Any horror fan knows that good old Lucifer has been showing up in movies since pretty much the beginning of cinema, with Georges Méliès 1896 short film, The House of the Devil. While mainly horror films, there are plenty of other sub-genres, from comedies to even romance, he’s always poking into other’s business. But when it comes to the horror genre, we know Satan is one villain you don’t want to come up against!
Wow. What an icon to not only the horror genre, but to movies in general. There wasn’t a sub-genre that he couldn’t or hadn’t worked it and always nailed it. Yes, Mr. Warner has passed away at the age of 80 years old, and I was still hoping to meet him one day at a convention. He had been in so many of my favorites. Then again, when you have 228 acting credits, you’ve obviously made a lasting impression in the industry. His look. That voice. Damn.
One of my earliest memories of Warner was that in Time After Time (1979), playing Jack the Ripper who gets arrives at modern times, thanks to the time machine invented by H.G. Wells, played by Malcolm McDowell. Then of course, playing Evil in Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits (1981), followed the next year playing Stark in Tron (1982), really made me take notice of him. Of course, one of his earliest appearances in the horror genre was Amicus’ From Beyond the Grave (1974) in the segment about the haunted mirror. Followed by The Omen, where he has one of the most memorable deaths in cinematic history! He even played Frankenstein’s creature in a 1984 version, alongside Robert Powell and Carrie Fisher.
So yeah, the movie industry has lost a true talent, and I know I am so sad to hear this news. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.
The movie soundtrack can be just as important and effective as anything we’re seeing on screen, especially when it comes to the horror film. Just think of The Omen, The Exorcist, or even Creepshow. This episode we discuss some of our favorites and why we think they are effective.
Below are all the titles that are mentioned during the podcast, some in more details than others! Be sure to check some of these out and next time you’re watching one of them, or any movie, maybe pay a little more attention to what you’re hearing.
Below are the soundtracks that are mentioned during this episode of the podcast. We’d love to hear some of your favorites!
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While director Richard Donner is mainly known for his big blockbuster films like Lethal Weapon series (1987-98), Goonies (1985), one of the best versions of Dickens’ story Scrooged (1988), there are a few other titles that made a strong impact on my life that he was responsible for. In 1978, he gave us the first REAL super-hero film with Superman that actually worked. But two years before that, he showed us that evil was alive and living amongst us in The Omen (1976), which still remains a powerful film even today, almost 50 years later.
But even before all of that, it was an episode of the TV show Ghost Story called The Concrete Captain that aired in September of 1972, that starred Stuart Whitman and Gena Rowlands, that I can still vividly remember watching as a 7-year-old kid, laying on my living room floor just being entranced by this little cheesy spooky story. Granted, at the time, I had no idea who the director was or whatever a director did. But I remembered that episode. It was a little later when I was able to catch one of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone, catching a rerun of it. It was Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, starring William Shatner. That was enough to give anybody nightmares, especially if you were going to be on a plane at night! Both of those episodes were directed by Richard Donner.
Donner passed away yesterday at the age of 91. For someone that did work on the big Hollywood films, he still made some damn fine entertainment, no matter what genre he worked in. His talent will be dearly missed, but thankfully we still have all the incredible films that he has left us. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.
Thank you, Mr. Donner, for showing us that a man really could fly.
Varèse Sarabande has released a limited edition “demonic white vinyl” version of Jerry Goldsmith’s Oscar winning score for Richard Donner’s The Omen (1976). Talk about an iconic score! This release is only available on Varèse Sarabande website and each of the copies of this remastered LP will be hand numbered, as well as only having 666 units being released.
This is one of those scores that just listening to it can bring back the chills the film creates and has always been one of my favorites. This is a prime example when a score enhances what is happening on the screen so much, it truly is a masterpiece.
If you’re like me, horror movie soundtracks are a staple of my day. Each and every time I’m at work on my computer, I have a horror soundtrack playing in the background. Even now, I’m listening to Pet Sematary‘s score by Elliot Goldenthal. True story.
If you’re looking for a few scores to add to your collection, you may want to head over to La-La Land Records to take advantage of their Halloween sale that ends tomorrow. You can find some good deals for only $4 each! You can pick up the soundtracks for The Sender, Trick ‘r Treat, The Conjuring, and a few more for just a few bucks. For $10, you can get yourself copies of Friday the 13th (the original) and Evil Dead (the remake), Pet Sematary (the expanded release, which I just ordered), and a few more. Or for $15, you can get John Harrison’s Creepshow, which I have to say is simply a must for any collector of horror soundtracks. It is one of my all-time favorites. But in that same price range, they have Day of the Dead, Magic (which I also just ordered), and Monster Squad.
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