Halloween Song: “Experiment In Terror”

A final repost from the BHT haunted vault for this year’s 31 Songs For Halloween series.

“Experiment In Terror” has a slow, ominous beat and twanging guitars that conjure images of a monster creeping along some darkened street. And we might just be its next victim. Surprisingly, this instrumental was composed by Henry Mancini for a 1962 cops and robbers movie called Experiment In Terror.

In the Chicago area, it’s much better known as the theme for Creature Features, which presented old time horror movies like House Of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and The Mummy’s Ghost on WGN every Saturday night from 1970 to 1976. “Experiment In Terror” will be forever linked to that show’s signature graphic of a horrifying guy in the top hat and cloak.

But “Experiment In Terror” also brings back memories of a childhood fascination with monsters, hours spent trick or treating, and neighborhood Halloween parties in garages or basements. Plus, it’s a great song. In addition to the eerie guitars, a string arrangement adds drama and a cinematic ambience. Later, there’s even a sexy sounding saxophone that puts the vamp in vampire.

Back when I was part of the Famous In The Future comedy group, I used this song an an intro for a satirical skit I had written about the workplace called “Night Of The Living Temps.”