Why did Ennio Morricone write the soundtrack of “The Thing” (1982) instead of John Carpenter?

Question

There is something I always found odd about the soundtrack of John Carpenter's 1982 version of "The Thing". It has a really nice and fitting subtle synthesizer soundtrack, which is indeed very Carpenter-like. But in fact the soundtrack for this movie wasn't made by John Carpenter himself (although he often does it), but by Ennio Morricone, another famous soundtrack compositor, but one who I wouldn't bring into relation with such a soundtrack.

So why did such a famous soundtrack compositer like Morricone make a soundtrack so untypical for him but in fact more typical for Carpenter, who indeed often makes the soundtracks for his movies himself? Is there some interresting back-story behind this oddity or was it just the usual buisiness?

Answer 1

Carpenter found he was way too busy with filming The Thing (mostly due to the location shoot but also the post-production) and passed the duties off to someone else. He also stated that he really wanted to work with Morricone as he was a big fan.

As for why the soundtrack sounded much like his own, Morricone said he wanted to make it feel like it was a John Carpenter film. Carpenter went as far as to tell Morricone "not to do so many notes" and make it "simpler and spookier". After putting together some selections for Carpenter, he picked one that mostly resembled his own compositions and that became the basis for the main theme.

References:

• http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=12
• Famous Monsters of Filmland #185
• http://www.reocities.com/j_nada/carp/thintriv.html
• YouTube interviews with Morricone