Listen up, spoopy kids. We’re obviously partial to “dressing up in costumes” being the most fun part of Halloween, but “listening to awesome and creepy music” definitely lands in the top five reasons why this is the best holiday of the year. (Other notable mentions include “horror movie marathons” and “eating lots and lots of candy.”) But, out of all the Halloween music out there, which are the essential tunes for your party? How do you even pick? We picked. We picked for you, so you can dance worry-free!
We put together three separate playlists because it was too hard to narrow it down to just one. The first includes all the classic Halloween jams, such as "Monster Mash" and "Thriller." The second playlist is full of awesome alternative songs from tons of different genres, such as goth rock, psychobilly, punk, and metal. The final playlist is all instrumental; perfect to set the spooky mood.
1. Classic Halloween Songs
Track List
01. “I Put a Spell on You” - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
02. “This is Halloween” – Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack
03. “Thriller” – Michael Jackson
04. “Monster Mash” – Bobby Boris Pickett
05. “Dead Man’s Party” – Oingo Boingo
06. “Nemesis” – Shriekback
07. “Werewolves of London” – Warren Zevon
08. “Sympathy for the Devil” – The Rolling Stones
09. “Red Right Hand” – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
10. “Ghost Town” – The Specials
11. “Ghostbusters” – Ray Parker, Jr.
12. “Jump in the Line” – Harry Belefonte
13. “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” – Bauhuas
Notable Facts: While we widely consider “Nightmare Before Christmas” to be a yule time film, the opening is definitely NOT Christmas-themed, thus the inclusion of “This is Halloween” in this list. “Dead Man’s Party” sounds like a party we want to be invited to, but – if you leave your “body and soul at the door” what part of you is actually attending the soiree? And, lastly, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhuas is a lot funnier if you substitute “dead” with “dad” in the lyrics. Try it, you’ll like it!
2. Alternative Halloween Party Songs
Warning: Some of these songs may contain naughty words! Listen at your own risk!
Track List
01. “Halloween” – AFI
02. “Dragula” – Rob Zombie
03. “Bad Moon Rising” – The Meteors
04. “Helter Skelter” – The Beatles
05. “Cemetary Polka” – Tom Waits
06. “Masters of Reverse Psychology” – Murder by Death
07. “Black Planet” – The Sisters of Mercy
08. “Skulls” – The Misfits
09. “Cry Little Sister” – Gerard McMann
10. “Bad Things (The True Blood Theme)” – Jace Everett
11. “Everyday is Halloween” – Ministry
12. “Human Fly” – The Cramps
13. “The Number of the Beast” – Iron Maiden
Notable Facts: Not all of these songs are specifically Halloween-related, but they have creepy themes that fit right in with the season. The Meteor’s cover of “Bad Moon Rising” has unsettling lyrics (“Hope you are quite prepared to die?!" Wow!), “Helter Skelter” by the Beatles definitely has a sordid history, and “Masters of Reverse Psychology” comes from a concept album about the devil waging war on a small town. It was hard to pick just one Misfits song, so if “Skulls” isn’t doing it for you, feel free to substitute any other song from the band’s catalog.
3. Creepy Instrumental Music
Track List
01. “Tubular Bells” – The Exorcist OST
02. “Requiem Mass in D Minor” – Mozart
03. “Main Theme” – Halloween OST
04. “Abandoned Pit” – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night OST
05. “Twisted Nerve” – Kill Bill, Vol. 1 OST
06. “Skulls” – The Nutley Brass
07. The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Terror” Theme Song
08. American Horror Story Theme Song
09. “Night on Bald Mountain” – Mussorgsky
10. “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” – Bach
11. The X-Files Theme Song
12. “Abandoned Mine Second Level” – Vagrant Story OST
13. A Nightmare on Elm Street Theme Song
Notable Facts: This playlist includes some chilling classical music (like Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” featured in Fantasia), horror movie and spooky theme songs, and perfectly creepy video game tracks (it was hard to pick just ONE Castlevania song!). You’ll notice a repeat of “Skulls” – the inclusion of a theremin in this cover version is on point, so we couldn’t leave it out.
Now, we only had 13 songs on three different playlists to work with, here, so we know we had to leave some goodies out. (For example, we’re sad we had to leave off Kanye West’s “Monster!”) What are your go-to Halloween songs? Leave a comment and let us know! We aren't ones to turn down new tunes.
