By association, Shindig Superhero King Diamond finally becomes the Shindig All-Star he was always meant to be.
From Mercyful Fate’s 1983 debut album, Melissa, comes this Satany as shit foray into Halloween with Mr. Diamond at the helm, falsetto and all.
And, for King Diamond fans, the name Melissa is an important one.
According to the album’s final song (and title track) Melissa was a witch who owned the heart of King. She was (presumably) burned at the stake by a priest, to which King Diamond swore revenge.
Melissa then reappeared the following year, again on the final track, of the album Don’t Break the Oath called Come to the Sabbath. That song details the performance of a ritual that will curse the priest responsible for murdering Melissa.
King with his famous Melissa mic stand, though I doubt that’s the original skull.
Finally, Melissa appears on the 1993 Mercyful Fate reunion album, In the Shadows, on the song Is That You, Melissa? Here, King attempts to convince a Coven to perform a ritual which will allow him to speak with Melissa’s ghost. Though the Coven refuses, King is later visited by her spirit. They share a kiss and Melissa is never spoken of again.
However, Melissa holds even more significance to Mr. Diamond than that. See, sometime in 1981, King procured human remains from a medical school in Copenhagen. He then proceeded to named those bones “Melissa.”
King would go on to form his legendary mic stand from the femur and tibia of “Melissa’s” remains. Additionally, he would carry her skull around with him on stage. That is, he did, until one night at a show in the Netherlands (he reckons) Melissa’s skull was stolen!
King still uses his Melissa mic stand to this very day, but her skull has never…been seen…again.
It’s been 6 months, but Shindig Radio is back to respack you’re sacks with more action backed tracks on another thrilling installment of…
ACTION DISTRACTIONS!
Volume 2 of Shindig fans’ least requested diversion brings you tracks from The Stablizer, Death Promise, Vice Squad amongst others…including a special, double-barreled blast from Road House!
So, grab an uzi, jump on your dirt bike and rock out with your 3 favorite fools as they listen to your least favorite songs on…
No movie gets championed around here quite like 1986’s Trick or Treat. And why not? It’s everything we’re on about over here. It’s a Rock ‘N Roll Horror movie that takes place around and then on Halloween. An undead rock star electrocutes an entire gymnasium of teenagers with a real electric guitar. It’s got Gene Simmons. I mean, what more do you need?
The Super Soundtrack, which I thoroughly recommend listening to the day before Halloween, features loads of songs by Fastway, including tonight’s penultimate selection of the season.
When a movie like Trick or Treatis throwing a Sweet Song at you like After Midnight, how can we ignore that?
My personal pick for Favorite Addition to the Playlist: 2019 has got to go to Philip J. Settle’s rockin’ 80’s, four-to-the-floor Title Track, Dead Heat.
Shindig Radio personality and Showdown Shogun himself Graham C. Schofield brought this glaring omission to my attention just before the season started. And I couldn’t believe I had totally forgotten about this track.
How had this track, this Title Track of all things – particularly one as awesome as this – to a movie I thoroughly enjoy – eluded The Shindig for so long? I love Dead Heat, but I must admit, it’s been some years since I’ve just sat down and watched in it’s entirety…
And this track isn’t just a Title Track, it’s also a Sweet Song, so you gotta stick it through to the end credits to be treated to this dozy, which I definitely would have loved to have taken a go at on any one of our Title Tracks episodes of the Podcast.
All good things eventually reveal themselves to The Shindig and we can thank a dutiful rewatch from Graham for bringing this champion of Title Tracks home, where it belongs.
Playlist fans can now rock out to this tune, which is kind of an Indirect Title Track; one of those song where they definitely say the name of the movie incessantly, but aren’t quite talking about the movie at all really.
Playing off the films double-entendre, Philip J. Settle settles for steering this hot rod of the track toward the racing side of a dead heat, and it works out just fine.
If you’ve never seen this Treat Williams/Joe Piscapo/Kolchak The Night Stalker/Vincent Price zombie-gore bonanza, I say correct that as soon as possible.
With out of control FX from Steve Johnson’s XFX team and additional work from the likes of Todd Masters and Rick Lazzarini, Dead Heat is an 80’s gore/make-up/creature tour de force.
I first saw Dead Heat after my first day of work at an old video store called “Mike’s Movies” in Boston. I had just been introduced to a co-worker (and eventual good friend) named Malachi (I know, right?) and was tasked with assisting him in creating a small shelf of Halloween recommendations to be placed near the entrance for October. What a first day, huh?
We each split up grabbed a handful of titles from the impressive selection that store had to offer. He came back with some selections you might imagine, probably along with some foreign shit (he loved weird old foreign shit.) But it was one cover in particular (and the only one I 100% remember) that caught my attention.
“Piscopo? An Uzi? What the fuck is this?” I asked “This is a horror movie?”
“No.” He replied. “It’s so much more. You gotta see this.”
So we proceeded to get higher than shit that night, and became fast friends while watching his hero, Treat Williams, become the Dead Heat. And Malachi was right. Cause you gotta see this.
So, it seems only fitting then, that 2 days before Halloween, from a small Halloween shelf on the other side of the country, Dead Heat joins the ranks of Halloween Shindig. This one’s for you Malachi!
It’s Halloween again and Shindig Radio is celebrating its reason for your season: Halloween Songs.
But not just any Halloween Songs. These are songs exclusively called Halloween and performed exclusively by weird 80’s metal bands.
It’s a Heavy Metal Halloween!
Matt Mastrella returns to join Graham C. Schofield and Mikey Rotella on a Halloween journey through Heavy Metal history with 10 of the hardest, most head bangin’ Halloween hits the world has ever heard!
Originally filmed in 1984 and titled The April Fool, Killer Party wasn’t released until 1986, alongside 2 other foolishly themed slashers, April Fool’s Day and Slaughter High.
Though not terribly celebrated (from what I can tell) nor especially gory, Killer Party is a surprisingly enjoyable slasher despite, mixing elements of its contemporaries without all the rug pulling or meanness.
Slasher fans might say it’s too tame or too schizophrenic or that it takes too long for it to get to any genuine horror. They wouldn’t be wrong, but at least when it gets there, it’s real. Out of left field perhaps, Evil Dead-lite, no question, but definitely not a joke.
The characters here are fun, the actors likable and it’s got a fitting, almost Halloweeny, ambiance. The movie has a look and I vibe I just kinda dig, and it could certainly hold up to an October’s viewing.
The censors apparently had a field day with this one though, and the kills are so non-existent you’ll actually be surprised when it all doesn’t end up like April Fool’s Day. If you want something with teeth, you’d be better served sticking with Slaughter High, perhaps the most conventional (though still weird) of the 3.
But that’s not to say Killer Party doesn’t come correct at times, particularly out of the gate. Because it features this kick-ass track, the culmination of its effective double pump, April fool’s fake-out opening.
What starts out as a Creepshow-styled funeral gone awry, quickly reveals its melodrama to be the evening’s Drive-In fare of choice for 2 young neckers. It was only a movie!
The female viewer, April, excuses herself from the car to get some popcorn, but upon returning finds her date is nowhere to be found. Where could he be?
Why he’s creeping up alongside the car and looking mighty unhealthy. He suddenly brandishes a knife, thrusting it at April through the window! She flees as zombies jump out from all corners of the Drive-In parking lot.
Boom! Homeboy in the headband hits the OB-8 hard and Dollar Store Jack Burton lets his receding mullet do the talking. I dunno where I’m at anymore, but it’s definitely somewhere I wanna be.
What you now thought was the real movie reveals itself to be the Thriller-esque preamble for the zombie filled music video to White Sister’sApril (You’re No Fool). Bonus!
White Sister rocks the most lavish concession lobby I’ve ever seen while April dodges her zombie attackers as we the audience just look around confused, having absolutely no fuckin’ bearings anymore whatsoever. Where the fuck are we? Where’s the movie? Who edited this, and did he fall asleep?
It’s been about 9 minutes, and our movie has just started. Ah, our main protagonist Phoebe is just watching a little MTV. “Gotcha!” says the music video. It is about April being a fool, after all.
So rock out with April, a few zombies and the boys of White Sister, mourn the lost of a much more appropriate title, and enjoy April (You’re No Fool)!
Side Note: to any hardcore fans of Killer Party who may be a little baffled as to how we’re not including the film’s superior (and reoccuring) number Best Times…patience is a virtue. It’ll be coming soon enough, and that’s no April Fool!
Ah, Critters, the quintessential 80’s Sci-Fi-Horror-Creature-Feature if there was one.
Critters was a big film for me as a kid. Being a little too young for having anything but just passing exposure to the gorier slashers of the day, films like Monster Squad, Critters and Killer Klowns are what grabbed me early and drew me into the wide world of horror.
Incidentally, The Chiodo brothers, responsible parties for those Killer Klowns, are also the culprits behind the Crite, amazing little 80’s puppet monsters such as they are. These brothers definitely informed my youth, without question.
So what brings us here tonight? Why Johnny Steele, that’s who! The coiffed haired rocker from whom the intergalactic bounty hunter Ug steals his visage.
Those bounty hunters are cool, with their weird faceless goo-heads that mimic whatever person they’d like. Pretty neat.
Now, Johnny Steele’s just some Earth rocker Ug sees while getting a crash course in Earth culture from the video montage he’s watching en route to our planet. Ug likes the cut of ole Johnny’s jib, and quickly programs Johnny face into his weird goo-head for full metamorphosis. The scene is a great example of bitchin 80’s reverse FXery, and no doubt leaves an impression.
And Johnny’s 80’s arena-anthem Power of the Night is all over this movie. Dee Wallace is watching it’s video on the TV. Brad throws on it’s tape in defiance after being sent to his room. Even Billy Zane’s ponytail-rocking douchball Steve is bumpin’ this shit in his Porsche 944. Damn straight he is.
Curiously though, this song isn’t played during the end credits. Doubly frustrating is that it appeared on the original vinyl LP of the Critters soundtrack but not on any subsequent cassette or CD releases. So finding clean, uncompressed versions that don’t sound awful is harder than one might imagine. We made do with the best we could find.
Sweet song or not, it’s a certified Shindigger that was written and performed by actor Terrence Mann, who plays Ug/Johnny Steele in the film. Pretty solid. Now that’s commitment to a role right there, and damn it if Terrence doesn’t sell this shit out of that performance.
What’s more? Terrence is one of only 2 actors to appear in all 4 Critters films. This guy gets the fuck down on Crite.
So let’s bring Terrence aboard and rock out with Johnny Steele’s Power of the Night!
Hey, remember that one episode of CHiPs where Ralph Malph plays a Shock Rocker named Moloch who discovers secret backmasked messages on his own albums after someone mysteriously tries to murder him?
Oh. You’re using that real estate for actual memories of real experiences from your life and don’t have the any room for myopic bullshit from a 37 year old cheeseball cop show? Yeah, I get that.
Well, in the event that you don’t remember, or can’t remember cause you’ve never seen it, or wouldn’t remember cause CHiPs is some stupid shit you wouldn’t waste your time with, Halloween Shindig is here!
Rock Devil Rock was the name of that episode and it was the CHiPs Satanic Panic Halloween special in 1982. It aired on Halloween Night and guest starred Elvira! She MC’s the Highway Patrol’s holiday party and even cuts a rug with Ponch himself. Halloween bonus.
In fact, our bitchin’ Season 2 Shindig Radio logo that will probably totally earn us a cease and desist from the Mistress herself, is taken from this episode.
Anyway, so yeah Moloch. He’s this KISS-styled Alice Cooper type that sings about the Devil while uppity do-gooders protest his very existence. His car also starts spewing smoke from the vents and tries to kill him while spouting Devil shit from its wood-paneled cassette deck. Now, if that paragraph doesn’t grab ya, I gotta believe you’ve just stumbled upon this website by complete accident and may want to hit the back button.
Yep. This is totally Robert Trujillo playing Flippy on CHiPs
Yep. Someone’s got it out for old Moloch and it’s up to Ponch and the boys of the California Highway Patrol to save the day. After fraternizing with Elvira and helping the bassist from Suicidal Tendencies deal with some Halloween issues, of course.
This episode’s pretty fun, plenty festive and, as you may have already assumed, provides us with tonight’s musical selection.
From the man himself, Moloch, comes the Black Magic Rock Opus…Devil Take Me!
The Friday series was no doubt long in the tooth and well past it’s prime by Part 8, but Jason Takes Manhattan still remains totally 80’s and appropriate when compared to subsequent installments.
Attempting to take the series in a fresh direction and shake the claustrophobic confines of Crystal Lake, the producers thought Jason should get into the Muppet spirit and take Manhattan. This isn’t a necessarily meritless approach, except for the fact that rather than New York, the action takes place on a much more claustrophobic cruise ship on it’s the way too Manhattan.
So much for that.
Despite being a highly derided entry for this very reason, I’d argue it’s actually the film’s saving grace. Thank God this whole thing doesn’t take place in Manhattan. I know it was the draw card, but it’s really where the film starts to fall apart for me.
Because it’s just weird seeing Jason takin’ it to the streets. Perhaps funny, I guess, but only for a gag or two, and then what? The movie isn’t quite sure it wants to be a full-on parody yet, and as such it has a bit of a Jason Lives vibe to it; not totally embracing its sillier parts, yet not committed to being a fully horrific affair either.
Jason Takes Manhattan does have a meaner streak than Jason Lives though, and sharper teeth. It’s self aware, but not all neutered like Part 6. So it’s got that going for it.
I would say Jason X, for all it’s millennial sensibilities and glossy lameness, navigates this sort of self conscious ground much more deftly. As such, I think it’s delivers a much more self assured spin on this series than either Jason Lives or TakesManhattan. Even has some solid kills, and before Jason gets all Mechagodzilla meets Robocop, he looks pretty dope. But it’s still hard to get behind that movie.
That being said, Jason Takes Manhattan is still a Paramount Friday that’s 80’s to the max with Kane Hodder just giving it his all. So, for my money, its in a different sphere of Friday than everything after.
Of the Paramount 8 however, I do feel it might be least of the bunch. Depends on what day you catch me. I recently rewatched Part 6 this passed Friday the 13th and found myself more irritated with it than usual. Part 8’s pulling ahead of it for me at this particular moment.
But hey, what the hell are we here for? Not my unsolicited bullshit. We’re here for some music, and Part 8 ain’t coming up broke, depending on your musical proclivities. If you can get down on cheeseball 80’s Power-Ballad-lite Pop Rock, than Metropolis here has got you covered.
I actually wanted to include the song J.J. puts on right before Jason steals her pink flying V and smashes her head in, but apparently that’s not a real song, just some composite that was put together from 2 other songs. Bummer, cause that one rocks, Lita Ford style. Oh well.
Here’s Metropolis kicking off Friday the 13th Part 8 with The Darkest Side of the Night!
C’mon, ya’ll didn’t think we were gonna make it all the way through 2019 and not give ya a Freddy/Jason double header, did ya?
Naw, it’s tradition ’round here and this year we’re reaching back into The Dream Master’s bag!
And the treat we’ve pulled out is this 80’s Pop Rock classic that has much longer legs as a real standing hit than any association with Mr. Big Time.
However, associated it is and onto the Shindig it goes!
In the very ridiculous and very Karate Kid-inspired training montage from A Nightmare on Elm Street Pt. 4, you will here this Jack FM favorite.
The Dream Warrior Kristen Parker (who was here recast with theme song singer and Shindig inductee Tuesday Knight) is trying to piece a normal life back together. Part of that puzzle is her boyfriend Rick, who’s not too fond of her old “spooky” buddies Kincaid and Joey.
Sport-o Rick suits up early on to assure us that, if push comes to shove, Freddy ain’t getting to him without a fight.
He throws on one of Myagi’s spare headbands, hits the bag and flails a pair of nunchucks around to this not-particularly-tough but particularly-whiny popper from Wayne New Jersey’s own Dramarama.
Later, his sister Alice picks up the same nunchucks and Neo’s that shit with the quickness, also while listening to Anything, Anything.
If you think Rick looks kind of familiar, that’s because he plays nerdy shut-in lightweight Calvin in Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama! How’s that for timing?
So come on! Verbally berate your girlfriend and try to buy her off while being totally self absorbed and not understanding at all why she’s not at all interested in marrying your needy asss. Hey, maybe even try to beat up her dad! That’s a good move. You can use some of Rick’s bitchin’ Taekwonkido!
As I’m sure anyone reading this is probably well aware, the steaming horror platform Shudder has been airing new episodes of Greg Nicotero’s Creepshow revival.
And while the response seems to be pretty positive, with some even claiming the show “nails” the vibe and spirit of Creepshow, I would respectfully like to disagree. That show isn’t nailing anything for me except the coffin lid on the belief that “sometimes…dead is better.”
That isn’t to suggest it’s not worth watching. It’s a new, and weekly, horror anthology from Greg Nicotero and a pile of other guys directly involved with the original Creepshow. That’s definitely a commendable and worthwhile effort.
But Creepshow, it is not.
I do appear to be in the minority on this one though, so maybe I’m just an old, purest curmudgeon.
Whatever your impression of the show may be, I’d like to hope we can all agree that an area where it’s coming up disappointingly short, is its score.
I mean no disrespect to the team of composers creating music for these new installments, because they’ve produced some interesting and creepy arrangements that definitely sound good. They just don’t sound like Creepshow.
Because Creepshow has a very specific sound. And that sound is the sound of the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5.
Created by Dave Smith and released in 1978, The Prophet 5 was the first completely programmable polyphonic (5 individual and articulated notes simultaneously) that featured a microprocessor for scanning knob positions, allowing for the storing and recalling of sounds; a technological revolution for the fledgling Synthesizer.
And composer John Harrison made extensive use of those novel and stock Prophet 5 presets.
So much so that the Creepshowscore practically plays like a demo track for this breakthrough instrument.
The American made Prophet 5 then became indelibly stabbed into the heart of American Horror.
The bulk of Carpenter’s scores with Alan Howarth, from Escape from New York to Halloween 3 to Christine, all feature prominent use of the board, albeit with Alan’s own programming.
Tim Krog’s score for The Boogeyman, Wakeman’s for The Burning, Brad Fidel’s for The Terminator, Jay Chattaway’s for Maniac, and probably a dozens of others, are all smeared Sequential’s sonic signature. It’s the sound of horror
The Prophet 5 and its big brother the Prophet 10 (essentially just 2 Prophet 5’s strapped together in the same enclosure) became as ubiquitous as the MiniMoog, but with a sound all its own.
It saddens me that these new composers have yet to muster much what John Harrison accomplished with just a Steinway Piano and a Prophet 5; pure 80’s synthy horror. Creepshow.
But maybe they’re not trying to. And maybe that’s the problem. Or at least my problem with it. I think they’re fine horror scores. But, to me, if you’re trying to capture the spirit of Creepshow, at least a third of that vibe lies in the score, and if you’re not trying to capture that, you’re fighting a losing battling.
And it wouldn’t be hard to do. Vintage Prophet 5’s may be expensive, but nothing outside the realm of this production or any professional composers. Hell, you could easily just rent one in here in Los Angeles, if that was a concern.
But even then, assuming you couldn’t get your hands on an original Prophet 5, modern equivalents like the Prophet 6, or a Prophet REV2 or the older but still attainable Prophet 600, would all get you right in that ballpark. A Polysix, a Trident, hell, a 300 dollar Kawai K3, could all to get ya some Creepshowy sounding stuff.
Or shit, even if you just used a laptop. There are several software recreations of the Prophet 5 (including Uhe’s excellent Repro5) which would get you so close to the mark, you’d be Creepshowing out in no time.
Seriously, with just a few clicks: Preset 2-1: Unison Glide with Resonance or any recreation of that and you’re all over Richard Watches Them Drown from Something To Tide You Over. It’s seriously that easy. No programing necessary. It’s a fuckin preset. They practically all were. The thing just sounds like Creepshow straight from the factory. It’s nuts.
So, I’m a rambling nerd right now, and I get that, but I don’t get why this show sounds the way it does. Particularly considering John Harrison – the man himself! – is involved. He’s right there, on set, directing some of these stories.
That is, unless they’re consciously tying to make it sound different. So, I have to conclude that this is the case. And it boggles my mind why you wouldn’t want it to sound like that. It’s so iconic, so 80’s, so exactly the thing they’re trying to evoke.
Now, with all that being vented, if you’re finding yourself a little disillusioned by the new music as well, let John Harrison and The Creepshow Welcome You.
We haven’t had a good Horror Theme here in a spell and it’s also been a while since we’ve had a visit Shindig All-Star Danny Elfman.
So, we’ll take care of both here with this addition that’s been waiting too long in the attic to pop out and scare us all.
What can we say about Beetlejuice that hasn’t been said? If you’re reading this, chances are we don’t need to tell you how great this film is, but I’m sure I’ll tack on at least a couple sentences below this that will do just that. So, who am I kidding exactly?
Arguably Tim Burton’s finest contribution to the world, everything from it’s off-beat story, wonderful production design, inspired special FX and iconic titular performance from Michael Keaton all coalesce to make this a bona fide horror comedy classic that has truly stood the test of time. I’m still shocked to see how much Beetlejuiceshit I see around on Halloween. Hell, I just saw one of those obnoxious inflatable lawn decorations in a store that was a sandworm! It was the first one I ever even remotely considered putting on the front lawn.
And that is to say nothing of Danny Elfman’s amazing score, which fits this film like a black and white striped suit.
So grab a sheet, you’re handbook for the recently deceased and let’s scare the hell out of the Deetz’s!
Santa Monica Blvd. Boyby Linnea Quigley and The Skirts
About an hour into Nightmare Sisters, we get something much more interesting, appropriate and better than anything Haunted Garage has to offer, no disrespect to Dukey intended.
That’s when Linnea Quigley’s succubus-possessed Melody grabs a mic and puts on a show.
Yep, that’s right. Linnea Quigley herself sings this inclusive track and permanently seals her fate upon The Shindig.
When a Scream Queen (particularly one as beloved by this blog as Linnea Quigley) sings an inclusive (or hell, non-inclusive….more on that later) it would be a crime against the holiday not to include that upon our Hallowed list.
Linnea seems to be detailing a problem in which a boy she’s been seeing has left her for another person. A boy, in fact. A Santa Monica Blvd. Boy, even.
This boggles my mind. Not that this boy might leave Linnea for another boy. That’s fine. Do you’re thing, pal. Sexuality can be a tricky and grey spectrum which can defy all conventional categorization. No judgements here, friend. In fact, I’d like to extended a gracious “thank you” for freeing Linnea so that she might pursue a more meaningful physical relationship with say, oh i don’t know, me.
No. What boggles my mind is that he would leave her at all. This boy is obviously confused and looking for love in a place other than the vicinity of Linnea Quigley. Ok, don’t get that, but fine.
If I may, Linnea. I’d like to politely suggest that, rather than feeling forlorn over this dear confused chap, you could move onto one of the,.. shit, I’ll conservatively say tens of thousands of other boys that will not only not leave you for some other boy, but not leave you at all for any other person period. Just a friendly recommendation.
All kidding aside (seriously though Linnea, I can be reached at ed@halloweenshindig.com) it is our utmost pleasure to officially add Linnea Quigley to the roster of performers on Halloween Shindig, with her upbeat and inclusive track Santa Monica Blvd. Boy!
Right on the heels of Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, David DeCoteau grabbed up Linnea, Brinke, Michelle and most of the crew, then ran across town to began shooting this sister film. 4 days later they had Nightmare Sisters in the can.
Another silly and scandalous horror/nudie/sex comedy from DeCoteau and company, Nightmare Sisters is a fun flick that would make a great double-feature with Bowl-O-Rama.
We mentioned Dukey Flyswatter in our last post, as he provides the voice of old Uncle Impy. Dukey also appears here, in his human form, as the opportunistic mystic Omar.
Dukey Flyswatter, however, is just the stage name of actor/singer/writer Michael Sonye, who also happens to be the lead singer of L.A. splatterpunk outfit Haunted Garage.
As such, Haunted Garage provides 4 different tracks for Nightmare Sistersand our selection this evening, Sorority Sister Succubus acts as an introductory track, running over the film’s opening credits.
What better way to follow up a David DeCoteau sorority flick without a title track, than with another David DeCoteau sorority flick with an almost title track about sorority sisters from a movie called something else?
If ever a movie was crying out for a Title Track, it might be David DeCoteau’s 1988 cheeseball classic Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama.
Unfortunately, we’re not that lucky.
However, we do get the superbly 80’s and synthed-out pop number Here In Darkness.
Could this have been a Title Track? Eh, maybe. That’s a hard Title to squeeze into any melodic structure, much less this one, which is pretty tight. Additionally, and probably more applicable, the film was originally (and more lamely) titled The Imp.
Legend has it (read: IMDb trivia) that Charlie Band himself held a contest at Empire Pictures to retitle the movie. Bitchin’ Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama was chosen. However, the MPAA, purveyors of quality changes the industry over, decided “bitchin,” (despite is non-derogatory use) wasn’t stickin’ around. Plain old Sorority Babes it is.
Which is fine by me, as the Sorority Babes themselves aren’t all that bitchin’ to begin with. Now, B&E babe Linnea Quigley’s Spider, on the other hand, is plenty bitchin for the lot of them.
But anytime you get Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley tag teaming on a sumbitch, you’re in for the goods, full stop.
Now throw in Stoogie from Night of the Demons, Valerie from Slumber Party Massacre, career Bum and literal dude that’s basically been in everything Buck Flower, plus a Dukey Flyswatter voiced puppet Imp with attitude to spare and you’ve got all the makings for a late night, low budget cult classic in waiting.
So grab a brewski, a bowling trophy and a Tri Beta paddle and join them all Here In Darkness!
Since I basically read the write up for this song on Episode 10 of Shindig Radio, I’ll spare you all the tedium of posting a direct transcript.
The short version is that Transylvania 6-5000 gives you 2 different Title Tracks and hey, isn’t that swell.
The other Title Track, which plays as a Sweet Song during the end credits, is a direct spoof of Glenn Miller’s Pennsylvania 6-5000 and its serves a nice coda to the film.
And despite how I may feel about that film, which is not terribly positive, I love this Title Track which plays right at the beginning of our ill-fated adventure.
Paul Chiten delivers the goods here with a very referential and appropriately 80’s pop theme the fits the movie quite nicely.
One thing I failed to mention during the show, is that the film actually apes it’s title from a 1963 Bugs Bunny short. This may make the allusion to Glenn Miller’s 1940 big band hit a little bit more understandable; 23 years on verses 45.
Another thing I’d like to address here is, on the show Kyle and myself answer Mikey’s question about the nature of the 6-5000 incorrectly. We both quickly state it is the hotel’s address, when in fact it is the hotel’s telephone number, PEnnsylvania 6-5000, in accordance with the old telephone exchange system. What can I say? Research is not our strong suit and confident misinformation flows freely. C’est la vie, it would seem. Je suis désolé, mon Mikey!
And with all that said, we’ll just follow the best thing about Transylvania 6-5000, with the 2nd best thing about Transylvania 6-5000.
Some of you may be familiar with 2 time Face/Off contestant and Shindig Radio personality Graham C. Schofield. What you may not know, however, is that he is also a massive Frank Zappa fan.
What you may also not know is that I have known him for over 13 years. In all of those 13 years I have been compiling, in various forms, the playlist you’ve come to know as Halloween Shindig.
In fact, the first Halloween I ever spent with him took place in my old backyard in Van Nuys, CA. At this Halloween gathering, an older version of The Shindig was playing to everyone’s delight.
So why, you might ask, did it take until a random pool gathering in 2019 for Graham to casually mention that Frank Zappa had a Halloween song?
It’s a solid question, and one I’m not sure he provided a satisfactory answer to when pressed. Probably something about plants.
Whatever the reason, late is definitely better than never, as we can now add Frank Zappa to the list of very famous and accomplished musicians that can stand proudly among the greats of true Halloweendom here on the Playlist.
While we all might clearly know (or can at least quickly gather) what Frank is actually talking about here, on the surface, Goblin Girl offers a fun and festive groove that tips its hat to the Eve of All Saints. All clear over here, kid.
So take a moment to bop along with Frank and the gang and their Goblin Girl.
She’s black and green,…cause it’s Halloween!
Interesting festive side note: This album was originally release in October of 1981 on Barking Pumpkin Records!
Are you into D&D, community college theater or weird masquerade sex-parties that feature no sex?
Yeah, I didn’t thi…
Wait, what? You are? Oh…all right then.
I still don’t think I should recommend 1983’s Skullduggery though, even if you have the added perquisite love for low-rent, bizarro horror movies produced by alien-people making lots of real confusing decisions.
I’m pleased to report it does feature a surprise reference to Halloween though, as you will hear attached to our next sonf, which is a totally out of left center Title Track that caught me right off guard. Skullduggery coming hard right out of the gate, huh? If only the film followed through on such a promise.
On the 1st part of Shindig Radio’s Title Tracks retrospective, we did a fair amount of clowning on this Scooby-Doo theme of a song which sounds dated even for its time. Mikey likened it to a 70’s television drama, ala Fantasy Island, and we think you’ll agree.
Despite a couple laughs had at its expense, I rather enjoy this Title Track. It’s got a good beat and is suitably mysterious, much like the plot of its namesake, Skullduggery.
Speaking of the film, you can soft pass on Skullduggery, unless you’re feeling hard pressed for something you haven’t seen before and aren’t too protective of your free time.
I will say, if you do decide to watch the film, you’ll hear this song featured prominently over its “we couldn’t really figure out how to not make this just a plain blue screen” credit sequence, which perfectly informs the next 90 minutes or so you’ll be spending with Skullduggery.
Personally, I recommend spending at least 2 minutes with it, which is just enough time to enjoy this weirdo Title Track.
And now, we have our first track to make its debut on Shindig Radio before being added to the playlist, and what a perfect song for that honor.
An 80’s disco Title Track for the slasher classic Prom Night, composer Paul Zaza cranked out a doozy with this one. Perfectly capturing the mood of the film and the vibe of its era, Prom Night is, at least sonically anyway, a fantastic Title Track.
Featured during the film’s climactic Prom sequence, it’s catchy, danceable and more importantly (like any good Title Track) it repeats the title ad nauseam.
Though, as noted by The Shindig Radio crew, that’s about where any references to either this movie or even an actual Prom, end. Which is a shame, as just a little bit could have gone a long way to taking this from just a passing Title Track to something really great.
No matter, because despite how Graham Schofield may feel about this cut, it’s unused sister Title Track or dancing disco bullshit in general, I think this song boogies.
Allegedly, this sequence was shot with a bunch of popular disco tunes playing in the background. Once the producers realized it might cost them a small fortune to secure the rights to such recognizable hits, they tasked Paul Zaza with recreating reasonable facsimiles as replacements.
Unfortunately, he only had about a week to do it.
Given the tight timeline, I think Paul knocked this one out of the park, creating a disco slasher Title Track for the ages.
Just remember, it’s not who you go with, it’s who takes you home.
On the surface it might seem like The Monster Club and Halloween Shindig would go hand in hand; a horror anthology starring such genre vets as Vincent Price, John Carradine, Donald Pleasence and Britt Ekland, that has tons of fun monsters and masks plus numerous monster related musical numbers? It’s a no brainer, right?
And it’s true, we love The Monster Club. It’s kinda like Night Train to Terror, only it’s coherent and cuts back to different and actual songs. It has a fun premise, with 3 solid monster vignettes and a spooky, synthy score.
So what’s the problem? Where’s the “but” that has kept this blog for talking about it for 7 years now?
That, dear readers, is my own prejudice against those same monster related songs. I kinda hate them. I don’t want to, but I kinda do. I want to love them. I want to include them all and have wanted to since the beginning. But I’m just not a huge fan.
I’ve tried, over the years, to warm up to them but the love just never seems to flows out of me. They have this late 70’s/early 80’s British new wave, pseudo-reggae, Clash meets The Police vibe that neither suits the movie, the songs or me, despite their monstrous leanings.
Because I think it needs to be represented and because I do quite enjoy the film, Halloween Shindig has decided to include the tune I’ve warmed up to the most. Performed on camera by The Pretty Things, it also happens to be (perhaps not so incidentally) the film’s Title Track.
After discussing over 30 different Title Tracks across 6 or so hours on the podcast, how did we not mention this one? Well, as we noted, there’s a mountain of Title Tracks and we had to keep some in our pocket, no? Leave a few surprises for the blog still, right? And we may even have a few more up our sleeve this year.
Additionally, this seemed like an appropriate way to kick off the season and usher in a monster block of Monster Songs, which have been sorely under represented as of late.
Lead in here with Vincent Price’s overly long (and overly awesome) laundry list of solid reasons the Human Race deserves to be represented in a club full of horrible monsters.
