Spooky Vinyl: Halloween Horrors
The nostalgic cover art for the 1977 Halloween Horrors album caught my attention online several years ago. When I stumbled across the album by accident at a resale shop one day, it was impossible to pass up.
The art was painted by Gary Meyer, with green, dripping titles by Joe Spencer. The front cover depicts a decrepit old mansion and cemetery during a storm, while witches huddle around a bubbling cauldron on the back.
The front cover sets the scene for The Story of Halloween on Side A, which includes the familiar voices of Michael Bell, who voiced Duke in the original 1980s G.I. Joe series, and Peter Cullen, the unmistakable voice of Optimus Prime from Transformers. The story is about a man who experiences unspeakable horrors at a mansion he inherits called Elm Hall on All Hallow’s Eve.
Side B of the Halloween Horrors album is The Sounds of Halloween, devoted to creepy sounds, including cackling witches, breaking glass, creaking iron gate, breathing monsters, flyer saucers and more.
After a friend had the vinyl version of this and I saw the art cover it looked so cool and then he played the album and I liked it so much that I decided to find it in the stores and buy it. I bought the cassette version and I still have my cassette tape version of this. I grew up listening to it over and over again. Pretty creepy but I also Love the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. Those really creeped me out and I couldn’t get enough of them. The narrator was so creepy. Just… Read more »
Holy crap I remember this vinyl record cover! Me being 5 yr old at the time the cover scared me. my dad would play the sound effects and it scared the crap out of me too! I’m quite surprised my religious mother didn’t throw it out at the time.
I loved these albums, I listened to them as a little kid in rainy days; pretending our house was haunted by turning off all the lights and playing these albums. I have an original Disney’s Haunted Mansion album from Disney World that I bought in 1972 on vacation with my family, and I also have a cheaper version of the sounds of Halloween, pretty much what was described above as side 2. Now I feel like listening to them again, but need to buy a turntable again!
I loved this album when I was a kid! I borrowed the vinyl from my local library so often, we practically owned it. I eventually did find it on CD, but lost it in a move about 15 years ago. Hoping to find a good copy again, one day.
Oh Thank You!!!! I have been trying for year to find the name of the person who did the album artwork! Gary Meyer!! I have loved this album for years and it had directed me in my own artistic styles!!! Now I can Google him and look at his other artwork!!! Thank You again!!!!!
Love this soooo much!
I “think” this is what my Music teacher would play for us in elementary school. It always scared the hell out of me.