But I can't help but wonder what it was for? Not yet in the age of digital editing or even DJ's mixing records, what were kids supposed to do with an album of sound effects? I mean, why not just make an hour of spooky sounds all mixed together, like a journey to a haunted house through the forest? Something with more of a narrative. Isn't it kind of bizarre to have just cat screeches and creaky doors, one after another in total isolation? What did Walt have in mind when he greenlit this project?
According to a review on Amazon, Disney put out a much scarier version in 1979 with a woman being stalked by a killer with a knife (that's nice, ugh), grave robbers and something about a dungeon. This version sounds like it at least had more story in each terrifying segment, but I still wonder what the marketing pitch was. People like to be scared in five to ten minute increments? This one was put out long after Disney died but he must have been involved in the original 1964 version. Was the scary album his idea? Maybe he envisioned as an early "behind the scenes" kind of thing.
Regardless, it's a well-loved album. The MP3 site is jammed (try after Halloween) and someone carefully re-rendered the cover art making it better than new (scroll all the way to the bottom!)
1 comment:
I had it, too!
I remember people using it to play near the front door when the trick-or-treaters would come -- to make it spookier. These were the same families who would decorate their houses with cobwebs and jack-o-lanterns and dress up like Morticia and Gomez, and laugh evil laughs when the answered the door.
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