Week 11: “The Music of John Carpenter & Ghosts of Mars”
I don’t know about you but I absolutely love the music of
John Carpenter. Ever since seeing his
film Halloween (1978) for the very
first time his music was what nightmares come from. I remain not only a die-hard fan of the Halloween franchise but of Carpenter’s
music as well. I would even go as far as
to say that I love his music more than the movie.
I recently pulled three of Carpenter’s scores from off the
shelf – In the Mouth of Madness (with
Jim Lang), Prince of Darkness (with
Alan Howarth), and Ghosts of Mars. It was In
the Mouth of Madness that prompted me to pull out the scores but it was Ghosts of Mars that I had on constant
repeat for three days. If you’ve never
seen Ghosts of Mars then you’re
probably not a die-hard horror fan and should go no further. If you are of the initiated then you know
what I’m talking about when I say that this is one of Carpenter’s most
satisfying scores that can exist on its own away from the movie. It’s not just a score but a rock ‘n roll
nightmare as only Carpenter can do. Some
of this feel and mood was in In the Mouth
of Madness but not so much in Prince
of Darkness (despite the film having “The” Alice Cooper in it). I remember seeing Ghosts of Mars on opening night in 2001 and was completely blown
away. Not only was it a futuristic
version on Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct
13 (1976) but it also had Ice Cube, Pam Grier, and Natasha Henstridge (not
to mention a who’s-who of up and coming actors like Clea DuVall and Jason
Statham and some of Carpenter’s repertoire Joanna Cassidy, Robert Carradine,
Peter Jason, and more). I absolutely
loved this movie!
This isn’t saying much as I generally love every John
Carpenter film. I do love some more than
others. If there is one thing you can
always depend on with a Carpenter film is that they are never dull and that
they are always exciting and entertaining and never predictable. The same can be said of his scores. Sure Halloween
is a classic but you cannot deny that he’s done better work with Escape from New York, Christine, and Big Trouble in Little China (all with Alan Howarth), to name a few.
Ghosts of Mars’
score holds a special place with me as it is one of the few that Carpenter did
not collaborate with another composer so you get a sense that this is pure
Carpenter at his finest. Carpenter’s
collaborations with Howarth produced some of the best scores for horror films
but hearing Carpenter “pure” is always a treat.
It also happens that Assault on
Precinct 13 is one of my favorite films of Carpenter’s and doing a
futuristic remake was a brilliant idea (at the time). Unfortunately, the film doesn’t play as well
now as it did when it was first released but that doesn’t mean the score doesn’t!
Like I said, Carpenter’s scores can exist outside the film
better than most other film scores and I can testify that I’ve listened to all
of his scores a hundred times more than I’ve seen the movies. The great thing about his scores is that they
never feel like they’re only for a movie.
Listen to his score for Vampires (1998) or They Live (1988) or The Fog
(1980) and don’t tell me those aren’t some amazing scores.
When I watched Ghosts
of Mars the other day it felt dated.
It felt old school Carpenter (but then again there isn’t really a new
school Carpenter). The film doesn’t hold
up nearly as well as The Thing (1982),
They Live, or Prince of Darkness, but remains one of his more fun films like Escape from L.A. (1996) or Body Bags (1993) or Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992).
I guess it doesn’t really matter since his music is timeless like the
feeling you get from watching Big Trouble
in Little China and They Live. The music exists outside of time itself
creating a flawless quality signature to his music.
Whether you’re a fan of Carpenter’s films or not his music
and film scores are up there with Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Danny Elfman,
Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Hermann, Harry Manfredini, Basil Poledouris, Tyler
Bates, and countless others who have contributed to some of our favorite horror
films over the decades. Even if Ghosts of Mars is no longer one of his
greatest films Carpenter’s score for that film is one of his greatest as a
composer.
Plus, I have a dream of hearing Carpenter and Prince do an
album of just those two jamming together.
Now that would be a dream come true!
