Another Halloween is here already. Boo! …and it seems I’m increasingly cast for sounding scary and evil! Alas. I mean, I think I’m a pretty nice guy. I’m good with puppies and able to make babies giggle. However, there it is, as my voice coach (aka the ‘voice whisperer’) Marice Tobias once said to me, ‘Why are you fighting success? The market casts what the market sees and loves, so go with it’. …and so I am. ..and if you’re still reading this, then darn it SO SHOULD YOU 🙂
Why is Vincent the benchmark?
When it comes to spooky, villainous voices for Halloween narrations and advert performances, the great Vincent Price is often cited as the benchmark of scary, shakespearean evil. Case in point, his iconic narration at the end of Michael Jackson’s hit single ‘Thriller’, with a laugh and timbre both rich and classic Vincent Price.
It’s a little known fact that Vincent was not actually born in Britain, but rather in the USA, to be precise, he was born May 27, 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Perhaps his good education accounted for his excellent elocution. He attained a B.A. in English from Yale University and a degree in art history from London’s Courtauld Institute.
What makes a good Halloween voice?
Well, OBVIOUSLY, me 🙂
Seriously though, I find performing in a persona which suspends self-awareness and is thus partially ‘out-of-body’ is the best way to describe the ideal Halloween ‘evil voice’ performance. Also, I find it more delicious if it’s quite shakespearean, with a ‘stage actor and theatrical feel’, almost over-stated given the immense evil which needs to assert itself is not as obvious to the evil person delivering it, as it is to those beholding its nasty caricatured intent. I hope that makes sense.
I have a British and an American variation on many spooky horror halloween reads. They tend to lean into the theatrical genre and it helps being able to access a vocal baritone range when I need it, along with a 6’3″ frame to feign imposing stances only to recoil with a wicked Bwuhahahah!
Scroll down for two examples of Halloween themed TV spots I’ve voiced; one for a Children’s Halloween Promo on Nickelodeon and the other for ‘Monster Money’ for the Louisiana Lottery.
In conclusion my friends, never leave home on a dark and stormy night,…and if you’re after a Halloween spooky voice, similar to Tim Burton, Jeremy Irons or Vincent Price, look no further than Colin Cassidy.
Thanks for stopping by and have a frightfully good day!
