Review: Josh Hasty and Michael Brooker – Candy Corn (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Released on Burning Witches Records on orange and yellow, limited edition vinyl, with artwork by Chris
Hitchman.
Halloween and a bunch of bullies murder a local misfit. A mysterious fair ground worker resurrects the wronged Jacob and he seeks his revenge. Following in the healthy tradition of horror film directors scoring their own films, Josh Hasty, in his liner notes, sets out his and Michael Brooker’s intentions for the soundtrack:

When I set out to make Candy Corn, I always knew the score was going to be an integral part of the film’s main objective; a love letter to the horror genre of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

A nostalgic homage to a classic period of horror film scores and fans of that period certainly won’t be disappointed. However, Josh and Michael have achieved considerably more.
The score ranges from bombastic, crashing drums to fragile whispering piano chords. A recurring theme weaves across the 18 tracks, flowing smoothly from song to song, the score is well paced. Tracks such as “Hunting Carol” with it’s abrupt strings and “Mike In Midway” with layers of drums and it’s sublime hook are darkly driven, menacing, stalking electronica. There are beautifully sad, haunting ballads such as “Numb” and “The Aftermath”. Darkwave ambience on “Static” and “Falling Apart” and classic synthwave on tracks like “Keeping The Balance”.
The soundtrack achieves Josh’s goal, with enough of the old with a healthy mix of the new. If you’re a horror score fan, you’ll find Candy Corn lurks in the shadows delightfully. For fans of electronic, electronica or synth music in general, Candy Corn’s worth investigating.
With a delightful musical juxtaposition, Candy Corn finishes with a 1913, Berlin Irving musical song “At The Devil’s Ball.” A comical tale of a dream concerning a party hosted by Old Nick where; “I must confess to you, there were many there I new” and “I caught a glimpse of my mother-in-law, dancing with the devil, oh you little devil, dancing at the Devil’s Ball”.