us to this song, this gloriously bizarre and out of place song. Some kinda Dion Warwick sounding left field commission, A Critical Madnessappears to be sung from perspective of Mike’s wife, by crooning woman Kay Reed, complete with an accompanying children’s choir.
I dunno why Tim thought a movie like his should end with a song like this, but thank God he did.
Dr. Hackensteinby Claude LeHanaff and Hard Roaders
Sometime after Stuart Gordon made Re-Animator but before Henenlotter made Frankenhooker, writer/director Richard Clark released his lone feature, Dr. Hackenstein, which combines elements of both in a more traditional Frankenstein setting.
It’s a quaint little horror comedy that, while not especially noteworthy, is perfectly watchable and even somewhat charming. I’d have a hard time imagining anyone who likes either of the aforementioned films not finding at least something about this one they enjoy. Particularly considering the FX, which were provided by none other than Kurtzman, Nicotero and Berger EFX Group. Ya know, B.C. KNB EFX
It stars David Murr from Neon Maniacs as the titular physician, a guy who you’d almost mistake for Roddy McDowell. Playing along side him, as the main damsel in bodily distress, is the lovely Stacey Travis, whom some of you may recognize from Phantasm 2, Hardware or even Earth Girls Are Easy.
Additionally, you get some fun guest appearances from both Ramseys Anne and Logan, Phyllis Diller, and that cheapskate Hotel Manager from Ghostbusters! Not a bad showing.
What’s more? You guessed it. With only one feature to his credit, Richard Clark had the wherewithal to include an honest to God Title Track.
That egghead Stanley Kubrick never had a Title Track. Some auteur he was. No wonder he never got an Oscar. And don’t give me any of that “Well, Dr. Strangelove’sWe’ll Meet Again was technically a Title Track from the musical We’ll Meet Again” baloney, cause I ain’t having it! If we all just start throwing other people’s Title Tracks into our movies with different titles and no Title Tracks and and then calling them Title Tracks, what does that make us? No better than the terrorists, that’s what.
100% anachronistic and totally 80’s, this goofy as all get-out Title Track gets the extra special treatment of being a Sweet Song too boot. Double bonus!
So, sit back and relax, the doctor will see you now.
He calls himself an Obstetrician! He’s Dr. Hackenstein.
Call me an idealists. Call me old fashion. Hell, call me an 80’s fetishist, but I wish every movie ended like 1986’s portmanteau horror, Cat’s Eye.
The 3-pronged anthology from Stephen King and Lewis Teague isn’t even particularly fantastic. It’s all right, I enjoy it, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of any anthology list.
The James Woods story about an invasive smoking cessation program has some fun moments, despite being a little under cooked.
The second story has an intriguing premise, is well acted and provides a fair amount of tension, given a predisposition to acrophobia.
And the final story, the one which everyone remembers, with a cat named General protecting a young Drew Barrymore from a horrible, little, breath-stealing troll. That troll, designed by FX maestro Carlo Rambaldi, is fantastic. And all that set dec making the him look tiny is 80’s practical FX gold.
But that’s not what I mean. No, what I want is for every movie to end with this same kind of weirdly referential, ridiculously popped-out, Title Track bullshit. Say that Title over and over! Gimme that hot synth bass! Talk about the movie in indirect ways! Make it feel like an event. Make me feel like I just watched a movie. Leave a mark.
And boy howdy does Ray Steven’s Cat’s Eye do just that. He Billy Oceans the fuck outta this thing and produces a shinning example of a Title Track. It’s doing everything right.
After 3 Monster Raps, 2 of which I can fully understand struggling with, we have to break out the plastic pumpkin and make with some treats, right?
And around here, nothing spells “treat” like Title Tracks.
So here comes a rockin’ block of plot-talk with some of the finest Title Tracks xx yet featured on the playlist. And it you listened to last months Fistful of Title Tracks episode of Shindig Radio, you got an idea of what’s comin’
First up? Hidden.
Ever seen The Hidden? It’s kinda like The Thing meets Dead Heat, just with less Piscapo and no snow. There’s also little bit of Men In Blackgoin’ on too.
Plus, if you’re a Twin Peaks fan, it can serve as a quick Dale Cooper fix, with Kyle Maclachlan playing another FBI agent amidst high strangeness. Additionally, Hank Jennings shows up, just for good measure.
But that’s not all, as you get Clu Gulager, Jermone from Summer School, a young Danny Trejo, Lin Shaye and even Kincaid’s dog Jason, who took a piss on Freddy’s grave in The Dream Master. Weird.
What’s also weird, is that just like Men in Black, it also has a Title Track. It actually has a pretty kickin soundtrack altogether, as the body jumping alien imposter seems to have an affinity for loud, ruckus music.
Before we get into any of that though, we’re gonna highlight the soundtrack’s crowning achievement, from The Truth.
Since we seem to be hearing a lot from Shindig members we haven’t seen in a while this year, let’s welcome back That Gal in Black Who Keeps Coming Back, Elvira.
Yep, it’s been about 4 years since The Shindig’s gotten a hitter from Casandra Peterson’s beloved horror icon. To be fair though, we front-loaded this playlist with a ton of Elvira, so giving ourselves a chance to cool off has been helpful.
By 1988, Elvira had burst from the confines of local Los Angeles late-night Television and into homes across the nation with guest appearances on shows like CHiPS, The Fall Guy and endorsements with companies like Coors Light.
However, that was the year Elvira made the great leap from the small screen to the silver screen with Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, a film she co-wrote herself with disembodied Pee-Wee’s Playhouse head, Jambi!
It’s a fun piece of 80’s horror camp that’s very entertaining, with some great special FX work and Elvira at her double entendre-delivering best.
After being sexually harassed by her station’s new owner, Elvira quits her job. Then, she finds out her Great Aunt Morgana died and left her a giant old house! So, she moves to Massachusetts to receive that inheritance.
Unfortunately, the town’s uppity constituency of conservative buttinskis don’t like the cut of her jib. This doesn’t stop Every Tricker’s Treat from indulging in a montage to fix up the old mansion or host a late-night horror fest at the local movie palace. Eventually she gets accused of Witchcraft and almost gets burned at the stake!
All’s well that ends well for Elvira though, as she ultimately uses her inheritance to finance a life-long dream of starring in a lavish Las Vegas show; an occupation Casandra herself actually held at a rather young age.
I do regret to inform you, dear readers, that our beloved Casandra was nominated by those despicable cretins at the Golden Raspberry Committee, for worst actress 1989! Can you believe such a thing?
The good news is she lost to Liza Minnelli for a double-dose of dreafull performances in Arthur 2: On the Rocksand Rent-A-Cop. Still, I can’t believe Casandra was even nominated. Really? It’s a character, and a singular one at that. God, I really think I hate those Razzie fucks.
At any rate, Here I Am is the song she performs in that lavish Vegas show. And while it’s a tad short of my liking, it eventually evolves into a full on Monster Rap, which more than makes up for it’s brevity, in my opinion.
Since the very end of the song has no lyrics, due to Elvira beginning her famous tassel-swinging dance, I’ve included a gif of said dance, to fill the void.This is a dance, I’m proud to say, that I finally got to see Casandra perform live back in 2017, which was the farewell season of her famous, 21-year running Halloween stage show at Knottsberry Farm.
To kick off October proper, we’re gonna pull the lead-off batter from last year’s Heavy Metal Halloween episode of Shindig Radio, which segues nicely, being that it makes good use of a crude reworking of John Carpenter’s classic Halloween theme.
The oldest Heavy Metal Halloween track thus far on The Shindig, this one comes from Danish rocker’s Wasted, who formed in 1981. After releasing this demo in 1984, they toured extensively across Europe and began putting together a follow-up record.
Unfortunately, their record company at the time didn’t much care for this new material at all. They added insult to injury by suggesting the band would be more successful if they altered their style to sound more like Twisted Sister or Bon Jovi.
Wasted didn’t handle this seemingly constructive, yet mostly damn questionable, criticism all that well and slowly began imploding.
However, they reunited recently and just last year released a new album of brand new material that thankfully sounds nothing like either Bon Jovi or Twisted Sister.
So, despite the record company’s shortsightedness and the toll that not playing that type of ball offered Wasted, I’d like to personally thank them guys for sticking to their guns and providing this solid stand-up double, that wholly secures their place on Halloween Shindig.
Back in 1987, I guess someone over at New Line Cinema thought it might be a profitable idea to shove a bunch of session musicians into a studio, have them record a couple weird 80’s covers of a few classic tunes, whip up a few Freddy-specific originals, overdub Robert England cackling, call it Freddy’s Greatest Hits, then sit back and watch the money train pull into the station.
Whether that train ever arrived, I couldn’t well say. That probably depends largely on just how much they dumped into this endeavor in the first place. Not gonna lie, it doesn’t sound like a lot. So who knows, maybe they actually did turn a profit with this thing.
Either way, we won. And we won big time. Mr. Big Time.
If you’ve never heard this album, you’re in for a real treat. If you have, then you’re probably just shaking your head at your screen right now, questioning either my sanity or sincerity. And fair enough. This isn’t double-platinum shit here, I’ll grant you that. But conceptually? It’s as gold as it gets.
Freddy lazily speak-singing Wilson Pickett’s In The Midnight Hour? The frolicking surrealism of a burn-scarred child-killer having his own dance called The Freddy? The strained melodrama of Don’t Sleep? Wolly Bully? C’mon.
How bout just the fact that something this fucking bizarre, this blatantly commercial, this antithetical to its source material was created at all? This kind of thing is everything I want.
As for my sincerity, I’ll just say that maybe I’ve listened to this thing too many times now, and it’s become familiar. Or maybe I just have shitty taste in music. Or maybe I’m just a psychopath. All of these things are a good possibility, but there are songs on this album that I legitimately enjoy, listen to by choice and rock out to. I love Down in the Boiler Room. I love Don’t Sleep. I love Obsession. I love this album; conceptually, musically, wholeheartedly – and I’m glad it exists.
And while this is certainly an album you can hear in many other places, Halloween Shindig is most definitely a place you should be able to hear it.
Main Titles (A Nightmare on Elm Street) by Charles Bernstein
Well, it would be practically un-Halloween Shindig of us to have a Friday the 13th song, much less 2, and not follow them up with a Nightmare on Elm Street song. It’s a practice we’ve long indulged, though typically in the reverse order, with Freddy usually getting the double shot.
As such, in its 8 years of internet life, Halloween Shindig has been home to 10 different Freddy Krueger songs, no doubt aided by his very own release, Freddy’s Greatest Hits.
However, similar to Friday the 13th (and perhaps then more understandably) we have yet to feature Charles Bernstein‘s classic theme from the original Nightmare on Elm Street.
And a fantastic theme at that.
But not just the theme, because the entire score from Freddy’s rookie outing is a stand-alone marvel of horror composition.
And though it’s intricately threaded into the fabric of the film, and largely responsible for both creating its surreal atmosphere and then using those cues to misdirect the viewer, its an album that’s just as enjoyable to hear apart for the film. If you’re into just listening to that sort of thing, that is.
In a recent interview with Gibson Guitar, Charles admitted he didn’t initially think the picture was going to do well commercially. He thought the thing was just too bizarre and destined for a straight to video release, where no one would hear his music. As such, he felt liberated to just do whatever he wanted, and thank the horror God’s for that, because what he wanted to do was unique, surreal and perfectly suited for this specific film.
And it’s all Charles on this thing, too. With a limited budget to work with, Bernstein told Wes Craven he’d have to do it alone. So with an 8 track TEAC recorder, a guitar, a bass, a few percussion instruments, a handful of synths, his own voice and a stack of Boss pedals, Charles wrote, performed, recorded and mixed everything you hear on this score himself. And that’s pretty nuts.
Various gear forums suggest large helpings of Yamaha’s DX-7 mixed with an Oberheim OB-SX, a Roland Juno-106 and possibly even an ARP 2600 as comprising the electronic palate of Elm Street’s synth ladened soundscape.
However agreed upon the above may be, there doesn’t seem to be a definitive list from Charles himself. Unfortunately, he isn’t exactly sure what all made it onto the final score. He does seem pretty convinced there’s at least an OB in there, whether an SX or something more grand, and the DX is probably a lock regardless of anyone’s memory.
Charles did say though, looking at this old photo from 1984, that he spied a Sequential Circuits’ Pro-One. Indeed! It’s right there on the stand in front of him.
The Pro-One was the monophonic little brother of the infamous Prophet-5 – the old horror composers trusty sidearm of choice. No surprises there, if that’s true, though I personally couldn’t say for sure and apparently neither can Charles.
Whatever he used exactly, it just worked. It was the right score, for the right movie at the right time, and I would certainly credit it as being an important part of what made this first Freddy film so effective and loved, and no doubt a contributor to its continued endurance.
Eerily ethereal, eminently electronic, and unmistakably Freddy, here it is at last, The Main Titles from Wes Craven’s original game changer, A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Overlay of Evil / Main Titles (Friday the 13th) by Harry Manferdini
Well, it’s been 8 years. 8 long years that have passed, rather quickly it sometimes seems, since I began the website form of Halloween Shindig. Yet, despite that speed, it somehow still feels almost like a lifetime ago.
In those 8 years I’ve included numerous horror themes on the playlist, maybe not as many as I should have and certainly not as many as I’d like, but there’s plenty to go around.
Additionally, I’ve added 7 different songs from various Friday the 13th films. However, somehow I have yet to include Harry Manferdini’s iconic theme from the 1980 original.
As any of you that happened to read yesterday’s entry may now be aware, Harry scored not only the original film, but every subsequent installment in the 10 film saga, with the lone exception of Jason Takes Manhattan. Still, no small feat.
But that’s not all, cause Harry scored All 4 House films, The Hills Have Eyes 2, The Children, Slaughter High, Swamp Thing and Iron Eagle III!
I know it’s taken too long to get you here Harry, but that is no reflection on your incredible contributions to not just Friday, but to the whole of horror. Halloween Shindig is honored to have you among its ranks.
Sail Away Tiny Sparrow by Harry Manferdini & Angela Rotella
Hey gang.
If you’re here reading this, I’ll assume you’re familiar with Jason Voorhees. Seems reasonable. I’ll also assume then that you’re at least familiar with the Friday the 13th film series, in some respect.
From there, I’ll make a lateral maneuver and assume that, since you are here, you may also be familiar with The Halloween Shindig podcast called Shindig Radio.
If you are, then you’re no doubt familiar with Shindig Radio personality and professional Monstersmith, Mikey Rotella.
Now, perhaps then, given you’ve listen to enough episodes (or maybe just the right episodes) and you also have a steel trap memory for weird personal trivia, you may know that Mikey comes from a very musical family.
First, you have his Grandfather, Julius Rotella Sr. He was a drummer and big band leader who had a family band way back. First with his brothers, then later with his own children, including his namesake, Jules Jr., tickling the ivories.
Providing lead vocals for that family band? Why, that was Mikey’s dad – the perpetually good-willed, world-renown spiritual singer, Marty Rotella. That’s right.
Johnny Rotella, on the ready with his fellow Woodwinders.
But wait, that’s not all! Cause you also get Johnny Rotella, an accomplished woodwind session player and the author of over 200 songs, including Nothing But the Best, which Frank Sinatra recorded in 1962.
The Chairman of the Board wasn’t the only one who put a little Johnny Rot on wax either. Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett and Doris Day have all recorded songs written by the illustrious Johnny Rotella. Pretty incredible.
As a session player, Johnny himself can be heard on tracks from the likes of Benny Goodman, Neil Diamond, Tommy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Zappa, and Steely Dan! Snap. That’s a murderer’s row of musicians right there, all with Johnny Rotella right at their side.
But that’s still not all. Because there’s also Johnny’s son, Bill Rotella, who’s band, Urban Shocker, provided the full-throttled action extraction Long After Midnight for the 1989 film Action USA. You can check Bill’s new music right here. Man, does it stop with this family?
Nope, because there’s also Bill’s sister, Geraldine. Who, like her father, is an accomplished flutist. One of the best in the industry, Geraldine can be heard on countless film scores including The Omen, Peter Jackson’s King Kong and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Mikey’s VG+ looking copy of Tranquil Sun’s …Thinking of You. Hell, with that shrink, I might even go NM on that. And since there isn’t even 1 copy of this on Discogs, I’d hang onto that one pal.
But, back before Action USA,Friday the 13th, and Spock saving the Whales, Marty Rotella and his sister, Angela, had a band called Tranquil Sun. They produced a funky mix of disco pop and soul, with enough driving bass, stabbing brass and smooth synth to satisfy any aficionado. They have a sort of Chicago meets ABBA vibe that’s perfectly a product of it’s era and definitely grooves.
A part time member of this band, rippin’ a Sax himself and sweeping that analog cut-off filter, was a young, local New Jersey musician named Harry Manferdini.
Now, assuming (as I did above) you are familiar with Friday the 13th, then perhaps you are also familiar with Harry Manferdini. He’s the man responsible for scoring every film in the original 10 picture series, with the lone exception of Jason Takes Manhattan.
It was Harry’s “Ki Ki Ki, Ma Ma Ma” which went on to become the stuff of horror legend.
In addition to bustin’ reeds and detuning oscillators on Tranquil Sun’s 1981 release …Thinking of You, Harry also arranged and conducted the enitre album. Not a bad pull for a small New Jersey disco band.
The reverse of the LP, … Thinking of You. Harry on that synth and sax baby. And Jules Jr. hittin’ the organ!
Which brings us to Friday the 13th.
Harry revealed that an early cut of the film featured a fairly well known Dolly Parton tune called Fly Away Little Bluebird. However, Dolly was a bit out of budget for the small production and the track needing replacing. It’s kinda like what happened with Prom Night around the same time.
So, Harry penned the curiously titled, Sail Away Tiny Sparrow, as a replacement. He then tapped the best singer he knew, Angie from Tranquil Sun, to sing the tune.
Yep, that’s Mikey’s Aunt Angie all over the original Friday the 13th soundtrack. You can even hear Marty in the background providing, what Mikey referred to as, “the juice.”
A fan favorite in the Friday message boards, Sail Away Tiny Sparrowis just the kind of nice you’re not expecting from a film like Friday the 13th, and it adds a healthy dose of lived-in realism to environs of Crystal Lake. Lots of fans over the years have wondered about it’s origins and performers, and hopefully this will fill in some of the gaps.
But, is that the end of the Rotella’s musical contributions? Not by a long shot, And not even as it concerns this playlist, as Mikey himself can be heard right here, belting it out with The Kyrpt-Keeper 5 on their cover of The Monster Mash. Sure, it’s no Run-Off, but it’s probably more in-line with our listener’s proclivities.
And hey, don’t knock showing up on The Shindig as a musical accomplishment. The last time I checked, neither Al Jourgensen nor Peter Steele could make that claim. So, check your hater jacket at the door.
And how about Marty? Oh, Marty’s doin’ aces. Don’t worry about that.
He’s been shootin’ 73% from the floor, trailing the Hoboken Bigfoot and recording songs under his very own label, Spirit Power Music, for over 30 years. It’s the banner under which you can find him on Instagram. There you can hear nuggets of sage-like advice and his wonderful singing voice. Follow Marty and show him some love from us over at @spiritpowermusic.
But enough about The Juice, what of this song?
Well, it’s most notably heard in the beginning of the film, when Annie enters the Crystal Lake general store to ask for directions to Camp Blood.
A slightly different version of the song is heard again later, at the Blairsville Diner, when Steve stops in for a quick bite and a coffee during the rainstorm.
Now, a version of this song appears on the Orignal Motion Picture soundtrack, but anyone familiar with the film will immediately hear a discrepancy. It sounds nothing like the prominent version in the film. The tempo has been reduced and Angie’s vocals have been pitched shifted down. Probably just side effect of the tempo change.
There are a few low-bit rate versions floating around the internet which attempt to correct this, and some aren’t bad. But I decided, what the hell, and took a crack at correcting it myself to see if i couldn’t get it a little closer and produce a cleaner, re-timed version for all of the Shindig fans. I tried to match the tempo and pitch as much as I could without being too destructive.
However, such tricks can not be accomplished without introducing some digital artifacts, which the eagle-eared among you may be able to detect. Hopefully, that’s not too distracting.
So, what do you think Friday fans? Did I get it pretty close to matching Angie’s original voice? I guess only She, Harry and The Juice know for sure. But hopefully one day, that original recording will resurface somewhere.
Until then, sail away tiny sparrow, out into the world.
Young horror nerd Mikey Rotella stands next to Harry Manferdini, adorned in a Friday the 13th shirt. Coincidentally though, I’m sure.
Night of the Vampireby Roky Erickson and The Aliens
Speaking of folks who haven’t made an appearance at the plate for a couple season, here comes Roky Erickson and The Aliens, who haven’t taken a swing in about 6 years, 7 months and 18 days. About.
Ole Roky will probably end up as an All-Star eventually, but he already should be and I’ve neglected adding another one of his songs for far too long.
So we’re gonna line up and Vampire double-header here with Roky’s cautionary ode about a night of a generic vampire.
Or is it? What clues can we unearth?
Well, its all fairly unspecific. That is until Roky tells us a little bit about this vampire. Why, he’s from Transylvania! So, we could easily conclude he’s just talking about Dracula, of course!
Well, wait a minute. Not so fast, cause apparently this Vamp was also born on St. Swithin’s Day.
What in the Sam Hell is St. Swithin’s Day?
Good question. But don’t worry, I’ve already looked it up for us.
St. Swithin’s Day is a British holiday. It’s July 15th. It’s kinda like Groundhog Day, in that it purports to predict how the weather will shake out in it’s aftermath. Seems if it rains on St. Swithin’s Day, you’re lookin at 40 days of more rain to follow.
Got some sunshine? Well, you got some clears skies coming at you for the rest of July and August.
It even has a little limerick:
St Swithun’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ’twill rain nae mare
Aces. But, what the fuck does that to do with Vampires?
Search me. Roky Erickson was a weird cat, man. God knows what all that electroshock therapy did to his noodle.
Wait, maybe Dracula was born on St. Swithin’s Day?
Well, since Dracula got his name from real life Romanian Aristocrat and gnarly sunofabitch, Vlad III, lets start there.
Vlad was a Prince, and his father, the king, was known as Vlad Dracul, which meant Dragon. That name is what they call a “sobriquet,” and that’s basically just a formal nickname that becomes more popular than your real name. Like Tricky Dick, or The Sultan of Swat, or the King of Pop. You know exactly who I’m talking about and I never needed to say their names. Unless you don’t, which probably just means your younger than shit.
Well anyway, Vlad III had one of these sobriquets too; Vlad Tepes, or Vlad the Impaler. Cause that’s what happens you you shove a fuck-ton of giant pikes through people – you get named for that shit.
Now, since his dad was Vlad Dracul….Little Vlad came to have another nickname, Dracula, which is like the equivalent of what calling a guy around here Johnson or Peterson used to be.
Ok great, but weren’t we taking about his birthday. Yeah, but the problem is that nobody’s really even sure what year Vlad Tepes, was born, much less the day. General consensus seems to be 1431. That’s as good as we can get on that front.
So, how about fake Dracula?
Same. And the novel was published on May 26th, so no winky references there.
Well, how about the guys who played fake Dracula? Let’s see…
Max Schrek? September 6th.
Bela Lugosi? October 20th
Carlos Villarías? July 7th. Man that’s close.
John Carradine? February 5th.
Christopher Lee? May 27th.
Jack Palance? February 18th.
Klaus Kinski? October 18th.
Frank Langella? January 1st.
Udo Kier? October 14th.
Judd Hirsh, maybe? Naw. March 15th.
Duncan Regehr? October 5th.
Gary Oldman? March 21st.
Gerard Fuckin’ Butler, even? November 13th.
That guy from Argento’s 3D shit show? That was Thomas Kretschmann. And nope, September 8th.
What about that new guy? It’s way too late for Roky at this point, but what the hell, right?
Luke Evans was in Dracula Untold. He was born April, 15th,
William Smith? Wait, really…William “Normad” Smith? Yep, he played ole Drac in The Erotic Rites of Countess Dracula in 2001. But no. March 24th.
Claes Bang most recently play him on Netflix. April 28th.
Fuck, really?
I dunno, Leslie Nielsen maybe? Nope. Februrary 11th.
Jesus, was anyone interesting born on July 15th?
Sure…
Hall of fame Basketball player Frank “Pop” Morgenweck, Country Singer Lloyd “Cowboy” Copas, Airwolf’s Jan-Michael Vincent, Painter and toothpaste spokesman Rembrandt, Linda Ronstadt, Filmmaker DA Pennebaker, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Johnny Thunders, Terry “The Step Father” O’Qiunn, Lolita “I Have the Coolest Last Name Ever” Davidovich, Forrest “What’s Really Goin On With My Eye?” Whittaker, comedian Eddie Griffin, Brian “The Peach Pit” Austin Green and current Portland Trailblazer Point Guard Damian Lillard.
..were all born St. Swithin’s day.
From my extensive research however, I have found that only Brian Austin Green and Cowboy Copas were actual Vampires. Brian was born in 1973, which probably makes him a bit too young for the honor. So, I can only conclude this song is about legendary Vampire Lloyd “Cowboy” Copas.
