Press Release from Howlin' Wolf:You've made it through Halloween, now try and survive Christmas.
Howlin' Wolf Records is proud to present a Two-Disc Set for the 35th Anniversary of SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT. Disc One is the complete score by Grammy-winning composer Perry Botkin and Disc Two contains the songs written for the film by renowned songwriter and singer Morgan Ames.
On November 9th of 1984, a mentally-tortured and deranged Santa was unleashed on an unwitting public, and the result was a mayhem of whimsically evil holiday fun that thrills horror film lovers annually. The film also provoked the ire of those who wanted to censor the concept of an unhinged Santa. Screenwriter Michael Hickey sardonically recalls, "America's moral guardians decided that nobody of any age should be permitted to see any entertainment that was not suitable for a six-year-old child."
The concept for a killer Santa was the creative muse of film producers Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead and brought to life for celluloid by screenwriter Michael Hickey and director Charles E. Sellier, Jr. The film follows Billy Chapman from his disturbing encounters with malevolent grandfather Chapman through the horrific murders of both of his parents by an evil Santa on the lam. Afterwards Billy and his brother are sent to an orphanage with a stern disciplinarian Mother Superior (brilliantly played by Lilyan Chauvin), and Billy finally lands at the toy store with the bumbling Mr. Sims, who after having him dress up as Santa, finally sends Billy over the edge as a Santa who has EVERYONE on his "naughty" list!
The score by composer Perry Botkin is a classic electronic score from the '80's that is truly one of the most celebrated elements of this perennial cult classic. The composer recounts, "I'd never seen a slasher movie in my life until I watched SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT, so I had no preconception about what a slasher/horror score should sound like, or what other horror composers had done in the past or were doing at that time. I just sat down with my Mac Plus, banged away, and out came the score." ...And what came out is a brilliant mash-up of frenzied horror cacophony blended with melodious euphony, and a virtual carnival funhouse of electronic holiday madness. As an added treat, the release features a second disc with all of the songs written by Morgan Ames, which throughout the film add just the right touch to contrast the merriment of Christmas against the backdrop of a horror film.
For the SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 35th Anniversary Edition, audio technician Ian Zapczynski sourced Perry Botkin's score from the 192 kHz direct transfers of the composer's original analog master tapes, with the tape-to-digital transfers supervised by Howlin' Wolf Records at Avatar Studios in NYC. It was important to salvage every piece of audio that would be of interest to soundtrack collectors, and at the highest audiophile-grade quality possible, securing this as the definitive edition of the complete SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT soundtrack set on CD. All tracks for Perry Botkin's score were fully remastered from the flat tape transfers, and digital restoration techniques were used where necessary, with care to remain faithful to the high quality of the master recording. In addition, two short tracks that were not previously released are added to the tracklist, including the film's opening "Santa's Watching." The construct for this soundtrack edition centers around the original mixes used in the film and the alternate mixes prepared for an '80's LP release that never came to fruition. Each alternate mix contains audible differences from its corresponding track, most notably a heavier use of reverb and stereo separation on the tracks mixed for the never released '80's LP.
Howlin' Wolf Records' 35th Anniversary Release for SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is a pressing of 300 CDs, featuring the unforgettable original poster art for the film, a 20-page deluxe booklet with liner notes by Co-Executive Producers Scott Schneid & Dennis Whitehead, Screenwriter Michael Hickey, and Composer Perry Botkin, all balanced against a canvas of beautiful designs and vivid imagery by graphic artist and long-time Howlin' Wolf Records Art Director Luis Miguel Rojas.
