Horror On Vinyl

Most Horror Society peeps in Chicago know me best as “that soundtrack guy” who does the Turntabling table at Horror Society shows, so it’s no surprise that my first H.S. post has to do with vinyl.

I’ve been a rabid horror soundtrack collector for quite some time now, but there’s a little sub-genre of collecting I’ve discovered that is sure to please any Horror Society fan with a turntable.

I’m talking about horror on vinyl. Not SOUNDTRACKS, but actual horror stories performed and recorded on vinyl records. My gateway to this new obsession was the amazing Roddy McDowall Reads the Horror Stories Of H.P. Lovecraft.
Any Lovecraft fan will flip over this. It’s absolutely my favorite non-musical vinyl find of the year. Maybe even the decade. McDowell’s interpretation of Lovecraft is uncanny–his diction, inflection and performance of the written material–which was never intended to be performed as such–sounds like he’s being directed by Lovecraft himself.

Another glorious discovery:

Not as jaw-droppingly enjoyable as hearing Roddy McDowall do Lovecraft, but still very fun to listen to and a worthy investment if you can find it on vinyl. I particularly love the cover art on this–one of the main reasons to get into vinyl collecting, music aside,  is for the artwork. At least for me.

Here’s one I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing yet, but did scoop up for a song at a local record shop in Chicago

When looking at this LP, the main thing that might put you off the purchase is that there’s no real indication on the album packaging whether Lugosi himself appears on the album. But thankfully, he does–and NOT in the Dracula role.

The cover art isn’t related to the story–apparently he plays a homicidal doctor, which is not unfamiliar territory for Bela…should sound amazing even with what some describe as a bit of long-winded and repetitive intro blather from Bela Lugosi Jr.

There are plenty of other horror-related oddities on vinyl, but these three are definitely worth your look as a gateway into a whole new world of vinyl junkie obsessiveness.

—Joe Wallace runs Turntabling.net, a site for vinyl junkies that specializes in horror, giallo and other obscure soundtracks. Turntabling also features an ever-growing collection of the worst album covers in the universe.