I like playing music when children come to my door looking for sweets.
Not just any music, though. And definitely not those cheesy "spooky sounds" compilations. I want something that evokes horror and unease. I could play some Skinny Puppy or other industrial act, but that kind of music can come across as mere "noise", which defeats the purpose.
And that brings us to Terrortron’s discography and MegaDrive’s Sleeper Street.
Terrortron‘s discography (three albums) are soundtracks for 80’s horror movies that never existed. For example, Orgy of the Vampires is the name of a cheesy foreign horror movie, but the album (and video) don’t draw from it, instead drawing from (or evoking) the horror movies of several decades ago that you’d watch on a sleepover.
Terrortron’s fully instrumental tracks mean you can appreciate – but not worry about – the campy titles and NSFW cover art for albums like Necrophiliac Among the Living Dead. The three albums of their discography are available on Bandcamp for the wonderful price of "Pay What You Want", so you’re not risking much of anything by checking them out. (Terrortron is also a side project of Anders Manga from Bloody Hammers, so if you like that, you want to check this out as well.)
MegaDrive is a force among the synthwave resurgence. Two years ago they put out Sleeper Street – an album of music inspired by horror movies of the same period. While the price is a bit higher (US$6), this album complements the discography of Terrortron.
Both are highly recommended for playing while the little ones come, dressed as fantastical creatures, begging for candy at your door.
Featured Photo by Ninety Eyes on Unsplash