Duo are masters of macabre music

Midnight Syndicate produces 'nightmare soundtracks.'
MUNSON, Ohio (AP) -- Stand outside Bloodview Haunted House and listen. Hear the eerie tones adding an extra chill to the night air? Those dark notes flowed out of the souls of two Northeast Ohio men.
The music is the work of Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka, a duo who proudly claims to compose "nightmare soundtracks." They capture terror in tunes and channel horror into harmony.
Basically, they write the songs that make the whole world scream.
The pair's Geauga County-based Midnight Syndicate has emerged as a leading producer of Halloween music, selling more than a half-million CDs since 1998. Their music plays at hundreds of haunts across the nation; clients include Universal Studios Florida in Orlando.
"When people are looking for music that's creepy," Douglas said, "they find us."
The group blends original instrumentals with ominous sound effects to create what Douglas calls "a virtual world in the listener's head."
Eight CDs
Twisted themes accompany its eight CDs. One seeks to capture the spirit of a ghostly Victorian manor; another leads the mind into a haunted asylum.
These are no "Monster Mash" mixes, or collections of cheesy sounds (think rattling chains). Consider these works sinister symphonies. It's mood music for the macabre.
The dark amusement industry took notice soon after Midnight Syndicate unleashed its first Halloween offering eight years ago. Scaring up business proved very easy, said Larry Kirchner, former president of the International Association of Haunted Attractions.
"There wasn't anybody else out there doing that kind of stuff," Kirchner said.
As a result, the music has done better than bloody good.
It's killed.