State Champ Radio halloween
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Ariana Grande and Liz Gillies proved that they are still the ultimate dynamic duo when they took to Instagram on Friday (Oct. 28) to show off their Halloween costumes recreating some of the most iconic scenes from the 2000 mockumentary comedy film, Best in Show.
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“Happy Halloween. We did this in May,” the former Victorious castmates captioned a series of photos and videos of themselves, in which Gillies portrays Jane Lynch’s character Christy Cummings and Grande takes on Jennifer Coolidge’s Sherri Ann Cabot. Later on in the series, the “7 Rings” singer transforms into Eugene Levy’s Gerry Fleck — eyebrows and all — while Gillies plays Catherine O’Hara’s curly haired Cookie Fleck.
“can this get nominated,” Katy Perry captioned the hilarious post, pointing out the duo’s impressive acting skills while recreating scenes from the movie.
Grande is no stranger to going all out for Halloween. Most notably, in 2019, she transformed herself into a pig-faced version of herself inspired by an episode of The Twilight Zone titled “Eye of the Beholder.”
She has also played dress-up for the spooky holiday with her ex-boyfriend, the late Mac Miller, a number of times. In 2016, they shared three Halloween looks, the first of which featured the couple dressed as Pokemon characters Pikachu (Miller) and Eevee (Grande). The former couple also dressed as the main characters from Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, which they fully committed to by taking photos on rock formations while Miller sported a plastic rifle. And for their third look, they channeled The Matrix, posing in an empty venue.
Halloween is just around the corner, and Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest are gearing up for for the ultimate spooky daytime show special.
Live with Kelly & Ryan shared exclusively with Billboard on Thursday (Oct. 27) a photo of the duo dressed as Billie Eilish and Harry Styles, with Ripa rocking the “Happier Than Ever” singer’s signature oversized, monochromatic outfit while Seacrest channels the “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” star in a fluffy pink coat.
Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest as Billie Eilish and Harry Styles.
ABC/Jenny Anderson
Live’s Multiverse Halloween: The Best in the Universe will air on Halloween (Oct. 31) and feature over 75 costumes and multiple secret celebrity guest cameos, creating fresh and hilarious spins on some of the most iconic moments in pop culture, per a press release. The daytime talk show powerhouse duo will take on looks from House of Dragons and Stranger Things to The Kardashians and The Bachelorette.
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Actor and former White House staff member Kal Penn will also be joining the episode, dressed in his own secret Halloween costume.
Additionally, the show is bringing back its popular audience costume contest, in which the final five finalists will get a chance to win an exciting grand prize.
Live With Kelly & Ryan airs weekdays at 9 a.m. ET on ABC.
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Midnights bow comes with sparkling cross-platform numbers for its lead single and big gains for her back catalog, while Billie Holiday spawns an unlikely new TikTok trend and Halloween perennials begin to perk back up.
‘Anti-Hero’ Already Saving the Day at Radio
A new Taylor Swift album yielding a huge song debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week after its release shouldn’t be a surprise by now. After all, three of her previous four full-lengths — Folklore, Evermore, and the Taylor’s Version re-recording of Red — arrived with concurrent No. 1 bows on the Hot 100: “Cardigan,” “Willow” and “All Too Well (10-Minute Version)” each reached the top of the chart in their respective debut weeks. “Anti-Hero,” the lead single from latest Republic LP Midnights, has a great shot to both join those songs as another chart-topper for Swift – and surpass them all as her biggest chart hit in years.
That’s in large part because the slick, sardonic pop standout is off to an enormous start at radio, even compared to Swift’s last three No. 1 singles. “Anti-Hero” debuts on three radio charts — Pop Airplay (No. 23), Adult Pop Airplay (No. 19) and Adult Contemporary (No. 14) — after just three days of activity, from its Oct. 21 release through Sunday, Oct. 23. In those three days, “Anti-Hero” earned 16.1 million audience impressions from over 275 reporters to Billboard’s all-format Radio Songs chart, according to Luminate. Compare that to the 5.8 million impressions for “Willow” or the 4.7 million for “Cardigan” over their respective first three days — or the 286,000 of “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” across its full first week — and it’s clear that radio is very on board with Swift’s return to a more traditional pop sound.
Of course, the quick radio start for “Anti-Hero” comes in addition to blockbuster streaming numbers — over 30 million U.S. on-demands in its first three days, according to Luminate. Add up all of the harbingers of its big commercial debut and “Anti-Hero” very comfortably can announce: It’s me, hi, it’s the smash single, it’s me. – JASON LIPSHUTZ
Taylor Swift’s Back Catalog Soars, Before and After ‘Midnights’
Speaking of Swift’s streaming gains, the Oct. 21 release of Midnights was both preceded and followed by the superstar’s catalog earning renewed interest from fans eager to prepare themselves for the new album, then compare her latest opus to her others. After earning 56.9 million U.S. on-demand streams in the three days from Friday, Oct. 14, through Sunday, Oct. 16, according to Luminate, Swift’s catalog earned 64.6 million streams over the following three days – a 14% gain as Swifties celebrated the Midnights release week.
On Thursday, Oct. 20, the catalog jumped to 27.2 million daily streams — a 21% gain for Midnights Eve. And while Swift’s new album was the streaming focus for fans on the following day, they still clocked in nearly 23 million streams for her non-Midnights music last Friday, a 10% jump from the previous Friday. Swift turned the release of Midnights into a global event for fans, and they responded in kind by returning to their favorite older tracks in the days surrounding its unveiling. – JL
Odd TikTok Trend Brings Billie Holiday’s “Solitude” to the Masses
“Solitude” has a long history of re-popularizing itself. First, it was a popular recording by Duke Ellington in the 1930s; next, it reached its zenith with Billie Holiday’s rendition of the tune in 1952. More recently the tune was sung by Andra Day for the film the United States vs. Billie Holiday, and now it’s… become a meme on TikTok? While some users are still going back to the original Holiday audio, using the song to soundtrack cozy nights at home and baking videos, more videos come from a joke that the song has somehow inspired: users will go up to their friend, zooming in on old fashion-looking shoes they are wearing, saying, “oh s–t, they got the god d–n ‘in my solituuuude” (the “in my solitude” part sung in a mocking rendition of Holiday).
Regardless of whether or not it’s disrespectful to the jazz standard or just plain un-funny to you, the meme has given the Verve-reissued Holiday version of the song a major boost on streaming. “Solitude” posted nearly 649,000 official on-demand U.S. streams for the week ending Oct. 20 – a gain of over 85% from the previous week, according to Luminate. – KRISTIN ROBINSON
“Another” Bump for Tom Odell
British singer-songwriter Tom Odell’s heartbreak ballad “Another Love” was a major hit throughout Europe upon its release on Columbia a decade ago, making it to the top 10 of the U.K.’s Official Charts in early 2013, even as it mostly missed the charts stateside. But the song has been steadily growing once again over the past year thanks largely to its popularity on TikTok, and now it’s nearly as big a hit once more as it ever was: The song hits No. 10 on Billboard’s Global Excl. US chart this week in its 81st week, breezing past Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” for the longest-ever climb to the listing’s top 10.
The song is making waves over here this time, too: After climbing steadily in consumption for most of the past month, this week the song gets a more pronounced spike, gaining 19% to nearly 4 million in official on-demand U.S. streams for the week ending Oct. 20. The streaming activity sends the song to a new No. 19 peak on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally this week (chart dated Oct. 29), and even to No. 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Q&A: Alex Tear, VP Pop Programming SiriusXM + Pandora, on What’s Trending Up in His World
With 2022 nearly in the books, what do you think we’ll consider as the biggest story in pop music this year by the time it ends?
One of the biggest stories for us this year is Harry’s House. From “As It Was” to “Late Night Talking” and “Music For A Sushi Restaurant,” our HITS 1 listeners continue to rank Harry at the top. Lizzo & Doja Cat’s pop presence also needs to be respected, from Lizzo’s No. 1 “About Damn Time” and “2 Be Loved” to Doja’s collab with Post Malone, “I Like You (A Happier Song),” and recent hit with “Vegas.”
Which songs could you foresee dominating the final few months of the year and pushing into the new year?
We’re so excited for Sam Smith and Kim Petras: “Unholy” has shook year-end according to our HITS 1 listeners. Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” will close 2022 with a bang! Queen Bey’s “Cuff It” will also continue to do well and sounds great on SiriusXM.
Who’s one artist who made noise in 2022 that you think could have an even bigger 2023?
Sam Smith and Beyoncé, while giving honorable mention to Lil Nas X for 2023. Rihanna will also roll into the new year with a commanding presence!
Fill in the blank: in 2023, more programmers should be paying attention to __________.
Keeping the art and science present. The available resources to predict and measure music are abundant, it’s more important than ever to continue early human discovery to help shape, elevate, own and differentiate our brands with the next emerging artists. – J.L.
Season’s Gainings: Halloween Listening Starts Early
We hear a lot about how the Christmas season starts earlier every year – but before Mariah & Co. officially begin their takeover, we’re also seeing Spooky Season expanded well beyond the final week of October. Perennial Halloween favorites have been seeing huge gains since the end of September: Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” has gained from 654,000 official on-demand U.S. streams and 700 digital sales for the week ending Sept. 22 to over 2.4 million streams and 2,000 sales four weeks later (gains of 270% and 197%, respectively), according to Luminate, while Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” raised from just over one million streams and 300 sales to just over three million streams and 1,200 sales (up 188% and 247%, respectively).
And then of course, there’s the daddy of them all: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” which has re-entered the Hot 100 in eight of the past nine Halloween seasons – making it all the way back to No. 19 last year. We’ll see if it has enough juice to beat that position this year (or even threaten its original No. 4 peak, set back in 1984), but it’s already up to 3.6 million in streams and 1,700 in sales, gains of 129% and 181% from four weeks earlier. – AU
Halloween is sneaking up on us, and if you’re a music junkie who hasn’t figured out your costume yet, don’t stress: Billboard has got you covered.
In true fashion, we compiled a list of easy, last-minute DIY (do it yourself) costume ideas to assist you in dressing up as some of the trendiest Latin stars of 2022.
The list includes inspirations from three of the most popular tours this year: Bad Bunny’s World’s Hottest Tour, Karol G’s Strip Love Tour, and Rosalia’s Motomami Tour. The list also suggests dressing up as two of the artists who are enjoying newfound popularity on TikTok: Colombian urbano singer-songwriter Feid and local Texas band Grupo Frontera, who’s making the rounds with their norteño version of Morat’s “No Se Va.”
For those who like to wear matching Halloween costumes with their significant other, we recommend a cute and simple Camilo and Evaluna Montaner look, inspired by their new parenthood stage. And, of course, if you’re obsessed with Rauw Alejandro’s “Punto 40” track, we’ve got a costume idea for you and your squad as well.
Point is, whether you’re trying to top your costume from last year or just looking to get in the spooky spirit, these DIY costume ideas won’t disappoint. Billboard recommends the following costumes inspired by some of our favorite Latin artists that are fun and easy to put together at the last minute. Check out the list below:
It’s not even officially Halloween weekend yet, and JoJo Siwa is already winning in the costume category.
The 19-year-old star took to TikTok on Tuesday (Oct. 24) to show off her transformation into Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series, portrayed in the films by Tom Felton. With her platinum blonde hair and her Slytherin robe, Siwa bears a striking resemblance to the beloved character.
In her video, the Nickelodeon alum recreated a scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, in which Felton’s Draco introduces himself and his friends to Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe). “This is Crabbe, and Goyle,” Siwa lip syncs in her costume. “And I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.”
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Siwa’s girlfriend, fellow TikTok star Avery Cyrus, even shared her thoughts in the comments section, sweetly chiming in, “All the sudden I have a crush on Draco Malfoy.”
Siwa and Cyrus confirmed their relationship after weeks of speculation, when the Dance Moms star posted a video of the two posing together in a photo booth, smiling before they lean in for a kiss. “Happiest girl,” the dancer captioned the post.
In 2021, Siwa officially came out on social media. “I never wanted [my coming out] to be a big deal,” she said in an interview with People a few months later. “I’ve never gotten this much support from the world. I think this is the first time that I’ve felt so personally happy.”
“I still don’t know what I am. It’s, like, I want to figure it out … I don’t know — bisexual, pansexual, queer, lesbian, gay, straight. I always just say ‘gay’ because it just kind of covers it, or ‘queer’ because I think the keyword is cool,” she said before adding that she’s considered labeling herself pansexual.
A lot of us love scary movies, but unless you are Elvira, Mistress of the Dark or Stephen King, your opinion on cinematic things that go bump in the night probably pales in comparison to those of the Boulet Brothers.
As drag culture iconoclasts and “horror’s new icons” per genre authority Fangoria, Dracmorda and Swanthula Boulet managed to create a reality competition series (The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula) that serves as both a love letter to horror and a refutation of the idea that reality TV can’t be underground and subversive. Now, the duo is launching The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans on Tuesday (Oct. 25) on Shudder and AMC+, a spin-off series featuring 10 standout contestants from Dragula’s first four seasons.
“The fans are not ready,” Swan tells Billboard. “The competitors dubbed it ‘Gagula’ because there’s so many different twists.”
With Halloween month (aka gay Christmas) and spooky szn upon us, we spoke with the Boulets about their 10 favorite horror movie soundtracks of all time. We’re talking about everything from John Carpenter’s iconic minimalist score for Halloween to Danny Elfman’s zany theme for the HBO series Tales From the Crypt to the synth fantasia Tangerine Dream crafted for the cult favorite Legend.
The Boulets also explain how the music in these movies affects their own work. “If it’s campier or more fun — and there are definitely fun challenges in this Titans season — you might hear a little music that sounds like Danny Elfman. But if it’s more epic and dramatic, you might hear our love for Bram Stoker’s Dracula and that score in those epic moments,” says Swan. “With so many episodes, it allows us to express musically all the ways we love horror.” Plus, the season will feature a new Boulet Brothers song called “Ascension,” which Drac says they “wrote specifically for the grand finale of the show.”
Read on — and expect to hear some of these sounds when the Boulets throw their annual Halloween Ball in Los Angeles on Oct. 28-29 at the Globe Theatre.
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Shopping for a last-minute Halloween costume? Google Trends has released a list of the most popular Halloween costumes for 2022. According to Google’s “Freight Geist” tally, Spider-Man, Stranger Things, a dinosaur, fairy, rabbit and pirate are among the top 10.
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But witches reign supreme this Halloween. Given the popularity of Hocus Pocus 2 and other hit movies and TV series, it’s no surprise that witch costumes topped Google’s list of most popular Halloween costumes. Not sure which witch costume to choose? You can order a witch costumes at Walmart, Amazon, Target, Halloween Costumes and other retailers.
Zombie costumes, as well as ninja, ghost and vampire costumes, also made the list, along with characters like Harley Quinn, who landed in the top 10, while Joker came in a couple spots below Star Wars at No. 32.
Beetlejuice, Pokemon, Buzz Lightyear, Fortnite, Barbie, Catwoman and Top Gun round out the top 50.
Thanks to fast and free delivery options and in-store pickup, there’s still time to order a costume online and have it by Halloween. Check below for the 25 most popular Halloween costumes, according to Google.
For even more ideas, be sure to check out our lists of the best pop culture Halloween costumes and musician-inspired costumes.
1. Witch
Amazon
Tipsy Elves Women’s Halloween Black Witch Long Sleeve Bodysuit Costume with Classic Spooky Witch’s Hat Size X-Small
$79.95
2. Spider-Man
Amazon
Spider-Man Costume
$69.99
3. Dinosaur
Amazon
Adult Original Inflatable Dinosaur Costume, T-Rex, Standard
$59.81
$89.99
34% OFF
4. Stranger Things
Halloween Costumes
Stranger Things Costume
$44.99
5. Fairy
Amazon
Leg Avenue Costume, Multi, Medium
$44.83
$69.99
36% OFF
6. Pirate
Halloween Costumes
Adult Pirate Costume
$39.99
7. Rabbit
Playboy
The Official Playboy Bunny Costume
$125
$175
8. Cheerleader
Amazon
ZTie Women’s School Girls Musical Party Halloween Cheerleader Costume Fancy Dress Uniform Outfit (S, Blue)
$15.99
9. Cowboy
Halloween Costumes
Cowboy Costume
$59.99
10. Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn Blaster Costume
$54.99
11. Clown
Amazon
Spooktacular Creations Clown Adult Costume,White,XLarge
$44.99
12. Vampire
Vampire Costume
$49.99
13. 1980s
MIAIULIA Womens 80s Workout Costume Outfit 80s Accessories Set Leotard Neon Legging Earring Leg Warmers Headband Wristbands lets get physical Pink2 XL
$46.99
14. Hocus Pocus
Amazon
Adult Sarah Sanderson Hocus Pocus Costume | OFFICIALLY LICENSED
$49.99
15. Pumpkin
Amazon
Amscan Pumpkin Zipster Costume | Adult Plus Size | 1 Pc
$51.95
16. Chucky
Child’s Play Chucky Deluxe Costume
$59.99
17. Doll
Amazon
Fun World Broken Doll Adult Costume Small/Medium Black,White
$47.50
18. Angel
Party City Sent from Above Angel Halloween Costume for Women, Standard Size, Includes Dress and Halo
$19.94
$25.17
21% OFF
19. Batman
Halloween Costumes
Batman Costume
$59.99
20. Bear
Amazon
Fitted Unisex Adult Bear Onesie Pajamas, Halloween Sherpa Women’s Cosplay Animal One Piece Costume (Brown, Large)
$32.99
$35.99
8% OFF
21. Zombie
Amazon
FunWorld Men’s Complete 3D Zombie-Adult, Grey, One Size Costume
$56.39
22. Ninja
Halloween Costumes
Sexy Deadly Ninja Costume
$44.99
% OFF
23. Superhero
Amazon
Disguise mens Unisex – Deluxe Muscle Mr Incredible Adult Sized Costumes, Red, XL 42-46 US
$57.46
$87.00
34% OFF
24. Toy Story
Halloween Costume
Women’s Toy Story Jessie Costume
$39.99
25. Ghost
Halloween Costumes
Victorian Ghost Bride Costume
$99.99
Weezer is truly a band for all seasons. But this year especially Halloween. Or, as they would put it: Weezerween. The pun-loving band announced a challenge on Thursday (Oct. 20) for superfans who are also crafty with a carving kit. The prize is seeing your handiwork in big, bold letters.
“We’re giving away a billboard for the best Weezer pumpkin,” the band tweeted along with a series of pumpkin and knife emoji. The rules for this unusual contest are super simple. “Time to whip out those pumpkin carving skills (painting or decorating encouraged too),” they explained. “Enter the contest for your chance to win your very own billboard somewhere in America!”
The project makes perfect sense for several reasons. For one, they just released the third in their planned quartet of SZNZ cycle albums, Autumn. But also they seem to be having some sort of billboard moment. It all started earlier this summer when Utah native Cory Winn blew up for renting a Salt Lake City-area billboard on which he wrote the band’s name in the universally recognized worst font possible: comic sans.
The band found out about the roadside attraction and so they rented their own billboard in Murray, Utah to say thank you, which reads, “Thanks to whoever bought the billboard down the road — Weezer.” The band will hit the stage at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday (Oct. 22) for Audacy’s We Can Survive show featuring Alanis Morissette, Garbage, Halsey, Tate McRae and OneRepublic in support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and I’m Listening.
Check out the contest announcement and the billboard call-and-response below.
We’re giving away a billboard for the best Weezer pumpkin! 🔪🎃 🔪🎃 🔪Time to whip out those pumpkin carving skills (painting or decorating encouraged too). Enter the contest for your chance to win your very own billboard somewhere in America! https://t.co/9ku6hd7Zzi pic.twitter.com/WRlBquQdWa— weezer (@Weezer) October 20, 2022
The season of All Hallows Eve has once again returned the Halloween franchise to theaters and TV screens. The box-office performance for Halloween Ends, which caps the David Gordon Green-directed trilogy that includes 2018’s Halloween and 2021’s Halloween Kills, proves that eternal boogeyman Michael Myers is as much a holiday tradition as haunted attractions and scary costumes. Despite scoring the lowest-grossing opening of the three movies, it scored a healthy $41 million domestic gross while simultaneously streaming on NBC’s Peacock platform, according to Variety, when it debuted the weekend of Oct. 14.
The original Halloween that debuted in 1978 was a sleeper hit that, when adjusted for inflation, is still the second-highest-grossing chapter in the franchise, bringing in $207 million domestically in today’s dollars, according to figures adjusted via the U.S. government’s CPI Inflation Calculator. Although the original is the only John Carpenter-directed installment in the (coincidentally) 13-movie franchise, the filmmaker also made significant contributions to later episodes of Myers’ story. He co-wrote the screenplays for Halloween and 1981’s Halloween II, co-produced Halloween II and provided the synth-driven scores for both installments, as well as for 1982’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch, with the assistance of composer/sound designer Alan Howarth.
Carpenter continued his successful directing career with ’80s classics like The Fog, Escape From New York, Christine and The Thing, but he didn’t return to Halloween until the 2018 sequel was planned and producer Jason Blum (the Paranormal Activity franchise, Get Out) reached out to him. Actor Jamie Lee Curtis was again returning as protagonist Laurie Strode, and the story was picking up 40 years after the original, ignoring all subsequent storylines.
“He came to me and said that the movie is going to be made now, whether we like it or not,” Carpenter recalls. “[He said] ‘Do you want to be involved? I suggest that you come aboard and do the music and sort of act as the godfather, and go from there.’ And I said, ‘OK, I’ll do that. That’d be fun.’ That’s how it started. I thought it was a pretty good idea. At first, I wasn’t sure, but the more I thought about it, [I thought], ‘This could be a lot of fun.’”
Adding to the enjoyment was the fact that it became a family affair. Carpenter had already been working with his son Cody (keyboards) and his godson Daniel Davies (guitarist and the son of The Kinks’ six-stringer Dave Davies) on original music that since 2016 has formed a three-part series called Lost Themes, plus a few movie soundtracks, with a fuller and more nuanced sound than Carpenter’s film scores. The trio, which has also toured America three times and Europe twice with the rhythm section for Tenacious D (at times giving the music a thicker rock sound), scored Green’s trilogy, and Carpenter executive-produced those films. (In addition, the Carpenter-Davies team contributed the theme to the Foo Fighters’ funny fear flick Studio 666 that debuted in February, and scored the Firestarter remake starring Zac Efron that arrived in May.)
Despite being family, the father, son, and godson push one another to make the best music possible. “We have different strengths that we bring to it and just respect those strengths,” explains Carpenter. “Daniel is a guitar virtuoso, and he comes in with ideas and new sounds. He is the ball of fire that moves us along. Cody is a virtuoso on the keyboards, so if I have an idea for a musical line, I’ll sing it to him, and he’ll play it. And I bring experience. We put those all together and come up with a score.”
Meanwhile, Carpenter is pleased with his fellow director’s Halloween trilogy. “They’re David Gordon Green movies, and I think he did a great job. I’m proud of him,” he says, and later adds, “He’s a terrific director, and it’s a whole different feel. [Halloween Kills] was probably the one that was the ultimate horror [entry]. [Halloween Ends] is more dramatic. I like it a lot.”
Asked what it’s like to score other people’s movies — particularly a series inspired by his own work, but not be behind the camera — Carpenter says the experience has been fabulous.
“One of the things about directing a movie, and it’s something that I learned early on, is it’s like working in a coal mine,” he explains. “It’s that kind of brutality on your system, and doing what I’m doing now is just a joy. I’m loving it and there’s no pressure. And that’s the thing — the anxiety you carry around as the director, the pressure you carry around, is enormous. The director feels it. [Producers] have all this money riding on it.”
When scoring someone else’s movie, Carpenter says the edict is simple — do the best job you can. “These are moody, scary movies, so we know that terrain, and we can do it,” he says. “It’s not a mystery, and we’re having fun doing it and love it. So all that’s good.” He adds with his usual humor, “I can’t say anything negative, except [when] working, you have to get up, get coffee, wander down …”
Carpenter recalls having to create his own movie soundtracks out of financial necessity, “but then, it became another creative voice in the moviemaking process. It became hard to do because always at the end of a project, after you’d beaten yourself up, now it’s time for the score, so you have to rev up again.” Letting go of one set of reins has been liberating, and “creating a score for somebody else is just fantastic.”
Although Halloween Ends is allegedly the last film of the franchise and reportedly Curtis’ final turn as Strode, Carpenter doesn’t seem to view this possibility in bittersweet terms. As he points out, one never knows what could transpire.
“I know Hollywood tends not to have any lasts,” he says. “They tend to redo, but I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. I’m not going to say.” He would even be game to score another entry if one were to emerge; in reality, horror franchises are like classic rock bands that announce a farewell tour that then never ends. “It’s like The Rolling Stones, how they keep refreshing their catalog,” notes Carpenter. “What we want to do is keep the story and the character alive but still do something new, which is hard to do.”
Regarding any upcoming projects or ambitions he has — for instance, being a video game aficionado, he would love to score one — Carpenter is taking a laid-back approach. “What I’ve learned in my life over the last 10 to 15 years is to let things come to me,” he says. “It’s better that way. I’ve stopped chasing stuff. So that’s what I’m going to continue to do: let it come to me. If it comes up and I like it, I’ll do it. If I don’t, I’ll sit home here and watch the NBA.”
Back in the 1980s, a lot of horror was viewed very critically by the mainstream establishment. But as the genre has accrued more clout and acclaim in the 21st century, does Carpenter think his legacy is more fully appreciated now? “I think maybe so, but it doesn’t matter,” he replies. “I’m just a horror director, and that’s fine. That’s what I love. That’s what I’ve wanted to be. It’s all fine.”
‘Tis the season — spooky season, that is. This Linden, Calif., neighborhood home takes Halloween decor to a whole new level.
The house, which goes by Magical Light Shows on Facebook and via its website, uploaded the 2022 edition of their popular ghoulish light shows to YouTube, and it’s potentially their best one yet.
For Metallica‘s “Master of Puppets,” an angry jack-o-lantern belts out the lyrics as the massive home behind it flashes in creepy light displays, complete with light up gravestones and a drone-powered light show 400 feet above the house. “Come crawling faster / Obey your master / Your life burns faster / Obey your master, master,” the pumpkin shouts. The show then delves into the iconic theme from the 1984 classic film, Ghostbusters.
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The title track to Metallica’s 1986 Master of Puppets album has gotten a major bump this past year thanks to its inclusion in the thrilling season 4 finale of the Netflix mega-hit series Stranger Things. The song soared onto the Billboard charts dated July 16 thanks to Things, making its first appearance on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 at No. 40, marking the rockers’ first time on the chart since “The Day That Never Comes” wrapped its run in November 2008, after reaching No. 31 that September.
“I made this show for free for our community. We are big fans and this was a project of passion,” the Magical Light Shows video description reads.
Watch the full light show below.
