Terror Vision has released an official soundtrack for the 1980 Canadian slasher film Terror Train, spotlighting the film’s varied and genre-blending score by composer John Mills-Cockell. The new edition collects more than an hour of Mills-Cockell’s music and is offered as a two-LP set, CD and cassette.
What’s included
- The release features liner notes by Rue Morgue music editor Aaron Von Lupton.
- Vinyl editions include different colour variants: Retail Editions dubbed “Fog Haze” and “Steam Green,” plus a limited “Bespoke” Club Edition.
Composer John Mills-Cockell, a Toronto-born electronic-music pioneer, spoke about his work on the film in an interview. He detailed how director Roger Spottiswoode and dialogue director Caryl Wickman conducted a Canada-centred search for a composer, and how Spottiswoode wanted the score to incorporate the repetitive rhythmic element of train wheels as an integral musical device rather than merely a sound effect.
Mills-Cockell described the collaborative approach to scoring, which fused orchestral writing with pieces that echo the film’s on-board entertainment — from rock band numbers to the music accompanying David Copperfield’s magic sequences. He highlighted “Alana’s Theme” as a recurring, melodic element that supports the quieter, character-driven moments as well as the film’s more suspenseful cues.
Production notes from the composer
- The score was recorded twice: an initial session with roughly a 40–45 piece orchestra and a subsequent, expanded session at Abbey Road featuring about 65 musicians after encouragement from 20th Century-Fox music director Lionel Newman.
- David Spear conducted both recording sessions. Film music editor Kirk Hawkes assisted on editing cues for placement within the picture.
- For the new soundtrack package Mills-Cockell and Terror Vision’s project manager Shon Wheeler worked to include approximately an hour and a half of music.
The composer also reflected on the film’s enduring appeal, noting that its combination of production design, performances and diverse musical palette helped it remain part of the horror-cult conversation decades after its original release.
Source: Rue Morgue