Full of distorted kick drums and sheering, feedback heavy modular synth loops, Reznor and Ross’s modern interpretation even earned a nod from John Carpenter himself, praising the cover as being “moody and dark … it does amazing justice to the original. I’m impressed.”
In a statement regarding the release of the cover, Reznor recalled the impact Halloween had upon him when he saw it in cinemas as a teenager, claiming that he and his friends “left the theatre forever changed. We were damaged and scarred, with the shit genuinely scared out of us and that theme firmly stuck in our heads. John Carpenter, it’s your fault that I turned out the way I did.”
Reznor and Ross’s cover is the first from John Carpenter’s upcoming release Anthology: Movie Themes 1974 – 1988, featuring a selection of interpretations of themes from Carpenter’s classic movies. Listen below:
Find out more about the music that scores John Carpenter’s films in our article here.