John Carpenter, who previously wrote music for the first three installments of the Halloween franchise, returned for the sequel. His involvement was confirmed in late 2017. He was assisted by his son, Cody Carpenter, and collaborator Daniel Davies for the film score. Many of Carpenter's themes from the original 1978 film, including the title theme, were re-created with modern sounds and technologies. The album was released by Sacred Bones Records on October 18, 2018, in a limited release through iTunes. This was followed by a wide digital and physical release on October 19, coinciding with the film's release. The film score received critical acclaim, with John Carpenter's modernized composition being met with praise.
Vinyl editions of the soundtracks were issued by Sacred Bones and Waxwork Records in four different pressings, and multi-colored variants. On October 18, 2019, nearly a year after its theatrical release, Carpenter released the extended edition of the soundtrack, which consisted of additional music not featured in the film. It was made available through the online music distribution platform Bandcamp, and also released in two-disc vinyl formats.
Development
After previously providing the score for the original
temp music, and praised David Gordon Green for the direction calling it an "interesting experience".[4] John, Cody, and Davies then discussed scoring with Green, asking him to explain the kind of music and the experience he wanted for the film.[4]
John's original 1978 theme, was used as the main title theme for its 2018 sequel, with the influence of modern technology throughout the creative process. Compared to the original 1979 soundtrack, the 2018 version of the album had an energized feel, as John addressed the benefits of the technologies used in it. Asked about the incidental similarities between scoring the original film and its sequel, John said:[4]
"Well, it was very different back in the day, when I did the score, I couldn't score to the picture. I had three days to do the score so I did five or six pieces, I just did them and cut them in at various places where I thought they would work. So it was a whole different process. I just covered everything I could in this limited time I had. But nowadays we can score right to picture it’s just a whole different feel, you have the freedom to do so much more. So that's the comparison, also they were able to utilize and modernize some of the old scenes, which seemed to work out okay. I'm very proud of it."[4]
Cody Carpenter, on co-writing music for the film with his father, said he had improvised his method of composing, but the musical arrangements were the prime focus. He said that the collaboration of three people working together on the score makes for a slightly different writing process, due to having to accommodate ideas from each person involved.[5] All the recordings of the score took place in John's house through stage recording.[5]
Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source
Rating
weighted average, assigned Halloween (Original 2018 Motion Picture Soundtrack) a score of 72 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]
Paul Simpson of
Consequence Of Sound, critic Michael Roffman called the soundtrack "arguably the most modern score he's [John Carpenter] ever composed, cutting with a minimalistic edge that might make Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross blush. Even so, the score never loses that Carpenter charm, keeping a tight grip on its origins without sneezing from all the dust."[7] Writing for MusicOMH, Sam Shepherd gave a 4-star rating with a comment: "Fans of the old soundtrack will find much to love in the new interpretation and coming from such iconic source material, Carpenter couldn't really fail. With any luck, the new movie will measure up to the soundtrack and the high expectations that fans of the original movie have for it."[8]
Pitchfork writer Jayson Greene gave 7.4/10, stating, "Just as he did for his 1978 film, John Carpenter provides the score for Halloween's 2018 reboot. But this time, the synths have been cleaned up and dread is occasionally outweighed by winking nostalgia."[9]Rolling Stone critic Kory Grow said, "The music here is icier, more gothic, and more textured than that of the original. It is incredible to hear what Carpenter can do without having to worry about all that pesky directing."[10] Simon K. of SputnikMusic gave a 4.5 score and said "Not only does the film deliver to its fans, this soundtrack elevates the movie and continues to show how hungry 70-year-old Carpenter is in 2018",[11] while Under the Radar's Austin Trunick said "This is a legend being granted the ability to go back and take another crack at one of his most enduring works, and it's clear he's relished the opportunity. You'll not find a scarier record to celebrate the season."[12]
In September 2019, John Carpenter announced the release of the soundtrack's extended edition, which was due for release on October 18, 2019 (nearly a year after the film's release).[18][19] The soundtrack was released through the online music distribution platform Bandcamp, but not available on other digital platforms.[20] Sacred Bones (under the catalog code SBR-231) and Waxwork Records released the expanded edition in multiple vinyl pressings.[21][22]
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