I'm a huge John Carpenter fan. I mean, Halloween pretty much created my horror fandom at a young age, and for that I'll be forever grateful. I had a blast exploring his movies through my teen years, and revisiting them over and over again. Some have aged well, The Thing, Escape from New York, some have not, Ghosts of Mars, Village of the Damned, but I appreciate the vibe and especially the music that all of his films possess.

For those that don't know, John Carpenter's father was a music professor and he was raised creating music. When it came to creating independent films, he composed the scores out of budgetary restraints, and it just so happened his scores were fantastic. I mean, it's hard to picture Michael Myers and not think of the familiar beats that occur when he's on screen.

Around a decade ago, Carpenter began working with his grandson and godson on a collection of musical tracks that serve as "lost themes" for unmade movies. He even toured briefly and it's been nice to see John Carpenter putting something out in the world since his last film was 2010's The Ward. He and his family helped compose the score for Blumhouse's Halloween Trilogy, which ended up being one of its highlights by the time the series was done.

He's also lent his name to a variety of projects such as a Peacock TV series, and some comic books. What isn't talked about as much is that his wife owns a comic book company and in the past, John has confirmed he has absolutely nothing to do with the stories. I can't recall exactly which podcast he discussed this (maybe Mick Garris' podcast) but he just lets his wife use his name. It really wouldn't surprise me if the same was true for the music, but I can overlook it because the music is actually quite good!

Well, this week, John Carpenter/Sandy Carpenter released the latest project: Cathedral, a graphic novel along with a soundtrack. Each track of the soundtrack corresponds to a chapter in the graphic novel, creating a sort of immersive experience.

The story was inspired by a dream of Carpenter's about an abandoned church in LA that people overlook.

I haven't gotten my hand on the graphic novel yet, but the soundtrack is quite solid. It's heavier than past albums and one might even say it's a bit of a heavy metal experience. The soundtrack stands on its own and was created with analog synth, something Carpenter has always worked with.

It's not a new John Carpenter movie, but it's close enough. I look forward to reading through the graphic novel and listening alongside.