You are not alone, baby!
Zittrer’s music for Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things is one of the weirdest, eeriest, creepiest ever composed for a horror movie! Not for all tastes, but I dig it! (When I was a kid I made my own « original soundtrack » out from the VHS, with bits of music, bits of dialogues, bits of sound effects.)
Can we only dream about an official CD release of this? I think not! But who knows, maybe in 30 years…(I’ll come back from the grave to get it!)


vodka_kayou, December 13, 2005; 8:10 PM

It´s a shame that the scores for many of this old B flicks are rotting somewhere. We need more stuff from guys like Robert O. Ragland, Les Baxter or Jaime Mendoza-Nava.

At least Perseverance announced a CD of Phillip Lambro´s "Crypt of the Living Dead".

moenter.melle, December 13, 2005; 10:57 PM

The big box office smash hit 'Carrie' released in 1976 was John Travolta's first noticeable big screen movie appearance as Billy. He had also started gaining immense popularity though the tv sitcom 'Welcome Back, Kotter' around that time just prior to this release. After 'Carrie', the smash hits 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Grease' followed. The rest as they say is John Travolta history. His earliest first big screen movie appearance though was in the film 'The Devil's Rain' released in 1975 playing a minor almost unnoticeable role as Danny with no dialogue. He appears as a... literally melting & eyeless wax character and is barely recognizable! ;- )

serifiot, December 15, 2005; 12:49 AM

Him and Paul Zaza did a good score for the holiday classic, "A Christmas Story".

I e-mailed and asked why it hadn't gotten a release, and Zittrer said they studio wanted to release it.

Cut to now and we still don't have it on CD.

tharpdevenport, December 14, 2005; 7:01 AM

At first I had not noticed that Danny was John Travolta. He is almost in disguise. As I watched the movie on DVD several times I was suddenly struck by the fact that the brief encounters with Danny were indeed a young Johnny boy. The cleft on his chin gave him away. As far as cult classics and their unusual avant garde music being released on cd, I decided to e-mail and suggest some Amercan cult titles to Perseverance Records, the small record label with a big mission. Kindly it was explained in their response, that even though the music and films might be good they are too obscure to make money and that for a small label like Perseverance Records that lives from release to release money is a big factor when only one or two thousand cd pressings are made. Good luck Perseverance!

serifiot, December 15, 2005; 12:43 AM

For me, the day some label will release cds with the Lex baxter scores for Roger Corman/Edgar Allan Poe Films will be the happiest people in the world... Another great composer forgot in the dust is Von Dexter, his music for William Castlke films was great!!!

byronger, December 15, 2005; 10:55 AM

Hi byronger! There are a few cd's released by various labels. I'm not sure if their Poe stories though. Mario Bava's 'Black Sabbath' is one. That is def. not from Poe stories. Is the music that is on the cd by Nicolosi, Les Baxter or both? 'Cry Of The Banshee' on Citadel Records is another with Les Baxter music from Corman movies. What Corman films did Les Baxter score? In mind come 'Premature Burial', 'Masque Of Red Death' with music not by Les Baxter, 'The Raven' & 'The Fall Of The House Of Usher' Corman directed movies with Les Baxter scores not ever released, 'The Dunwich Horror' not directed by Corman. Any others? Von Dexter scored 'House On Haunted Hill' only available on LP. What else is there?

serifiot, December 15, 2005; 1:16 PM

Black Sunday, Black Sabbath and Cry of the Banshee were all replacement scores for the European scores of the movies (Roberto Nicolosi and Wilfred Josephs, the Josephs-score is really awful). Banshee is paired with Baxter´s Edgar Allan Poe-suite and Cacavas´Horror Express on the CD. And as stated aboce, there was also a LP of Dunwich Horror. Unfortunaly Baxter´s best horror scores are still unreleased. These are The Pit and the Pendulum, House of Usher, The Raven, Tales of Terror and The Man with the X-Ray Eyes.

Sadly, there are rumours that many of the original tapes and acetates in Baxter´s collection are lost. But allegedly it were found some master tapes of AIP scores at MGM, including The Pit and the Pendulum. But these are all rumours.

moenter.melle, December 15, 2005; 4:32 PM

Monter.melle answered perfectly, Les Baxter masterpieces are Fall Of House Of usher, Pit And the Pendulum, Tales Of Terror, The Raven , The Man With X-Ray Eyes...All superb and Unforgettable scores!!! Maybe anyone will rerecord again some suites!!!

byronger, December 17, 2005; 3:06 AM

I have the same wish. His themes are great and Pit and the Pendulum has such famous admirers like Alex North or Jerry Goldsmith.

moenter.melle, December 17, 2005; 3:25 PM

The music for The Devil's Rain is so creepy. Such a pity we may never get a CD release. Are there any soundtracks out there like The Devil's Rain?

redfeckinglue, January 29, 2006; 5:29 PM

...Deathdream is definetely another, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, Count Yorga, The Return Of Count Yorga (if I remember correctly), Horror Hotel, Psychomania to a lesser extent but very cool which is also available on cd are some creepy ones that come to mind... Watch the movies! Classic cult!! Let me know what you think.

serifiot, January 30, 2006; 1:14 AM

Thanks, I'll check those out.

redfeckinglue, February 4, 2006; 3:12 PM

about the Les BAXTER score for House of Usher:
At the very end of the end credits,it was mentionned that a LP was avalaible on AIP label;it was during the 60's and 70's when the film was projected in the movie theatres.Strangely for the TV, VHS and DVD, that information was removed ?!
Nevertheless,I suppose the tapes do exist and I hope a CD release will be soon planned. This Les Baxter score is really good and unforgetable music : who could forget the harp notes when Madeline appears ? and the nightmare isn't more impresive than many modern scores ?
About the main title and its variations( sentimental-sad- lugubrious), it stays in your mind for ever. Georges
I could write something similar for the Pit and the Pendulum.

georges.anthiaume, February 24, 2007; 7:57 PM