Tag Archives: Halloween

Nosferatunes – 13 Vampire Songs

The children of the night…what music they make!

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Here’s another 13 songs for your next Halloween party. This isn’t a definitive list, just a few hand-picked tunes that will enthrall a crowd with different…tastes.

This list starts off moody, like a newly risen, angst ridden revenant and grows stronger and stranger until it becomes a naughty vampire god. Pop your cape, sharpen your fangs, and dig up these tunes…

Marceline_go_with_me

1. Moon Over Bourbon Street

Sting

As a horror-starved kid I was thrilled to find a main stream song about a vampire.

2. After Dark

Tito & Tarantula, Dusk ‘Til Dawn Soundtrack

This entire album has a lot of great songs to set the mood for your party, especially if it’s ‘that kind of party’.

3. Dracula Moon

Joan Osborne

I love the honky tonk sounds in this one.

4. Closer

Kings of Leon

I’ll admit, this is a new one to me but I dig it.

5. Night of the Vampire

Roky Erickson

This is the least bizarre of Roky Erickson’s songs, but a good place to start getting weird.

6. Dracula’s Lament

Jason Segal, Forgetting Sarah Marshall Soundtrack

I chose the short version from the soundtrack because I like the mood and piano, but there are longer versions on youtube.

7. Blacula (Stalk Walk)

Gene Page, Blacula Soundtrack

This song is deadlier than Dracula.

8. Black Dracula

Killa Sha featuring Foul Monday

This song popped up randomly on a Wu-Tang station but it’s different enough to make the cut.

9. Dracula’s Wedding

Outkast

Wonderfully playful.

10. Oh Sookie

Snoop Dogg, True Blood Soundtrack

There’s often a song on these lists I refuse to apologize for, and this is that song.  The greatest song to come from True Blood since ‘Bad Thing’ and better than the last 3 seasons combined.

11. Dracula Perfect Selection – Beginning

I don’t even know what’s going on with this one.  Konami released a rap album? With music from Castlevania?

12. Soul Dracula

Hot Blood

This song should be played at every party, regardless of the holiday.

13. Fright Night

J. Geils Band

This video is pure, un-cut madness straight from the 80’s.

As a bonus, here is the intro to a great odd cartoon I used to love: Count Duckula

 

Don’t forget to check out previous lists of handpicked Halloween songs from other years here, here and here.  Do you know of a song that should have made the list?  Let me know in the comments.

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13 new spooky tunes for Halloween

It’s almost Halloween!

You can find pumpkins and candy corn anywhere, but where to find great scary songs for a Halloween party?  There are a lot of Norwegian Death Metal bands out there with great songs about cannibalism and axe murder, but those aren’t really crowd friendly.

You may already have some Halloween music, a few ‘no-braaaaainers’ like Thriller, Ghost Busters, Monster Mash, and Dead Man’s Party.  All good stuff, but you can only do the Thriller dance for so long.

Last year I put together a list of rare gems – which you can still find here.

Here’s another hand-picked play list of 13 spooky fun songs to help summon the Halloween spirit and keep people on the dance floor.

It’s Almost Halloween by Panic at the Disco

This song sets the mood perfectly.  When I launch my own probe into the depths of the solar system, this song will be inside on a gold record.

I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow

Yes, this song is ‘on the nose’, like a wart on a witch.  Would you have it any other way?

Ghost town – Extended Version by The Specials

The moaning of the phantom organ, the eerie chorus, the delicious ska beat.  If this weren’t an extended version, I’d have to play it twice.

Spiderwebs by No Doubt

As long as we’re dancing on the off-beat, let’s keep it up with No Doubt.

Walking with a Ghost by Tegan and Sara

Walking with a ghost smells better than walking with a zombie, but they both sound pretty sweet.

I Walked with a Zombie by The Aliens

If you’re feeling adventurous, checkout some other songs by lead singer, Roky Erickson.  You may find yourself falling down a psychedelic rabbit hole of songs like “Bloody Hammer”, “Night of the Vampire” and “Creature with the Atom Brain”.

Spooky by The Zombies

This tune goes out to all the spooky little girls out there…

Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell

This video is amazing!  Back in the day I was so starved for horror that I would watch MTV and wait for the music video for songs like this or The Rolling Stone’s ‘Too Much Blood’.

It’s interesting how many main stream pop songs from the 80’s make good Halloween songs.  Yet another reason why the 80’s were totally rad.

The Haunted House of Rock by Whodini

This song has sound effects, monsters, and lots of sweet puns.  It’s almost like a children’s Halloween album, but it’s from 80’s hip hop group Whodini.

The Freaks Come Out at Night by Whodini

Now that I think about it, this is a great Halloween song too!

What? By Rob Zombie

So much of Rob Zombie’s music is perfect for Halloween, but this song has a fun bounce to it without the hard edged aggression that may turn off non-Metal heads.

Monsta Mack by Sir Mix-A-Lot

What kind of party would it be without Sir Mix-A-Lot?

I’m Your Boogie Man

Let’s end this list with a two-fer.  KC and the Sunshine Band followed by Rob Zombie.  Listen for the soundbite from John Carpenter’s original “Halloween”.

 

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Ermahgerd Permpkens!

ermahgerd

I carved a pumpkin early this year, for use in a later tableau.   It reminds me of the Ermahgerd girl a bit, but that will change.  Still, Ermahgerd, Herlawern!

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Beyond the Monster Mash

The Monster Mash is awesome, nobody is disputing that, but it is not the only ‘Halloween Carol’.  This may come as a surprise to anyone who has ever tried to assemble a playlist for a halloween party.

If you are in a rush and only want to choose one album to set the mood I would recommend Halloween Hootenanny, Rob Zombie’s spooktacular record of original songs by the Ghastly Ones, Los Straitjackets, The Bomboras, Rocket From The Crypt, Zacherle, etc.  If you picked up an album from any of these contributing artists you are well on your way.

But if you want a hand picked list of rare gems I present the following list of terrifyin’ tunes from the crypts of Hip Hop, Trip Hop, Doo Wop, Disco, Cajun and…Thai Funk???

– Wolfman Jack by Binary Star.  Awesome story about a werewolf in the ‘hood, and the best you’re gonna find unless The Werewolf of Watts ever gets greenlit.

– Witch Queen of New Orleans by Red Bone.  This cajun rock song is about Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen of N’awlins.

– Are you ready for Freddy? by The Fat Boys.  I’m going to assume you already own ‘Nightmare on my street’ by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.  If not consider this a two-for-one, because Are You Ready for Freddy? teams Freddy Krueger with the Fat Boys.  Unlike the Fresh Prince video that was filmed but never released, the Fat Boys video is on youtube!

-Dr. Frankenstein by Ice Cube.  People probably know this song but may forget to add it to their halloween mix.  What better way to get the party bumpin’?

– Fatal by RZA.  As long as we’re getting hardcore here’s the Wu Tang Clan’s RZA with the best (only?) thing to come out of Blade Trinity.

– Monster Crack by Kool Moe Dee.  Why not go old school with a rap about the crack monster?

– The Horror by RJD2.  From Hip Hop to Trip Hop, this is a groove I listen to year round.

– Do The Zombie by The Symbols.  Here’s a pre-Romero zombie Doo Wop song that’s great fun.

– Monster Beach by The Surf Trio.  This is the ultimate distillation of the ‘surf guitar’ vibe present in so many Halloween songs.  Possibly the greatest song ever.

To end this list here’s a 3-peat of Disco Dracula:

– Soul Dracula by Hot Blood.  The video alone is mind blowing.

– Soul Dracula by Messer Chups.  Now with added Surf guitar!

– Soul Dracula by Thai Beat A Go-Go.  In this version the melody is sung with lyrics in Thai!

There are thousands of wonderfully weird Halloween – worthy songs out there, and hopefully these will lead you down some interesting haunted trails.  Happy Halloween!

Get the rest of the Halloween Mixes here

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Fighting Terror with Terror

I can’t help but kick off my month long celebration of Hallowe’en a little early (technically I celebrate 33 days of Hallowe’en, counting Nov. 1st and 2nd for Dia De Los Muertos).

My friend Elliott suggested we remake Blacula with Chewitel Ejiofor.  That is certainly an awesome idea, but I thought I’d throw my cape into the ring with something a bit goofy yet still kinda awesome.

EXT. AFGHAN DESERT – TWILIGHT

2 American special forces commandos stalk across the baked desert earth.  The sun has just sunk beneath the horizon, spreading red finger-like clouds up to the stars.

The CAPTAIN, a tall black man, peers down into a deep valley at a caravan through a pair of high-tech night vision goggles.

 

CAPTAIN

God damn, it’s the entire Taliban.  And it looks like

they’re going to retake afghanistan tonight.

The Captain raises his goggles and we see his face.  It is Big Daddy Kane (a.k.a. Father Time from the Outlaw Posse).

 

His 2nd in Command whispers GPS coordinates into a field radio.

 

He turns around and looks at the the Captain.  The 2nd in Command is none other than Snoop Dogg.

CAPTAIN

Where’s that air support, lieutenant?

Just then, a giant BAT flaps down behind them and transforms into BLACULA !!!

 

BLACULA

Your unit was ambushed by the Taliban.  I’m your air support now.

CAPTAIN

In that case it looks like it’s up to me, Lieutenant Dogg and

Blacula to take on the entire Taliban.

Blacula whips out a full sized coffin and flips the lid.  It is full of high powered rifles and anti-tank weapons.

 

LIEUTENANT DOGG

Fo’ shizzle.

INSERT TITLE SEQUENCE: RIDE, BLACULA, RIDE !

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