Tag Archives: music

HBO’s homage to the original “Westworld”

Previously I’ve commented on my appreciation for the 1973 science fiction film, Westworld, as well as how much I enjoyed the premiere episode for the HBO television series reimagining from 2016 (as well as some of my own theological reflections on it). Last weekend I added a subscription to HBO as another part of my […]

Midnight Syndicate releases new album “Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering”

I am pleased to announce the release of a new album by Midnight Syndicate. It is titled “Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering.” From their press release: “The new album features the band’s unique twist on classic holiday carols blended with new and original material. ‘Our goal was to treat each song in a way that would […]

Call for Papers: Sonic Horror

Sound is arguably one of the most fear-provoking aspects of horror. Ghost stories and horror films employ sonic tropes such as creaking floor boards, sudden loud thumps, or ephemeral children’s choirs in order to enhance suspense through the evocation of unseen terror. “The spectre of sound”, as Kevin Donnelly has called it, creeps up on […]

Penderecki, horrific liturgy, and ‘The Shining’

What does classical music composed in the wake of World War II and the attempt to grapple with massive death and human cruelty have to do with a popular horror film from 1980? Quite a lot as it turns out. I should have known this, but to my pleasant surprise I just listened to a […]

Midnight Syndicate’s Latest Album Available – “MONSTERS OF LEGEND”

I just received the latest CD from Midnight Syndicate and it’s great. The title is Monsters of Legend, and it represents something of a homage to the classic Universal Studios and Hammer Films monsters from the past. One of the tracks, “It Lives!,” can be previewed from their YouTube page. This album will have great […]

Cinefantastique Interview: Neil Lerner and Music in the Horror Film

I recently enjoyed exploring an important facet of horror through the book Music in the Horror Film, edited by Neil Lerner (Routledge, 2009). I was then able to interview Lerner who discussed the significance of the aural in horror cinema for Cinefantastique Online. Below is the introduction: I come from a generation of fantastic film […]

Midnight Syndicate New Release: The Dead Mattter – 3 Disc Set

In my view Midnight Syndicate is one of the leaders, if not the leader in Halloween and horror music. They have proven so again with the release of their latest albums, and have raised the bar with the accompanying release of their first movie in a three-disc set as FearNet and Rue Morgue Radio recently […]

Coming Attractions

In the near future I will be interacting with the authors or editors of several books. To begin this process, I have mentioned this book in the past but am slow to finally read the volume. I have just begun Stephen Asma’s On Monsters: An Unnatural History of our Worst Fears (Oxford University Press, 2009): […]

Skillet: “Monster” as Rock ‘n’ Roll Jekyll and Hyde

The figure of the monster surfaces in many ways in popular culture to serve us for good or ill. At its worst it becomes a way of conceiving of the “other” which provides us with justification for their eradication. At its best it helps us to look inside ourselves to see that many times the […]

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