The tape is from Hallmark of all places and has a cheesy actor in vampire costume on the front cover listening for the sounds of Halloween presumably, either that or he’s singing and listening to his pitch, it’s hard to tell. There are two playable sides totaling a very random forty-six minutes. Side one is scary sound effects; more on that in a minute, and side two is knock-offs of popular Halloween songs. The tape is not nearly long enough for my liking and frankly I’m surprised I haven’t worn it out from years of overuse.
There are only five songs on side two and quite honestly I could do without one of them. There is Ghostbusters which never goes out of style, Monster Mash which just might be my October anthem, Thriller, which is a close second, the Bach-Toccata and Fugues in D-Minor done on pipe organ and lastly Purple People Eater which I loathe with the fire of a thousand suns because the people who sing it are just plain irritating.
While I could, and have listened to Thriller and Monster Mash over and over, the Toccata is my favorite hands down. The piece throws in some extra Halloween sound effects at the beginning which only adds to the enjoyment. It starts with a creaky door opening and closing, then you hear loud footsteps going up to the organ. There is silence, and then the music begins. I could float away from pure joy just on the opening chords.
From the first note I am transported to a dark gothic cathedral on a cold October night. The organ and player are up in the balcony and hidden by shadows, but the music, the music swells and overflows the pipes. It fills the empty spaces and carries me upward to the cathedral ceiling. I’m flying on the melody, pitching and rolling with each note. I am always sad when the piece ends and more often than not I hit rewind and listen to it a few more times. Someday I hope to hear it in an actual cathedral rather than on the speakers of my headphones. But for now I am content.
But as great as the Toccata is, it is nothing compared to the sound effects on side one. I think that is my favorite part of the whole tape. I can listen to each creaking hinge and monster voice till the echoes reverberate in my ears without the tape. Whoever thought up the effects was one creative individual. There are Igor’s, cat-men, and witches with the absolute perfect cackle. There are accented vampires, clanking chains, creaky doors, ominous footsteps, screams, haunting laughter, spooky wind gusts, howls and more. I love it. I always have. As a kid I would pop the tape into my portable My Little Pony player, hook it to the handlebars of my bike and zoom around the neighborhood. I would also do the same on the factory floor of my mom’s work. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a six year old flying by you on a tricycle with streamers, listening to witches cackle on a My Little Pony player. It simply isn’t done. I think I am the original Wednesday Addams minus the dark hair.
Anyway, I was feeling pretty low today and then I found the tape. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Well, it would have been nice for it not to have been lost in the first place, but I’ll take this minor miracle. I happily popped the cassette in and my mood instantly shifted. I floated away on the Fugues and my cares were forgotten. I listened to the scary effects and remembered trick-or-treat’s gone by. I always made my dad play the tape in the car on Halloween and he was happy to oblige. After all, we had to get into proper trick-or-treat mode. I remembered the smell of the car, the weight of the candy in my sack and the dark nights. Hearing that tape brought back memories of Family Fun Night’s at my school and wearing my horrible clown costume to my great aunts for pictures and hugs. Listening to the tape was like stepping into a time machine. I’m so glad I found it. I even found spares for sale on Amazon of all places, so I just might invest.
What is a favorite Halloween/October thing of yours? And while you’re pondering that question, I’m going to go listen to my tape again.
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