Halloween II Soundtrack – Review

Rob Zombie has a good ear, and it’s always present on his film’s soundtracks. Halloween II is much like the remake’s soundtrack. We get a collection of great songs, mixed with some score from Tyler Bates, and some dialogue snippets. The songs don’t factor much into this film, as they did in his remake. That’s okay, because the selling point is the songs.

We get some great tracks from The Moody Blues (Nights in White Satin), 10cc (The Things We Do for Love), Motorhead (The Chase is Better than the Catch), and Foghat (I Just Want to Make Love to You). These are great songs, and if you don’t have them yet, they’ve never sounded better on CD. The classic rock songs are his thing. It’s why we call them classics, because they’re timeless. Interestingly enough, is the overall theme of the CD soundtrack here: love. I was curious to see how this subtext would factor into the film, but the final verdict is that it doesn’t.

One really cool cut here is from Nan Vernon, as it is a cover of Nazareth’s Love Hurts. It’s a sorrowful interpretation, one that might take a few listens to appreciate. I found it to be a great cover, even if you get the sense of despair from her voice.

We get a few bits of score here. From House of 1000 Corpses to Devil’s Rejects to Watchmen, Tyler Bates is providing some interesting bits of composition. Using a variety of sounds, with the sparse electronic synthesizer, he adds dread and tension, to a film that is really in need of it. Rob Zombie’s guitarist, John 5, provides a 2 minute theme for Laurie, called Laurie’s Theme, using a piano, it’s a lovely piece, a haunting tribute to her character, especially if you know Halloween II‘s ending.

Also, on note is Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures, a fictional band Zombie helped created for this film, much like Banjo and Sullivan in Devil’s Rejects. While Banjo and Sullivan had some great, comical country songs, Captain Clegg is more like a Misfits copy. They’re okay, but I won’t seek out their CD.

Fans of Rob Zombie will be sad to see no new music from him, but he gives us a good collection of tunes that are easily recommended. If you already have those songs, outside a few score bits, I couldn’t fully recommend it just for that, or for Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures. Check your iTunes library and your big CD collection for the songs from the Moody Blues, Motorhead, and Foghat. If you don’t have them, then this CD soundtrack offers those songs in great crystal clear audio.

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