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”.
Author Jeff C. Carter 