John Carpenter to perform ‘Halloween’ theme, more in Las Vegas

Yeah, we all know the instant goose-flesh inducer that is John Carpenter’s theme to seminal stab-a-thon “Halloween.”

But Carpenter has a deep discography of memorable film scores dating back to the ’70s.

With the director/musician coming to town this weekend to perform a selection of movie themes, here are five more under-the-radar Carpenter cuts to bone up on.

‘In the Mouth of Madness’

Carpenter’s most metallic jam, the guitars here scream like the gaping maw that adorns the movie poster.

‘The Fog’

A haunting, understated gem with bewitching keys from a not-so-haunting hunk of cinematic cubic zirconium.

‘Santiago (Vampires)’

A little Latin flavor here to add a subtle Tex-Mex feel to Carpenter’s horror-Western that’s a stake to the heart of genre conventions.

‘They Live’

Carpenter gets his blues on during this harmonica-scorched bad boy that’s almost as tough-nosed as the film’s star, the late, great “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

‘Prince of Darkness’

The flick’s an underrated classic that double-dog dares you to watch it with the lights off. It’s set in a church, and appropriately enough, this one has a gospel-of-the-damned vibe almost as creepy as the movie’s ant-covered Alice Cooper cameo.

Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow @JasonBracelin on Twitter.