Label: Walt Disney
Reissued 8/11/2023, Originally released 1973
Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House was an LP album intended for "older children, teenagers, and adults", released by Disneyland Records (now known as Walt Disney Records). The album was mainly composed of sound effects that had been collected by the sound effects department of Walt Disney Studios. The album was released in several different forms. The album was first released in 1964 in a white sleeve, with a second release in 1973 with an orange sleeve. In both versions, the first side contained 10 stories narrated by Laura Olsher, complete with sound effects. The second side contained 10 sound effects meant for others to create their own stories. Despite the title, most of the cuts had nothing to do with haunted houses or witches or ghostly spirits. Featured were such situations as an ocean liner hitting rocks, an idiotic lumberjack, a man crossing an unsafe bridge, someone lighting a stick of dynamite and a spaceship landing on Mars. Also, there are tracks with several examples of cats, dogs and birds becoming enraged for some reason, as well as a skit about Chinese water torture. In addition, some of the screams were taken directly from the scene where Miss Havisham catches fire in the 1946 David Lean film "Great Expectations." On December 7, 1972, the album became a certified gold record by the RIAA. On April 11, 1988, the 1979 follow-up edition of the album was certified gold by the RIAA. Some of the stories on the album are better known for being sampled in rap songs such as N.W.A's "Quiet on Tha Set, " Ice Cube's "Look Who's Burnin'" and "Jackin' for Beats", and Jedi Mind Tricks' "Chinese Water Torture." In 1997, Xero, precursor to the rock band Linkin Park, sampled "The Very Long Fuse" on their demo tape.
Track Listing:
- Night Creatures 3:08
- Haunted House 3:22
- The Dungeon 1:11
- The Witches 0:47
- Encounter in the Fog 2:30
- A Grave Matter (The Grave Robbers) 3:02
- Mad Scientist's Laboratory 4:00
- Thunder and Lightning 0:33 2 T
- The Storm 1:00 3 Winds 1:33
- Dripping Cavern 0:22
- Howling Wolves 0:24
- Rats 0:15
- Shrieking Cats 0:25
- Owls 0:15
- Baying Hounds 0:16
- Crickets 0:30
- The Raven 0:15
- Unearthly Monster 0:27
- Moans and Groans 0:22 1
- Laughing Ghost 0:13
- Cackling Witches 0:23
- Assorted Screams 0:21
- Heartbeat 0:22
- Dragging Footsteps 0:19
- Creaking Doors 0:20
- Rusty Gate 0:07
- Fog Horn 0:21
- Clock Striking Midnight 0:25
- Rattling Chains 0:37
- Laboratory Sounds 1:07
- Tolling Bell 0:40
- Haunting Music 3:00