Carpenter's musical abilities have always been a source of amplified strength in his films. After composing the soundtracks to his films "Dark Star," "Assault on Precinct 13," "Halloween," and "The Fog" singlehandedly, he decided to bring in a second musician to create the score to "Escape from New York."
Carpenter still composed the soundtrack himself but, for the first time, he was aided by Alan Howarth. Carpenter and Howarth would go on to collaborate on numerous musical endeavors over the years, including movie soundtracks like "Christine," "They Live," and most of the "Halloween" sequels.
Before "New York," Howarth had never composed a soundtrack before. He was, however, involved in the film industry previously. His focus was in the world of sound effects, and he had a reputation as a synthesizer specialist. As an SFX creator, he worked on movies like "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," "Battle Beyond the Stars," "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "Poltergeist" amongst dozens of other major titles. Carpenter, meanwhile, would eventually lead a successful late-stage career as a musician outside of the film industry.
