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I enjoy when music tells a story so this Halloween I came up with an idea while putting together a playlist. As I started adding songs I thought tonally matched the mood of the season the music started playing out like a movie in my head. I decided to commit this story to writing and share it as an accompaniment to my Halloween playlist. This is written as sort of a storyboard for a musical that can play out in your head while listening to the music. It (hopefully) pays homage to so many horror inspirations that I couldn’t begin to count them. It includes a ton of amazing music that I thought was less common than the average Halloween playlist. I hope you enjoy and this playlist introduces you to some artists you may be unfamiliar with.
Listen to the playlist on Apple Music: All Hallows'
Listen to the playlist on Spotify: All Hallows'
Note – My preferred version of this playlist is the apple music version as unfortunately I was unable to find the correct versions of all the songs in the spotify version which may lead to some confusion with the accompanying story.
Prologue – Beware
In The Face of Evil – Flyover the town of Shadow Falls where we are introduced to the ominous landscape of dead trees, shady locales and nefarious characters.
Creepy Green Light – In Cyprus Grove Cemetery Viktor Steele conveys the premonition of and witnesses the act of his lost love Lenore rising from her grave.
Diary of a Madman – Flashback to Viktor attending the trial for the murder of Lenore wherein the Graves, a diabolic local gang, are wrongfully tried for the murder of Lenore. The Graves admit to many atrocities but never to killing Lenore and Viktor believes they had nothing to do with the murder.
Vampira –At a bar after the trial Viktor reminisces about Lenore.
Flying Octopus – Viktor notices a figure who resembles Lenore and follows the figure, always just out of reach, to the Marred Den, a local club with heavy ties to satanic cults and the Gothia (Goth Mafia).
Country Death Song – Members of The Strangers, a busking commune in Shadow Falls, take the stage at the Marred den and tell a story.
Go Tell Aunt Rhody – The figure that resembles Lenore (so close she could be a twin) takes the stage and everyone falls silent and freezes, transfixed.
Black No 1- After the performance the doppelganger approaches Viktor directly. He follows her into the alley behind the Marred Den and tries talking to her. She seems to know him and comes on very strong. Filled with lust and guilt he reciprocates her embrace.
Rosemary’s Baby – Viktor passes out in the alley and relives, through a dream, discovering his murdered wife and child. Lenore found in a rocking chair in the nursery faceless and their child with its eyes gouged out.
The Most Cursed of Hands - Viktor awakes in the alley alone unsure if his meeting with Lilith was real or delusion. He begins walking home and ponders the inevitability of despair created from pride and success. He believes his happiness is what tempted fate and cursed him to this sorrow.
Halloween - On his way home victor notices multiple shadowy figures following him and runs from them into the night.
Letter [From the Lost Days] – Upon his doorstep Viktor finds a blank envelope. He opens the envelope and finds a letter handwritten from his dead wife. He reads it again and again while drinking himself into a stupor and eventually collapsing.
Dead Skin Mask - Viktor receives a vision of the actual murderer of his wife and child, Johnny Brood, the leader of the satanic punk gang Devils Brood. He’s witnesses Lenore’s murder in the gangs hideout, the abandoned church on the edge of town.
The Church - Viktor makes his way to the Church with plans to kill Johnny. Upon entry the gang appears to be expecting him and lead him to a basement room beneath the church where Johnny waits. Viktor attacks Johnny to act out his vengeance but is overpowered by the group. Johnny approaches Viktor knife in hand when suddenly…
N.W.O - The elite SWAT team W.O.L.V.E.S. storm in through doors, windows and ceilings in full riot gear. They begin slaughtering the Devils Brood and capture Johnny Brood. Viktor is questioned but released to wander into the night.
Blackened Soul - Johnny is brought to the Bloody Gallows to be executed for his crimes. Johnny begins addressing the large crowd forming for the execution, including Viktor, with his last words before the execution. He uses this chance to call out the Shadow Falls government for their allowance of evil into society which is what led to his deeds. The crowd, other than Viktor, seems to agree with Johnny’s condemnations.
The Darkest Red - Per the towns execution ritual Johnny is noosed and left standing on a solid platform before both ankles are slit through the Achilles’ tendon to the bone and he is allowed to bleed out until his strength collapses and his own body weight hangs himself. While this is happening Johnny exclaims that welcomes death which, to Viktor’s horror, further wins over the crowd.
Heresy - High Priest Danold Shweleopf addresses the crowd, who is now hysterical, further condemning the towns leadership for killing god and allowing evil to grow in the town. Viktor is sickened in understanding that the priest is using this opportunity to further his campaign as he is currently running for Governor of Shadow Falls. Viktor attempts to admonish the priest but is unable to get through to the crowd.
This is Halloween - Johnny’s corpse is placed on a wagon and paraded through town lead by the priest further campaigning for followers and solidifying Johnny’s cult icon status as a martyr for puritanical religious reform and a breaking point to no longer allow societal evils.
Nightbound - Depressed, Viktor wanders through town in remembrance of Lenore, mumbling to himself and her, unable to comprehend how his hopes of vengeance have rotted into this grotesque charade of his wife and child’s murderer being lauded and applauded. He vows to make things right.
Dance While the Sky Crashes Down - Viktor comes upon the group of macabre street performers known as the Strangers and stops to listen as Lenore and him had always adored the Strangers performances.
In the Fire - The priest’s parade has formed a massive following and is now led by the W.O.L.V.E.S alongside the priest. They are now combing the town for evildoers and burning them as witches at pyres throughout town. Viktor witnesses the performers he was watching persecuted and burned at the stake for the crime of blasphemy and distrust of “the one true god”.
Chamber of Reflections - Viktor makes his way home through unspeakable horrors. The town is being ripped apart and many innocent civilians are being tortured and murdered by the priests movement. Viktor manages to skulk home and barricade himself in the house while watching the nightmare unfold through his windows.
Vermillion - In doubt Viktor begins questioning his as they have led to such awful outcomes. He questions whether these visions are from Lenore or created by his own mind and decides he cannot let his delusions control him.
Vigil - Viktor believes himself to be the person responsible for this reckoning of his town and decides that he must be the one to stop High Priest Danold Shweleopf.
With Twilight as my Guide - Viktor begins planning his assassination of the priest and attempts to use his visions, be they gift or delusions, to assist in the plan. While researching information on the priest he collapses from exhaustion into a strange and cryptic dream showing the priest committing various atrocities on women in an underground lair.
Saviour - While Viktor sleeps the ghost of Lenore stalks around the room in frustration. She is displeased that his idolization of her has blinded him from seeing the truth of what happened to her. She loves him but is saddened that his dependence on her when she was alive has cursed him to go through a sort of withdrawal from the lack of her presence. She would do anything for him but is frustrated that her messages are leading to further pain.
Puritania - Viktor awakes to an Armageddon outside his door as death squads systematically break into house deemed to inhabit blasphemous backsliders and drag families out into the streets to be tortured and executed.
22:41 - Viktor sneaks out of his home making his way to the Graveyard, hideout of the Graves gang. He tells his plan to the Graves who also want revenge for their brothers, whom they believed were framed for the murder of Lenore by the High Priest. They decide to track down the Priests caravan which is still parading through town to kill him.
Living Dead Beat - Viktor and the Graves confront the Priest and his army of followers and an epic battle ensues. Viktor lunges at the priest but is knocked out and thrown in a ditch by the W.O.L.V.E.S. who are now acting as bodyguards for the priest.
Wraith - Viktor awakes after the caravan battle to the bodies of the Graves all around him. Off in the distance he notices a hooded apparition of Lenore and just as he sees her she quickly turns and begins moving through town. He follows her to the Lake where she turns and faces him.
The Ghost That’s Haunting You - As Lenore stands there staring at him Viktor notices many other ghostly apparitions appearing all around him. He pleads with them begging what they want from him as everything he has tried has failed. Suddenly Lenore’s ethereal presence is made flesh which quickly decomposes and turns grey her face peels off and her eyes turn to black voids. She quickly moves toward him and he cannot look away from those eyes as they engulf him in a void.
Possum Kingdom – Lenore shows Viktor a vision of the past where High Priest Danold Shweloepf approached and attempted to seduce her.
Say You’ll Haunt me – The priest forces himself on Lenore when she rejects him and tries to get away.
Haunt- Lenore manages to beguile the priest and escape.
The Council of Wolves and Snakes – Frustrated and enraged the priest makes his way to a Gothia council meeting. He is secretly an inner circle member and expresses his plan for the Gothia’s takeover of Shadow Falls to achieve ultimate power over the land. A conspiracy is laid out to have Johnny Brood, another secret member, commit an atrocity and use his exuberant charisma at his trial and execution to insight a riot which will be led by the high priest and enforced by the W.O.L.V.E.S.
Black Sunday – The vision jumps forward to show the priest accompany Johnny to Steele Manor where he delights in watching Johnny torture and murder Lenore and the child.
Until the End – Snapping back from the vision of past events Lenore’s ghost is able to express to Viktor her love of their life together, anguish over what happened and desire for vengeance.
Change (In the House of Flies) – Viktor expresses to Lenore his grief and anger over losing her.
Tupelo – The Strangers approach led by a slender suited man who tells them a story of the destruction of a town and suggests a similar outcome for Shadow Falls would be justified.
Desire- Lenore’s ghost visits the priest and seductively leads him, like a siren, to the cemetery where Viktor is waiting at her grave.
To Rid the Disease - Viktor calmly berates the priest for everything he has done both to the town and to his family. He expounds on how they had a happy life with no interest in the religious and political commotions that the priest used to destroy his family.
Redeemer – the priest admits his inner demons and attempts to excuse his actions.
Fylgisflog – Repulsed by the moral depravity of the priest Viktor slowly approaches him before tackling him and strangling him over his wife’s grave.
All Hallows Eve – The murder and sacrifice of his wife’s murderer is but the first step to opening the gates of hell for the resurrection of Lenore. Viktor completes the ritual that will raise Lenore from the dead.
Lux Tenebras - The earth over her grave cracks open and she climbs out of the underworld. Lenore and Viktor are aware the repercussions of this ritual and knowingly welcome Lucifer and hells minions out of the underworld to lay waste to what remains of Shadow Falls. Victor and the restored Lenore embrace and walk away hand in hand.
The Grand Conjuration - Lucifer rises from the underworld and lays waste to Shadow Falls. Blood rains from the sky and the rivers clot, mountains crack and the ground tears itself apart. The entire land is sacrificed and sinks slowly into hell.
Ending Credits – Credits Roll
If We Were Vampires - Stinger in which we see a timelapsed Lenore and Victor living out their remaining life in a cabin, raising a child with love and happily dancing through life until passing away in their sleep at an old age.
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