It’s not Halloween for a while yet, but the Kritzerland label is scaring up some ghoulish tunes with its brand-new reissue of the 2003 anthology Jeepers Creepers: Great Songs from Horror Films!  With a stellar cast of performers drawn from Broadway and Hollywood including Brent Barrett, Alison Fraser, Jason Graae, Juliana Hansen, Katharine Helmond, Judy Kaye, Rebecca Luker, Michelle Nicastro and Christiane Noll, with a special appearance from the “Cool Ghoul” Zacherley (a.k.a. John Zacherle), Jeepers Creepers  features arrangements by album producer Bruce Kimmel and co-arranger/musical director Grant Geissman, composer of television’s Two and a Half Men and Mike and Molly.

Jeepers Creepers first appeared in 2003 as a co-production between the Red Circle label and Kritzerland, and was in fact the first CD to bear the name of the future soundtrack and cast recording specialist label.  Though these songs share their origins in horror films (for the most part!), they’re otherwise an eclectic group penned by an A-list of songwriters past and present: Burt Bacharach and Mack David (“The Blob” from the film of the same name, sung here by Broadway’s Alison Fraser), Tony Hatch (“Look for a Star,” from 1960’s Circus of Horrors, sung by the mysterious Guy Haines), Bob Gaudio and Al Kasha (“Who Killed Teddy Bear?” from the campy 1965 thriller, sung here by Tami Tappan Damiano), Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn (“The Faithful Heart” from Journey to the Center of the Earth, sung by Rebecca Luker) and the legendary Johnny Mercer.

Mercer’s contributions might be surprising to some.  He co-wrote the title song of Jeepers Creepers with Harry Warren (42nd Street) for Louis Armstrong in the 1938 film Going Places referring to a horse called Jeepers Creepers, but the song found its way into the horror genre courtesy of a 2001 chiller named after the song and its 2003 sequel.  Mercer’s other track here is “Goody Goody,” co-written with Matty Malneck, which wasn’t written for a horror movie but certainly made an impression in one thanks to the Debbie Reynolds/Shelley Winters campfest What’s the Matter with Helen? in 1971.  (Who could forget – SPOILER – the maniacal Winters serenading the murdered Reynolds, hung like a scarecrow, on piano at the film’s conclusion?)  Cabaret star and actress Sharon McNight sings “Jeepers” here, and Lynette Perry (Broadway’s Ragtime, Grand Hotel) does “Goody Goody” with a little help from Zacherley.  Another surprising selection might be Ned Washington and Victor Young’s “Stella by Starlight.”  It’s since become a standard for both vocalists and jazz musicians (including John Coltrane and Miles Davis), but it had its roots in the 1944 ghost story The Uninvited.  Brent Barrett (Phantom of the Opera, Chicago) does it here.

Hit the jump for more on Jeepers Creepers, including the track listing and pre-order link!

With selections as diverse as “Mothra’s Song” from the film about the titanic killer moth and a medley of songs from the notorious Who’s Afraid of Baby Jane?, there’s not been another CD quite like this one.  Originally released in 2003, Jeepers has been out of print for a number of years.  Kritzerland’s reissue boasts a new remastering as well as new cover artwork.  This release is limited to 1,000 units, and is due to ship by the third week of March.  However, pre-orders placed directly at Kritzerland’s website generally arrive an average of four weeks prior to the official ship date.  You can pre-order this spooky set just below!

Various Artists, Jeepers Creepers: Great Songs from Horror Films (Kritzerland/Red Circle, 2003 – reissued Kritzerland, 2014)

1. Who Killed Teddy Bear? – Tami Tappan-Damiano
2. Goody Goody – Lynette Perry with special appearance from Zacherley
3. Look for a Star – Guy Haines
4. I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy/Whatever Happened to Baby Jane – Katharine Helmond and Remy Zakem
5. The Faithful Heart – Rebecca Luker
6. Hey You!/Faro-La, Faro-Li (Song of the New Wine) – Judy Kaye and The Scarlettes
7. Hush..Hush, Sweet Charlotte – Christiane Noll
8. Jeepers Creepers – Sharon McNight
9. The Blob – Alison Fraser
10. Aurora – Michelle Nicastro
11. Mothra’s Song – Theresa Finamore and Juliana Hansen
12. You’re My Living Doll – Susan Gordon
13. Stella by Starlight – Brent Barrett
14. I Was a Teenage Horror Medley (You Gotta Have Ee-Ooo/Eeny Meeny Miney Moe/Daddy Bird) – Jason Graae

Track 1 from Who Killed Teddy Bear?
Track 2 from What’s the Matter with Helen?
Track 3 from Circus of Horrors
Track 4 from What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?Track 5 from Journey to the Center of the Earth
Track 6 from The Mummy’s Curse/Frankenstein and the Wolf Man
Track 7 from Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Track 8 from Jeepers Creepers
Track 9 from The Blob
Track 10 from Hold That Ghost
Track 11 from Mothra
Track 12 from Attack of the Puppet People
Track 13 from The Uninvited
Track 14 from How to Make a Monster/I Was a Teenage Werewolf/Frankenstein’s Daughter