As if it their deep-seated love of John Carpenter’s music wasn’t already obvious, French synth freaks Zombie Zombie have decided to release an album of cover versions: Zombie Zombie Plays John Carpenter.

John Carpenter, as most of you will know, is the visionary director of such classic and abundantly weird Hollywood chillers as The Thing, Assault on Precinct 13 and Prince of Darkness. He invariably created his own soundtracks for his films, using analogue synths to convey dread and suspense in a manner that has proved to be hugely influential not just on film scores but on electronic music at large.

Zombie Zombie – the duo of Etienne Jaumet and Cosmic Neman – have long been vocal in their admiration for Carpenter’s work. For Plays John Carpenter, out October 11 on Versatile Records, they’ve hooked up with producer Joakim; according to a press release, the album “combines live, militaristic rhythm, minimal synth lines and intimated fear to push the legendary film-maker’s vision into something horrific and beautiful, dark yet beguiling.”

They gamely tackle the frankly unimprovable main themes from Assault On Precinct 13 and Halloween, and also two pieces from Carpenter and Alan Howarth‘s Escape From New York and Escape From LA scores. The album closes with a version of The Thing theme, originally composed by Carpenter and Ennio Morricone.

Tracklist:
1. The Bank Robbery (from Escape From New York)
2. Escape From LA (Main Theme)
3. Assault On Precinct 13 (Main Theme)
4. Halloween (Main Theme)
5. The Thing (Main Theme)