The frightening sequel to Halloween Ends is nearly here. As a result, the promotion of this enormous picture has begun to slice its way through the horror subgenre. Today not only did the film’s final trailer debut but the second song from the soundtrack, “The Junk Yard,” was also published. John Carpenter, his son Cody Carpenter, and composer Daniel Davies are at work once again on the score for Ends. Carpenter can’t get more traditional than “The Junk Yard.” It begins slowly and mysteriously, building from hushed eeriness to a climactic outpouring of atmosphere.
The music does a terrific job of setting the mood with its emphasis on guitar and piano and its touch of eerie metallic flare, which is reminiscent of the score from Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Many interesting questions spring to mind as a result. What terrifying things, if any, reside in the junkyard, and does “junkyard” refer strictly to trash or does it have another, more ominous connotation? It’s almost more reminiscent of a cemetery than a junkyard, the way the piece is put out. Over the years, we have been all over Haddonfield, visiting the local pharmacy store, the now-famous hospital, and even the cemetery where Michael Myers’ sister is laid to rest.
Though, in all of the twelve movies, we have yet to see a scrapyard. What role the junkyard plays in this finale’s tale remains to be seen. Fans, however, won’t have to go far to find other exciting new spots in Haddonfield. Trailers and promotional art for Ends have hinted that the city’s sewage system would play a significant role in the plot. Carpenter’s presence has been the only positive aspect of the terrible sequels to the first two films of David Gordon Green’s legacy trilogy. The film’s amazing musical soundtrack was the final piece of the gory jigsaw that helped put the original Halloween at the top of the genre food chain, and it arguably still occupies that rank now, as any film lover will attest.
That tense masterpiece of a musical composition, whether it was the Halloween theme or Laurie’s hair-raising song, is as closely associated with the frightening holiday as Michael himself. More than four decades after its first release, Carpenter’s score remains as iconic and chilling as ever, serving as the James Bond theme of the horror genre. His work with his son Cody and Davies is widely considered to be his most significant contribution to the field. Carpenter has horribly maintained the mood of the Halloween films, from “The Shape Hunts Allyson,” one of the finest pieces of music in cinema history, through “Michael’s Legend,” featured in Halloween Kills.
However, he has joyfully discovered a method to maintain the series feeling new and exciting despite all the exhilarating memories. Now Ends contains two excellent songs—”The Junk Yard” and “The Procession”—to offer listeners. One thing is clear, regardless of the quality of the finished product: we have another fantastic Carpenter horror score. The presence of Carpenter in a new Halloween film is a major draw for audiences, and this music might be his last for the franchise. Even though it’s sad to think about, you can commemorate the filmmakers’ legacy of chills by pre-ordering the Ends soundtrack from Scared Bones right now. The digital version is due out on October 14, and the hard copy on October 20. On October 14, Halloween Ends will terrify audiences at the theatre and at the Peacock.