By John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, Daniel Davies

Waxwork Records, out now

The score to Laurie Strode’s final stand…

It’s been a long-running franchise, spawned by creator John Carpenter, well known for writing, directing, editing, and composing the scores for his own movies, so it’s only fitting that that the soundtrack for this allegedly final – let’s call it latest, as we’ve all heard “final” before with slasher series – Halloween film should return to the original vibe so much. Not just with Jamie Lee Curtis returning as Laurie, but with Carpenter returning to scoring duty, alongside his son Cody, and godson Daniel Davies, who previously scored I, Frankenstein as well as working with John and Cody Carpenter on the Lost Themes studio albums.

Having worked so closely together before as a family, it’s no surprise that they work as well together here. In fact the blend is so good you can’t really tell who did what among the new stuff – obviously the original Carpenter themes recurring here are gloriously recognisable – though you can take a good stab at deducing.

The first three tracks, in fact, introduce us to a microcosm of the score as a whole, with “Where is Jeremy?” opening with modern horror stylings of softer ethereal threat before the past makes itself felt with the heartbeat of the Halloween theme’s underbeat. That takes us into the main title, a great modern rendition of the Halloween theme, before “Laurie’s Theme Ends” takes us on a mixed journey from loving piano to electronic determination and back, with sudden breaks mid-track which – implying either innovation or compressing of separate cues into one for the concert arrangement – shouldn’t work, but do.

In fact not only does it work, but this breaking mid-track recurs in later tracks too, notably “Before Her Eyes,” in which the main theme goes into Laurie’s piano mix. Standouts include the Halloween theme’s inclusion in “Kill The Cop” and “Before Her Eyes,” as the blend of classic Carpenter 80s synth and modern horror stylings in “Because Of You” and “Corey’s Requiem.” There parts that sound straight from Peter Davison era Doctor Who (hello “The Junkyard,” which seems appropriate), while “Bye Bye Corey” does a better job of a Brad Feidel Terminator 2 style pastiche than Silva’s recent Terminator themes release managed.

Verdict: John Carpenter was an early purveyor of distinctive and listenable synth and electronic scores, and he’s kept up to date, with the younger musicians in his family. This is a great soundtrack, appealing to Carpenter nostalgia fans and showcasing what modern synth can do for horror. It’s also great listening and background music. In that sense it’s got the same kind of genre vibe as the Stranger Things soundtracks, but in a more manageable length and with much less repetition. Perfect. 10/10

David A McIntee