Sacred Bones Music, out now

John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies’ soundtrack to David Gordon Green’s sequel to the 1978 horror classic gets an expanded release, adding nearly half an hour of extra music.

In the absence of a new Halloween movie this year – we’ll get a new movie in 2020 and 2021 – this deluxe release by Sacred Bones will have to satisfy your itch. Not that the original album felt like a compromise – we gave it top marks [link] – and it debuted at 12 on the Billboard Albums chart and 2 on the vinyl chart. This album adds 24 new cues to the first album, now clocking in at an impressive 45.

The new material is spread across the entire movie, although the finale was covered off completely by the first release. A lot of the cues are around the one minute mark, meaning that they’re often no more than a sting or refrain of the classic 5/4 refrain, but when it’s such a classic motif, who’s complaining?

Wisely using classic synths to add some authenticity to the score, but boosted by some contemporary piano, it’s a dynamic fusion of old and new. In addition to the regular CD there’s an astonishing array of vinyl double LP releases in different finishes from different retailers, just in case you want to make that 1978 listening experience complete.

Verdict: An excellent soundtrack just got longer, with more of the same… but no-one is complaining. Halloween Kills is still the track to beat, but there’s 28 minutes of new material here to justify the double-dip. 10/10

Nick Joy