13 Scores of Halloween - Day 8

It is truly surprising the composers that end up scoring horror films. One would think that these people, talented though they may be, wouldn't be equal to the task. Usually, they deliver in a big way. One such example of this is Vic Mizzy. Yes, the guy who wrote the "Green Acres" theme. It was not only his first of three collaborations with William Castle, but his first ever film score: The Night Walker.

The unhappily married Irene Trent (Barbara Stanwyck) has recurring dreams about a lover, but her blind husband, Howard (Hayden Rorke - Dr. Bellows on "I Dream of Jeannie"!) believes her affair to be real. One night, he dies in a fire and she leaves, but her dream lover turns out to be so much more than a dream. I haven't seen it, but from what I've read about the film, it's a lot of nonsense...an opinion shared by even the film's composer.

Still, Mizzy's work is to be cherished. The main theme on detuned piano and bass guitar lends an appropriately unsettling air, no more so than in the "Main Titles"; as Paul Frees pontificates on the power of dreams, the music swirls around, creating a beautiful orchestral cornucopia.

"Imaginary Lover?" introduces the motif for Howard, played on what sounds like a player piano, but is really an altered grand piano. It's this kind of cleverness that makes the score memorable. "Hittin' Mrs." reprises the main theme on flute while the piano floats along underneath.

The bubbly love theme for Irene and her dream lover (which features in such tracks as "Candlelight and Champagne" and..."Dream Lover") is quite pretty. The love theme - introduced in "High-Powered Howard" - comes from a tentative melody on piano, tympani and flute, representing Irene's dreams. In stark contrast, there's also a gothic wedding march on organ and horns for the film's odd nuptials ("Marriage Mirage", "Weird Wedding" and a subtler take in "Ring of Truth").

Parts of the score feel like they burst in from Mizzy's lighter works, such as the piano rag near the end of "Bang-Up Night" and the tweeting flutes in "Blade for Barry". This is not, by any means, a complaint; these bits add a layer of amusement to the film. It's almost like the composer's having a laugh at the film's expense.

Percepto Records released the CD years ago. If you can find it, do take advantage of the opportunity. It is a rich and enjoyable work.

Tomorrow: Count on excitement.