Sean Bonniwell’s cult movie horror soundtracks

Sean Bonniwell
Day of the Wolves
Night of the Witches
Real Gone Music

For the first time, Real Gone Music has brought back to life two fascinating 1970s cult classics and made them available as stand alone albums.

Sean Bonniwell was a singer/songwriter prevalent in the garage rock scene for his band The Music Machine and their hit “Talk Talk.” Through distorted guitar lines and psychedelic organs, his goal was to create rock music with “fuzz and fangs.” What he really did was become pioneers in the proto-punk genre. In the late 1960s, he churned out a handful of singles as well as a couple of albums by The Music Machine and one as a solo artist. How he transformed from the folk rock sound of The Raggamuffins into the dark and gritty spasms of The Music Machine is a wild ride. But this piece is not about the Music Machine, it’s what came after.

Post Music Machine, Bonniwell went into soundtrack work for a series of cult B-movies, including two distinct niche films, “Day of the Wolves” and “Night of the Witches.” Less proto-punk and more vintage psych rock, Bonniwell concocted a slew of great rockers and paired well with the aesthetic of the times.

“Day of the Wolves” is an early heist TV film that features Richard Egan in all of his dramatic glory. Best known in this strata as the choice to be the narrator voice on The Twilight Zone. Contractual issues got in the way and Sirling ended up narrating the show himself. On a different strata, Egan was best known in the 1950s for his work with Universal. And this film was a springboard for a film crew that went on to work on some of 1980s most memorable cinematic moments.

But for the music, Bonniwell may not have paired up the pensive moments as the Wolves exemplified. His music feels more haunting and ethereal in rock’s roaming caverns of the past. Bubbling up with exploitative passion, Bonniwell’s rustic vocals brood over the horizon. As mysterious as Bonniwell tries to sound, his work here is catchy.

Amando de Ossorio is best known in the horror genre for his work with Tombs of the Blind Dead and that series. But in the midst of that, he made Night of the Witches aka Night of the Sorcerers. The film revolves around a group of African explorers who encounter a native cult. That is where the horror lies. But instead of bongos and psych-out Beat jams, Bonniwell chooses heavy dollops of fuzz guitar, organ and funky backbeats.Where Day of the Wolves feels more like The Guess Who or There is a degree of Bowie that emerges from the vocal tracks.

Reissue producer Alec Palao sets the stage to take you on a ride through a collection of intricate ‘60s cool-toned trips that burn vintage through rebel attitudes and nighttime serenades.