Haunted Soundtracks


Book Description

The turn of the millennium has heralded an outgrowth of culture that demonstrates an awareness of the ephemeral nature of history and the complexity underpinning the relationship between location and the past. This has been especially apparent in the shifting relationship between landscape, memory and sound in film, television and other media. The result is growing interest in soundtracks, as part of audiovisual culture, as well as an interest in the spectral aspects of culture more generally. This collection of essays focuses on audiovisual forms that foreground landscape, sound and memory. The scope of inquiry emphasises the ghostly qualities of a certain body of soundtracks, extending beyond merely the idea of 'scary films' or 'haunted houses.' Rather, the notion of sonic haunting is tied to ideas of trauma, anxiety or nostalgia associated with spatial and temporal dislocation in contemporary society. Touchstones for the approach are the concepts of psychogeography and hauntology, pervasive and established critical strategies that are interrogated and refined in relation to the reification of the spectral within the soundtracks under consideration here.




The Phantom Music Box


Book Description

A mysterious music box from the Haunted Museum follows a young girl home in this spooky read by the author of The Titanic Locket. Don’t touch anything in the Haunted Museum! Emma would rather be at her ballet class than at the Haunted Museum, but she can’t miss her best friend’s birthday party. In a spooky exhibit of music boxes, she’s drawn to a particular one, in which a pair of dancers spin slowly to a haunting melody. But that very night, the music box shows up at her door—like it’s following her. Emma dances better than she ever imagined when the music box is playing. But that’s not all. Sometimes the music speeds up, and the dancers seem to move on their own. Emma finds the lid open, music playing, even when she knows she’d shut it before. And then an eye appears in the mirror inside the lid—someone is watching Emma! The more Emma learns about the history of the music box, the more she realizes she needs to break the hold it has over her before it’s too late. But the better she dances when the music plays, the less she wants to! Praise for The Titanic Locket “Hair-raising. . . . Weyn keeps unexpected chills coming. . . . A quick, jittery read.” —Publishers Weekly “Weyn ratchets up the eeriness . . . and quickly builds to a stormy climax.” —Kirkus Reviews




Ghosts of Country Music


Book Description

Strum a Spooky Banjo, Tip that Ten-Gallon Hat, and Meet Country Music’s Greatest Ghosts Jam out to this impressive compilation of haunted hot spots, creepy curses, and celebrity spirits of country and western music. Presenting the paranormal legacy behind one of America’s oldest and most popular genres, Ghosts of Country Music takes a captivating, in-depth look at legendary musicians and the places where they perform . . . even after death. Experience true stories of larger-than-life stars—including Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash—haunting their favorite homes and stages. Step inside the Music City Center, the Apollo Civic Theatre, Bobby Mackey’s Music World, and other iconic venues where ghosts love to roam. Explore the numerous recording studios, record shops, and radio stations that attract paranormal activity. This fascinating book will thrill you with much more than just a catchy tune.




Here's to My Sweet Satan


Book Description

A sweeping, interwoven story of how America fell in love with the Occult Here's to My Sweet Satan is the first book to fully document the Occult craze of the 1960s and 1970s as a single pop culture phenomenon that continues to influence nearly every aspect of culture today. A masterful cultural history, Here's to My Sweet Satan tells how the Occult conquered the American imagination, weaving together topics as diverse as the birth of heavy metal, 1970s horror films, the New Age movement, Count Chocula cereal, the serial killer Son of Sam, and more. Cultural critic George Case explores how the Occult craze permanently changed American society, creating the cultural framework for the political power of the religious right, false accusations of Satanic child abuse, and today's widespread rejection of science and rationality. An insightful blend of pop culture and social history, Here's to My Sweet Satan lucidly explains how the most technological society on earth became enthralled by the supernatural.




House of Leaves


Book Description

“A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious.” —The New York Times Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children. Now this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices. The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.




Music and Sound in Documentary Film


Book Description

This collection of fourteen essays provides a rich and detailed history of the relationship between and music and image in documentary films, exploring the often overlooked role of music in the genre and its subsequent impact on an audience’s perception of reality and fiction. Exploring examples of documentary films which make use of soundtrack music, from an interdisciplinary perspective, Music and Sound in Documentary Film is the first in-depth treatment on the use of music in the nonfiction film and will appeal to scholars and students working in the intersection of music and film and media studies.




Soundtracks & Original Cast


Book Description




Music and the Paranormal


Book Description

Exploring the paranormal through musical phenomena, this encyclopedia covers a range of anomalies, from musical mediumship to locations throughout the world where music has been heard with no obvious source. Other manifestations, such as the abilities of musical savants and the anesthetic use of music during surgical procedures, are included with a focus on paraphysical aspects. Entries describe examples from earliest history up to the present--interpretation is left to the reader. Broader themes and concepts are discussed in appendices, with additional references provided for further study.




Blood on Black Wax (RSD Edition)


Book Description

RECORD STORE DAY EDITION: Signed book + exclusive red-colored 7-inch containing unreleased music from the 1980 cult slasher Prom Night._____Are you obsessed with John Carpenter's iconic music for the Halloween series? Do you thrill to the unforgettable stabs of the Psycho score, or the pounding synth of Goblin's soundtrack to Suspiria? Do you find yourself being pulled into the hair-raising modern scores for the likes of Get Out, Hereditary, and The Witch? You're not alone. Blood on Black Wax is a defining horror soundtrack volume that spotlights iconic franchises such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Jaws, The Exorcist, and George A. Romero's Dead films, highlighting both the music and the amazing - often rare - artwork that graces the record sleeves. It also tells the stories behind the soundtrack, from the mouths of the musicians who made them, including John Carpenter, Fabio Frizzi, Christopher Young, Harry Manfredini, Charles Bernstein, Pino Donaggio, John Harrison, and more. Aaron Lupton and Jeff Szpirglas, both of Rue Morgue magazine, have curated Blood on Black Wax to reflect their own passion for the darkest slabs of soundtrack music. Their journey into the fascinating history of horror movie scores contains reviews, release details, and wild stories about both renown and unusual releases - everything from the orchestral sounds of Hammer and Universal horror, to the truly experimental albums for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Eraserhead, to the outlandish punk and metal songs of '80s soundtrack albums like The Return of the Living Dead and Shocker. Go back to your favorite horror films one more time, through the jaw-dropping, spine-tingling music that helped solidify their place in cinematic history!




Top 20 Creepiest Ghost Stories


Book Description

Enter the Spine-Chilling World of Ghost Stories! Are you fascinated by tales that send shivers down your spine? In "Top 20 Creepiest Ghost Stories" by Jade Summers, immerse yourself in the most hair-raising and eerie ghost stories from around the world. This book captures the essence of the supernatural, providing you with: Haunting tales of restless spirits Spine-tingling accounts of haunted houses Chilling folklore from different cultures Stories of ghostly apparitions and eerie encounters The unsettling mystery of the afterlife And many more! Each story is meticulously curated to give you the creeps and keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether you are a fan of the paranormal, enjoy folklore, or love a good scare, this book will captivate and terrify you in equal measure. Dare to explore the world of the unknown and the supernatural!