By John Carpenter and Alan Howarth

Varèse Sarabande, Vinyl, out 29 September

John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s score to the 1983 killer car movie based on the Stephen King horror novel gets an LP re-release courtesy of Varèse Sarabande.

Soundtracks to possessed, red and white 1958 Plymouth Furies are like buses – you wait 30 years and then two come along at once! Earlier this week John Carpenter released the promo video that he directed for his new recording of the movie’s main titles (to be included in upcoming album, Anthology) and now soundtrack label Varèse Sarabande have remastered and reissued their 1996 score album on vinyl.

There’s no new content, meaning that it still clocks in at 33 minutes, and if you want songs like Bad to the Bone or Harlem Nocturne you’ll need to seek out the original motion picture soundtrack album which has long been out of print. What you do get is some lovely new artwork from Gary (Ghoulish Gary) Pullin who takes the car’s hood ornament badge and accentuates it as a pair of devil horns with skeleton-shaped blood stain. The vinyl is a rich blue, though I am a bit surprised that they didn’t go for a red and white ripple mix corresponding with Christine’s trademark livery colours. But I particularly like the way that the A-Side label is a spooky speedometer.

The album itself, scored by director John Carpenter in association with Alan Howarth, is one of his best. You might feel short-changed with only half-an-hour of music, but this really is a case of quality over quantity. Trademark Carpenter, it’s heavy, repetitive synthetic chords with minimalist underscore tinkling away under the surface. As the characters are chased by the eponymous auto, the soundtrack thuds and thumps to the progressive, percussive beats. Moochie’s Death and Christine Attacks (Plymouth Fury) are the stand outs, but there’s no filler in the remainder.

Verdict: A classic Carpenter soundtrack gets a digital polish, delivered on a retro format in shiny new livery. Turn up those speakers and feel Christine’s fury. 9/10

Nick Joy