Listen to John Carpenter's new musical theme for streaming service Shudder

Could Shudder have recruited anyone more terrifyingly appropriate than Halloween and Escape from New York director-composer John Carpenter to come up with a musical theme? We think not! It was announced today that Carpenter has indeed written a new official theme for the horror, thriller, and suspense on-demand service. The legendary auteur created both a two-minute version, titled “Shudder,” and a five-second version that will serve as the network’s official audio ID, or “moniker.” The moniker will accompany the Shudder logo animation that runs in front of movies and TV series.

“We wanted to create a one-of-a-kind audio identity for Shudder and the first person we thought of was John Carpenter,” said Shudder GM Craig Engler in a statement. “We approached John and to our delight, he was enthusiastic about the idea and came up with an iconic theme that will enchant and thrill Shudder members every time they hear it.”

Carpenter most recently wrote and performed the score for David Gordon Green’s horror sequel Halloween, along with his son Cody and godson, Daniel Davies. Carpenter and his band are currently in the last leg of a world tour, which concludes on Halloween with a performance at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, CA.

The new theme will make its Shudder debut on Oct. 31 during a 24-hour streaming marathon of Carpenter’s original 1978 Halloween. The marathon will be available for free on Shudder TV’s live stream at the service’s website.

Exclusively hear Carpenter’s full Shudder theme above and the five-second version, below.

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