Now, this is a rare treat. 

Years ago in the seventies, a radio theatre group - The National Radio Theatre of Chicago - recorded a Halloween radio play of Bram Stoker's Dracula. At two hours, it is one of the best recordings of its kind. The acting is superb from all players involved, and the musical selections add just the right amount of intensity. 

Definitely worth a listen. Here is a link to the recording. 



​

United Feature Syndicate released this vinyl album in 1978. In this way, people were able to enjoy the classic Halloween special year round without having to wait for the broadcast. 

Some dialogue is added to clue the listeners in to what is going on. It's lots of fun! 

"Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see!" Click the links below to listen!

Part 1
Part 2

In 1986, the good folks at The Haunted House Music Company released a follow up to their previous album, "Haunted House", entitled "The Ride of the Headless Horseman". 

As the record begins, an ominous narrator tells the tale of Ichabod Crane and his fateful night at Sleepy Hollow. This is actually a very good recording, and the producers took advantage of every single track in their library of sounds. We've heard Washington Irving's classic tale countless times over the years, but it never gets old - for me, at least - and I throughly enjoyed the version that is provided for us on this album. 

As with many albums of this sort, the rest of the record is solely devoted to individual creepy sounds, with a few playfully sinister music tracks to round it out. "The Ride of the Headless Horseman" is now out of print, but you can find it on eBay and Amazon.com in used and new conditions. 

I recommend it! Once again, I have to thank Greg for this find! Thanks, Greg! 

Listen to "The Ride of the Headless Horseman". 

In 1977, A&M Records released their very own Halloween sound effects album, entitled "Halloween Horrors". 

Most of us remember this album because of the first half, which is basically a fourteen minute story about a young man who drives to an old haunted plantation on Halloween night. Once he arrives, he finds that he is not quite alone. The ghost of a woman resides there, and soon enough, we begin to hear her cry, "My baby....have you seen my baby?" As if all of that weren't disturbing enough, there is also an encounter at the beginning and end with an old gas station owner, who is pretty creepy all on his own. 

"Halloween Horrors" is unique because Side A is dedicated entirely to this one story. It is lots of fun and very involving. You can see the events play out in your head, allowing your imagination to run wild. Those who have grown up with the album have never forgotten it. 

Side B consists of individual sound effects, and listeners are encouraged to come up with their own stories using these effects. They would also be useful for Halloween night as ambient noise for the trick 'r treaters! The album has long since been out of print, but you can find it used on Amazon.com, as well as eBay. 

Listen to "The Story of Halloween Horror".

In 1985, a group called The Haunted House Music Company released an album entitled, "Haunted House". 

Like the 1964 Disney album, "Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House", this particular LP opens with a soundscape that takes place inside of a spooky house. Unlike the "Chilling, Thrilling" album, this particular track features creepy music to go along with the macabre sound effects. The rest of the album features the individual sound effects and the music from the opening track. 

I must admit, I had forgotten all about this album until I met a man named Greg in a Halloween Facebook group who sent me an mp3 album. The moment that I heard that music on the first track, I suddenly remembered. Years ago, I purchased a cassette tape of this very album. I have long since misplaced that cassette, but I'm glad to know that I own it in some format! Thanks, Greg! 

After doing a bit of research on The Haunted House Music Company, I found that they created at least two more albums - "Night in a Graveyard" and "The Ride of the Headless Horseman". I was able to acquire mp3 albums of those as well. You can tell that much love and hard work went in to each of these projects, and they are most definitely a product of the time in which they were released. They have that eighties retro quality that I just adore. You can find the vinyl albums on Ebay and Amazon.com - and I'm sure that you can find mp3 uploads on blogging sites. 

In any case, I am the proud owner of each one of these little jewels. Just three more albums to add to an ever-growing collection! 

Listen to the first track, entitled "Take a Trip Through the Haunted House If You Dare!"

In 1964, Disney released the very first "scary sound effects"album, entitled "Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House". It became an instant hit. The record was perfectly timed to be released around the opening of one particular Disneyland attraction, The Haunted Mansion. No doubt, this album did much to get all of the right people into those doom buggies.

If you know the album well, you probably have the opening narration from Laura Olsher committed to memory:

"You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hilltop near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One night, a light appears in the topmost window in a tower of the old house. You decide to investigate. And you never return..."

With that, we are led into what is probably the best track on entire record, entitled "The Haunted House". Some of the sound effects may seem familiar, as you may have heard them on various Disney shorts. The rest of side A consists of "stories", as Olsher gives an opening narration before each sequence of sound effects to jump start your imagination. These tracks have titles such as "The Very Long Fuse", "The Dogs", "Your Pet Cat", "Shipwreck", "The Unsafe Bridge", "Chinese Water Torture", "Timber", "The Birds", and finally "Martian Monster". Some of these are far more effective than others, but every single one of the tracks are great fun!

Side B is basically everything from side A without the narration, making it ideal for background ambiance come Halloween night.

This album is out of print, but you can find it on eBay and Amazon for reasonable prices. Those of us who love it are kind of obsessed with it. It was a staple of my childhood that has become a Halloween tradition in my adult years. Of all of the albums that I own, this one sits in my top ten. It is a marvelous curiosity and something that I will always treasure.

In 1979, Disney released an altogether different "Chilling, Thrilling" album. Some have labeled this album a shameless cash grab, but I disagree. It's just as fun as the first album, and it even has a nifty little "parental guidance" warning on the back of the cover! Side A consists of macabre soundscapes, with titles like "Night Creatures", a brand new "Haunted House" track, "The Dungeon", "Witches", my personal favorite entitled "Encounter in the Fog", "The Grave Robbers", and finally, "Mad Scientist's Laboratory". As with the first album, Side B consists mostly of sound effects.

I own both of these LPs. They are equally spectacular. 

You can listen to the 1964 album here, and the 1979 album here. 

I was perusing a Vincent Price archive on the internet not too long ago, and came across this little creepy curiosity of an album from 1969. This double LP is incredibly rare and hard to find, but one could easily find it uploaded on Halloween related blog sites or YouTube - or you can purchase an MP3 album at Amazon.com. 

Throughout the course of the album, our pal Vincent takes us through the history of witchcraft, including the Salem Witch Trials. He treats us to incredibly graphic descriptions of the various torture methods used to punish witches back in the old days. Every now and again, he'll toss in some of his trademark snark along with some tongue in cheek humor to lighten things up. What I've just described is only the first part of the album, which is relatively harmless and quite fun to listen to. 

And then things get...well...scary. A little too scary. 

From this point on, the album turns into a sort of "how-to" play by play on conjuring spirits and demons. It is very thorough, mapping out the types of symbols that one should draw up on the floor in order to properly turn your living room or kitchen into a portal from Hell. He even gives you instructions for making a pact with the Devil, complete with the proper incantations and whatnot, right after telling us "You should only attempt this in the most dire of circumstances. Heh, heh!". 

At the very end of the album, Vincent begins to speak of the Witches Sabbath and all of the lovely things that this entails, including mass orgies involving incest, blasphemy, and devil worship. And then right before the conclusion, he talks about the Age of Aquarius and makes the subtle implication that witches may be far more enlightened than the rest of us. This doesn't surprise me. This was 1969, after all - the year that the Satanic bible was published and many celebrities - including Sammy Davis, Jr and Jayne Mansfield  - were connected with the Church of Satan in California. Rosemary's Baby had become a huge hit the year before. For whatever reason, people were preoccupied with the Lucifer around this time, and this album is merely a reflection of that. 

You can find it easily. I mean, I have provided links for all of you brave souls. You can get to it if you want to. Highly recommended! One of the greatest albums ever made.