John Carpenter had already demonstrated early on that he knew not only how to make striking films but how to make them sound musically, with both Dark Star and Assault On Precinct 13 showcasing his skill with electronic instrumentation in particular. But it was with his third film, 1978’s terrifying landmark in slasher/thriller aesthetics Halloween, that he made an absolutely permanent mark on that sonic front as much as with the film as a whole, with Carpenter, inspired by Bernard Hermann and Ennio Morricone’s work, creating it over a few days with the assistance of synth programmer Dan Wyman. The first actual American soundtrack album release came out five years after the film itself, but since then, matched with the iconic graphic art, it’s become one of the most legendary film scores in general. The core is the eerie “Halloween Theme - Main Title,” with a fast-paced, tense piano melody set against quick beats and ominous, slow synth parts; it recurs, never losing its power, at various points throughout the score amid slower, sometimes moodier tracks like “The Shape Lurks” and “Michael Kills Judith.”