One such composer is Edward Douglas, who in 1996 formed the majestic dark music collective known to horror enthusiasts everywhere as MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE.
I love this man's deep, dark and gleefully ghoulish arias and, in the wake of his most ambitious and eeriest release THE DEAD MATTER: CEMETARY GATES (the 10th MS album to date and not to be confused with the film THE DEAD MATTER that is in fact directed by the multi-talented Douglas), I opted to pin Douglas down and ask him many, many questions.
Here is that interview. Enjoy….
Tell me about the genesis of MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE. When did the dark ducks begin to find their order?
Some of my earliest memories are getting books about the Universal monsters and ghost stories from the library, going on Disney's Haunted Mansion ride a thousand times, and listening a 33 1/3 rpm record that had Vincent Price reading the "Tell-Tale Heart." Horror in literature, art, and film has always been a big part of my life so when I did something creative it would often go that route. The first time I picked up a camera as a kid I shot a "horror" movie. Almost all my scripts, student films, and original music endeavors were darker-themed and my first project out of college was a horror film called "The Dead Matter." After completing that film I focused on Midnight Syndicate (a project I had been toying with since '91). The idea behind Midnight Syndicate was to create CDs that would resemble soundtracks to imaginary films. A band that would mix music (mostly instrumental) with sound effects you'd hear in a horror film or classic radio drama (like "The Shadow"). The goal was that when you listened to the discs, they would spark your imagination inspiring images and movies of your own creation. I released the self-titled Midnight Syndicate debut in '97. Eleven of the seventeen tracks were darker or horror-themed tracks (including three that we would re-release on "Born of the Night"). From those darker tracks I developed a live show that incorporated original movies I shot, animation, and live actors that went from the movies on the screen into the audience and back again. My band performed a live score to the movies as they played out. The underlying story was about the character of McMadigan and his journey through "Hellacious Acres" a haunted asylum that I would use as the inspiration for my contributions to the Haverghast Asylum story we explored in later Midnight Syndicate CDs ("Gates of Delirium" and "The 13th Hour"). In between the dark stuff we also had some comedic elements. When the show was done, I knew I had to narrow the focus of Midnight Syndicate both musically and thematically on horror and so came the beginnings of "Born of the Night." It was through the self-titled debut CD and the live shows that I met Gavin Goszka. With the exception of one track on "Realm of Shadows," Gavin and I have written or co-written the music for every Midnight Syndicate track since "Born of the Night." As of April of this year, we've been working together for ten years and it's been great. I think the fact that we have always been on the same page creatively combined with the mutual respect for each other is what's allowed Midnight Syndicate to continue as we have.
I detect much of Bernard Hermann in your work, but also some of James Bernard and Danny Elfman...am I right? What else is swimming around in your head when you compose?
When you're creating movie score-styled music and working in the horror genre, I think it's impossible NOT to be influenced by Bernard Hermann in someway. Danny Elfman has always been a major inspiration for both of us as well. James Bernard is a good catch there. Probably moreso my contributions than Gavin's as I am a huge fan of all things Hammer. Our disc "Vampyre," had a lot of that influence. For me, I have the John Williams, Wojciech Kilar, Hans Zimmer, Elliot Goldenthal, and James Horner influences but also John Carpenter. He's always been a major inspiration to me as well as a director/composer who was able to do both jobs well. We love heavy metal too, so bands like Black Sabbath, King Diamond, and Metallica to name a few definitely have a place in our music. As far as other outside influences that might be floating around, Gavin really enjoys NIN and prog-rock. I listen to a lot of 70's and 80's music and am a huge fan of Sisters of Mercy, ZZTop, and Rob Zombie.
Where has this unique journey in making soundtracks -for-movies-that-don't-exist taken you?
In a way, it's come full circle with the completion of "The Dead Matter" movie we have coming out next year. This journey started with "The Dead Matter" movie in 1995 - a horror film shot in Northeastern Ohio for $2000 by a bunch of college grads using a Super-VHS camera (which was one small step above the VHS cameras we used to play with as kids). The goal was to use that version of the film to show what we could do and put us in a position to remake the film with an actual budget. My work on that score to that film (and previous ones) led to the music that would form the groundwork for Midnight Syndicate's self-titled debut and "Born of the Night." Now when we released "Born of the Night" in 1998, we were keenly aware that there were no good Halloween music CDs out there and that amusement parks, haunted attractions, and people who decorate their house for Halloween had few options if they wanted something of quality that was darker than "Monster Mash." So we made sure we crafted our "soundtracks to imaginary films" with them in mind. Soon the major theme parks were using our music and we were hearing it on shows like Monday Night Football. Now our music has become a part of the Halloween season. Since our music is instrumental, a lot of the general public don't realize they're listening to us but for example, this October you'll hear our CDs over the speakers in Halloween retailers and party stores, theme parks, haunted attractions, radio commercials, television shows, even Halloween-themed cruises. Last year we had our first haunted attraction in Serbia register with us so it's been cool watching things grow over the years. Our association with the holiday is a distinction we are proud of and owe a lot to the support of our fans.
Another part of this journey has been the tremendous support we've received in the roleplaying and board gaming industries. By the time we released "Realm of Shadows" we were beginning to see our discs being used as background music for roleplaying and boardgames. This was another industry where quality soundtracks were hard to find. In 2001, Wizards of the Coast (now part of Hasbro) contacted us to do the first official roleplaying game soundtrack to "Dungeons & Dragons." As fans of the game, Gavin and I were honored by the proposal and we released that CD in 2003. From there we really began to take off overseas (Dungeons & Dragons is big over there). In the end, all of this work in making "soundtracks to horror movies that don't exist" led us back to filmmaking when we accepted the commission to score Robert Kurtzman's movie, "The Rage," in 2007. From there I developed a friendship with Bob and he introduced me to his friend, producer Gary Jones. Then the three of us teamed up with Bob's production company Precinct 13 Entertainment to produce the remake of "The Dead Matter" movie we had contemplated over ten years ago. Why have you created an album called THE DEAD MATTER that is unrelated to your upcoming film of the same name?
When Gavin and I were figuring out what the theme to our next Midnight Syndicate disc would be we thought "why not 'The Dead Matter' movie?" The movie is old-school classic horror (it is a "Midnight Syndicate movie") and has a lot going on between the themes of vampirism, the living dead, and Egyptian relics. That's a lot of material to work from so we decided to base the next Midnight Syndicate CD on those themes. I guess "The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates" could be called a "Music Inspired by the Film" CD but it's more than that. It's a stand-alone disc whose purpose is to draw you into the dark world of "The Dead Matter" and allow your imagination to run wild. Once again we want the music to transport you to a place where you are envisioning a world or a movie of your own creation.
There will be several tracks from the CD that appear in the movie (especially a few of the bonus tracks) and we will be releasing a "The Dead Matter" original motion picture soundtrack which will include the score and other music used in the film.
Is it more challenging composing music for existing images? Which do you prefer?
They both provide their own set of challenges. There is far less freedom composing a score as opposed to a stand-alone CD. As a soundtrack composer, there are a lot of times where you have to alter your compositions so that the music doesn't overwhelm or detract from the action on the screen. The movie score is a cog in the machinery. It's a critical cog, but it is just one part of the whole. Your part has to live to support the other parts, elevate them and elevate the entire final product. Additionally, you have to adhere to the director's vision.
On the flip side, composing music for a stand-alone CD as you know as a musician is extremely challenging. The music has to be as strong and as engaging as it possibly can be. Gavin and I burn through a lot of song ideas, alternate arrangements, and a ton of studio time on each of our discs.
Can you reveal any future plans for MS?
Gavin and I are already talking about the next Midnight Syndicate CD. There are a lot of themes and ideas that we have yet to explore so it's exciting. We are also tossing around the idea of a Midnight Syndicate DVD or a live show. For right now though, it's work on the score to "The Dead Matter" 24/7. We just posted the first trailer to the movie at www.thedeadmatter.com. This movie's been a long time coming and I feel that it will really deliver for both fans of Midnight Syndicate and the genre (especially fans of 60's, 70's, early-80's horror). It's classic horror, very old-school shooting style, with a good story, and just enough modern twists to keep you guessing and entertained the entire time. We can't wait to release it.
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