Martha Stewart's sonic spookathon bodes well for her new alliance with Rhino Records. The 40-minute, single-track CD steals the Halloween thunder from tired, hokey hits such as "The Monster Mash" and leaves you scratching ... more »your head over why such a masterful menagerie of menacing sounds didn't hit the market sooner. Trick-or-treaters of timid stock will want to steer clear of doorsteps fraught with Stewart's frightful cacophony. From the unmistakable scrape of knives being sharpened to the rattling clang of rusty chains, what's here is perfect for goose bumps. A laugh so sinister that it could only issue from the larynx of a lunatic comes near a witchy cackle, howling winds, thumping human heartbeats, and the hair-raising rustling of branches. This is not for scaredy cats (nor for most kids under 6), but it's apt to play a sizable part in serving up a well-deserved scare to those in search of an authentic case of Halloween creeps. That's not to say this record will suit the needs of every Halloween host, though. The mix of movie-quality sounds isn't varied enough to keep from getting monotonous at parties, so it makes most sense to play this during high-traffic, quick-stop scenarios, such as candy dispersal to a steady stream of neighborhood ghouls. As a bonus, the indefatigable Stewart includes a booklet of Halloween how-to instructions, putting perfect caramel apples and just-so pumpkin-carving parties within crafty revelers' reach. --Tammy La Gorce« less
Martha Stewart's sonic spookathon bodes well for her new alliance with Rhino Records. The 40-minute, single-track CD steals the Halloween thunder from tired, hokey hits such as "The Monster Mash" and leaves you scratching your head over why such a masterful menagerie of menacing sounds didn't hit the market sooner. Trick-or-treaters of timid stock will want to steer clear of doorsteps fraught with Stewart's frightful cacophony. From the unmistakable scrape of knives being sharpened to the rattling clang of rusty chains, what's here is perfect for goose bumps. A laugh so sinister that it could only issue from the larynx of a lunatic comes near a witchy cackle, howling winds, thumping human heartbeats, and the hair-raising rustling of branches. This is not for scaredy cats (nor for most kids under 6), but it's apt to play a sizable part in serving up a well-deserved scare to those in search of an authentic case of Halloween creeps. That's not to say this record will suit the needs of every Halloween host, though. The mix of movie-quality sounds isn't varied enough to keep from getting monotonous at parties, so it makes most sense to play this during high-traffic, quick-stop scenarios, such as candy dispersal to a steady stream of neighborhood ghouls. As a bonus, the indefatigable Stewart includes a booklet of Halloween how-to instructions, putting perfect caramel apples and just-so pumpkin-carving parties within crafty revelers' reach. --Tammy La Gorce
J. Williamson | Austin, TX United States | 07/31/2001
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I'm a fan of Martha, and I *love* Halloween music. When I heard she made a halloween album it was "get out the credit card and call Amazon" time. But this album was a disappointment--I'm going to assume Martha didn't actually design this, but just signed off on it, to maintain my faith in her. The sound quality is good--very crisp recording of ambient halloween noise. It's fine for background music for the trick-or-treaters. But for any other use it's flawed. There's only a single, album-length track, so no putting this one on "shuffle" for your Halloween party. The sounds repeat, so after 20 minutes of this, you start getting deja vu. And there aren't even "themes" in the album--no plots, which some of the more elaborate halloween SFX albums have (this is the "torture chamber piece," this is "Alone by gaslight stalked by Jack the Ripper..." I'm going to wait for an apology from Martha on this one."
Spine tingling!
Holly Liedtke | Fort Worth, TX | 09/21/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I had hoped this CD would contain the great sound clips I've heard on Martha's show during the Halloween projects, but I was not disappointed. The sound effects are elegant and eerie, not gory and stomach churning as so often is the case. My favorites are owls hooting accompanied by far off thunder, and an old clock chiming. There are plenty of cackles and chains. The combined effect is of walking through the scariest forest imaginable on the scariest night (Halloween, of course!). My only complaint is that it contains the same 5 minutes repeated over and over."
Could've, Should've Been Much Better
J. Williamson | 11/02/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This 40 minute CD is a single track with various witch cackles, laughs, owls, clock tickings and heartbeats. The sounds are original and not ripped from other sources, and they are good.
The sound mixing is also well done. But what you get is the same 5 minutes looped over and over and over again. If this CD makes you feel like you're walking in a dark forest alone, you must be
walking in circles. Make that *small circles*. Given the price of about ..., you'd expect a lot more.
Another problem with the CD is that some sections have thumping heartbeats for 30 seconds (not in ... sound sample). If you play this on a boombox it will sound awful. Don't buy this CD unless you plan to put it on a full home stereo with big woofers.
Since trick-or-treaters will only be passing by for a moment or
two, this CD is adequate for most home Halloween needs. But given
the stiff price and what else exists out there, it is not a good
value."
Big Let-Down
indx2 | St. Clair Shores, MI United States | 09/10/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)
"First, let me say that I'm a big fan of both Martha's halloween ideas and Rhino Records (the label that released this CD). I was Very eager to hear what both of these talents combined could come up with. Sadly, both Martha & Rhino (names I Trusted) let me down. My two main complaints? 1. It's just a 5 minute loop!
and 2. as another reviewer pointed out, this CD doesn't tell a story and take you from one scene to the next (because it's ONLY ONE SCENE- over & over). The reason I'm writing this review is in hopes that Martha with try again with a Vol.2. Martha, if you're out there: 60 minutes of many individual themes seemlessly segued (no looping!)"
Track Listings (1) - Disc #1
