Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka write and produce soundtracks for your nightmares.

Douglas, of Munson Township, and Goszka, of Willoughby, are the founders and creative energy of Midnight Syndicate, a 12-year-old company with 10 CDs to its credit and a feature horror film in the works.

Their music is to Halloween what Andy Williams’ and Bing Crosby’s crooning are to Christmas, except Midnight Syndicate’s “symphonies from the crypt” are more akin to oratorios and cantatas. And it is screams above the tired “Monster Mash” and ubiquitous sound effects tapes and CDs that haunt bargain bins every Halloween.

This team releases its work on the Entity Productions label, the second largest distributor of Halloween CDs worldwide.

“We’ve sold well over a half-million,” says Douglas.

The creators take a themed approach to their productions, turning out albums titled “Gates of Delirium,” “Vampyre,” “The 13th Hour,” “Out of the Darkness” and, their latest release, “The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates.” Their gothic, orchestral music is often blended with reinforcing sound effects that enhance but never overpower the sonic experience.

Their mood-setting CDs set the backdrop for private Halloween parties and commercial haunted houses alike. Some of Entity’s clients include Universal Studios-Orlando, Carnival Cruise Lines, Paramount Kings Island, Six Flags Chicago, Cedar Point and Busch Gardens. Television and radio credits include “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” “Monday Night Football,” several Discovery Channel Halloween specials and many more.

Their music also resonates with gamers. Douglas and Goszka teamed up with Hasbro Games and Wizards of the Coast to create the first official soundtrack to the role-playing game, “Dungeons and Dragons.” The CD broke all previous records for game soundtracks and established Midnight Syndicate as the leading supplier/producer of music to the hobby game industry. Their “13th Hour” CD, released in 2005, won Best Gaming Accessory in the industry’s 2006 Origins Awards.

Dark fascinations

Both men share a fascination with classic horror cinema and Victorian culture. Douglas, a graduate of John Carroll University, brings a background in film and communications to the mix; Goszka, a graduate of the Baldwin Wallace Music Conservatory, played in a rock band and was working in a music store when the two met. Douglas was looking for gear to record the soundtrack for his horror film, “The Dead Matter,” and ended up becoming friends with the salesman. After Douglas attended one of Goszka’s performances and heard his original work performed, their relationship changed to business partners.

Their first CD, “Born of the Night,” merged music and cinematic sound effects in a ground-breaking, professional product that builds tension like a well-crafted horror flick. Record distributors weren’t interested in touching this niche product, however. Halloween music can’t travel the traditional music distribution channels, such as air play and live concerts, so Goszka and Douglas had to get creative.

Douglas made cold calls to Halloween costume shop owners and played sound clips over the phone in an attempt to get the CD in shops. They put clips on the Internet and quickly built a fan base. But they didn’t quit their day jobs: Douglas, a tow motor operator; Goszka a music-store salesman.

With a new release every summer, Midnight Syndicate built a following among the haunted house circuit. The men worked out commercial licensing agreements for houses to legally use the music. While that market typically generates several hundred license agreements every Halloween, it wasn’t until the Discovery Channel produced a documentary about the eight best haunted houses that the men discovered just how pervasive their music was. Seven of the eight houses featured were using Midnight Syndicate tracks.

Douglas says another honor came last year, when Universal commissioned them to write two custom tracks for the theme park’s new attraction featuring iconic horror characters.