Halloween Songs

Thriller

One of my favorites.

From the Halloween Classic Hocus Pocus.

Another classic with some 80’s celebrity cameos.

Remember The Sing-Off? I loved the adorably cheesy Halloween medley they did one year.

The dreadful Monster Mash (it’s a graveyard smash!), of course.

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

If you're heartbroken or lonely or grieving this season, all you need is James Horner's original score CASPER (1995).

Yes, that stupid movie Millennials like so much, the one with the CGI Devon Sawa and also starring Cathy Moriarty & DILF Bill Pullman. I still dare you not to cry at the cue 'One Last Wish (Casper's Lullaby)', heard in the lighthouse scene when Casper tells Christina Ricci how he DIED at TWELVE YEARS OLD.

Here's the scene..ToT

Whodini's "Freaks Come Out At Night"

Rob Zombie - Living Dead Girl

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - Nightmare On My Street

Must be the season of the witch

Witchy Woman

Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon

I love Monster Mash.

Breathe by The Prodigy. I used to love those creepy weirdos.

Monster Mash

# 1 in October of 1962 and peaking at #10 in August 11 of 1973.

"Freak-A-Zoid" -Midnight Star

My Halloween playlist has 239 songs, so I'll just tell you a few of the best.

Starting with the #1 BEST EVER Halloween song of all time:

The Misfits have a cover of "Monster Mash" that's slightly cooler than Bobby Boris Pickett.

May favorite version of the old jazz standard. But the Five Jones Boys' version is probably more definitive.

Here's the great Johnny Cash version of the country classic, though Me First and the Gimme Gimmes do a mean punk version!

"Roadrunner" Jonathan RIchman's "Vampire Girl ..."

... is almost as good as The Misfits' "Vampire Girl."

Play this one with MORE COWBELL!!!!

45 Grave did a very cool, alt-rock cover of the very corny "Riboflavin."

Since "Supernature" is such a fabulous song, you're getting the 3 best versions of it, starting with the original:

Through to Erasure's cover of it ....

... ending with Beth Ditto's most fabulous version.

Bela Lugosi's Dead

Transylvania Lullaby

I will throw in the best Freddy song:

As well as the best Jason song:

Here's the funniest Halloween song:

For a classical selection, Camille Saint-Saëns - Danse macabre, the night the dead come out to dance.

Another one from Rob Zombie

It's too bad some non-scary songs simply have horrific videos. Because I really like Lady Gaga's vampiric video for "Teeth" ...

... as well as Goldfrapp's demonic video for "Alive."

The Fall's version of "I'm a Mummy" is another corny classic made cool by a punk band.

It's Halloween - The Shaggs

Many of Siouxsie And The Banshees' hits are spooky and/or creepy.

Drac's Back - Red Lipstique

Here's Siouxsie with Peekaboo."

Book of Love - Tubular Bells

Not a spooky or scary song but the costumes are wild

Dracula's Tango - Toto Coelo

Ne-Yo ... Beautiful Monster.

Doin' It In A Haunted House - Yvonne Gage

Did Michael Jackson sue?

Blue Oyster Cult -- Joan Crawford

He should have, r101!

And then handed the money over to the kiddies he diddled.

When it comes to “Thriller” derivatives, I vastly prefer Harry Manfredini’s theme to FRIDAY THE 13th PART 3. At least it’s original enough to be its own thing.

Speaking of ripoffs- er, derivatives, I assumed this was a ripoff of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince "Nightmare on my Street" except it was released 2 years before that one.

Lovebug Starski - "Amityville (The House on the Hill)"

Actually, r104, it sounds a lot more like a ripoff of Whodini's "Haunted House of Rock," which I linked @ r56. It was a hit in 1983.

I'll give Lovebug Starski points for the wackadoodle Star Trek interlude, however!

Welcome To My Nightmare - Alice Copper with Muppets

Starting in the 80s and into the 90s, Oingo Boingo was famous for their annual Halloween concerts in Southern California, with their farewell concert being at the Universal Amphitheater on Halloween, 1995.

"Dead Mans' Party."

Panic at the Disco - It's Almost Halloween

I'm sure some of you know this jam.

I like hearing this with Halloween jams.

Weird science by oingo boingo

I would have thought r17 would prefer The Prodigy's "Voodoo People."

Wonderful suggestion, r119. The movie is not scary. But the title and lyrics conjure up things that can be used to create terrifying abominations!

Plus, I love the shit out of that movie!

This is cool.

Things That Go Bump In The Night - AllSTARS (cheesy Brit pop from the early 2000s)

Sympathy for the devil by the Stones.

Sting's Moon over Bourbon Street. It was inspired by interview with a vampire.

"Ghost Town" by the Specials. Not really about anything Halloween related but still has a spooky vibe.

Dr. Demento likes to play an old, British folk tune about Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII. He and I prefer Stanley Holloway's creepy, 1934 recording, though it's been covered by many bands over the years.

Here's a little parody I love.

Men at Work

Dr. Demento played this hilarious number this weekend..

This one's for the '90s Europeans

Sirius XM's "Freaky 50" felt it needed both the Strangeloves' original and Bow Wow Wow's hit cover of this song:

Who doesn't like this song?

Since the DL is obsessing over Morrissey's latest political rant:

My Chemical Romance has several monster songs.

Here is my favorite:

The gays will love the funky disco of Norma Jean Wright's "Sorcerer."

It goes well with "Drac's Back" and "Witchfinder General."

Has to be Hammer Horror by Kate Bush

Watching this as a young boy I longed to be surprised from behind by a sexy man in a hood!

r131, meet r98!

You guys have already posted most of mine, DL always has good playlists!

Gotta have Concrete Blonde every year.

I like this one.

R132 - apologies didn't click on R98 x

Fans of Weird Al Yankovic can enjoy "Slime Creatures from Outer Space" or "Good Ol' Days" for Halloween.

But I prefer this FRIDAY THE 13TH-inspired number:

Don't forget "The Cringe!"

Dinner With Drac!

Holly Cole

Whistlin' Past the Graveyard

Night

2012

Tom Waits song

Dr. John

I Walk on Guilded Splinters

Gris Gris (The Night Tripper)

1968

This one’s a gas.

We mustn’t forget rock star Robert Englund.

Love it

Who wore a "Vampire Girl" song better?

The Misfits, Jonathan Richmann or The Groovie Ghoulies?

Bravo R144. Holly Cole is the best undiscovered strangely beautiful musical talent that never quite happened. Her Tom Waits cover album is exceptional. Superlative really. But she was such a look and personality and sound on her other albums too - I don't get why she never did better. Not a diva, not a throwback, not a punk or a rocker. A modern jazz singer, with the slow beats and irregulars drums and only that combo and her voice. A great performer. Then strings and gorgeous orchestrations of emotionally dark songs. Joyful atonal christmas songs. She was singular. A damn great singer and musician. She was the bomb 25 years ago when I was a teen in Montreal. I love her. She takes some work to love. She's spooky.

When I was a kid, this song scared me.

In fact, it still does.

Kelly put a hit out on this song today. She degraded her beautiful voice so much from oversinging - but the rasp works and she's still got that shimmery soprano part. She does this legit. Nice.

"Eeeeew, tattoos!"

"Eeeeew, rock and roll!!!"

No, R80. The best Jason song would be this one...

Does everyone know that Bobby "Boris" Pickett did a sequel to "The Monster Mash" in 1984 called "The Monster Rap?"

It was an attempt to update "Mash's" relevance with hip hop. The song is mostly embarrassing, but this extended version contains a verse covering "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, which is a cool reference, anyhow.

"The Monster Swim" was an even more embarrassing sequel than "Monster Rap!"

Check out this time capsule from the days when there was nothing scary about horror:

My Eldergay children, my Halloween gift to you all!!!!!!! New Album coming in 2022 !!!! Much Love !!!!!

Speaking of Bobby PIckett, I actually find "Me & My Mummy" to be charming.

And believe it or not, "The Transylvania Twist" is actually an old-school, rockabillyin' good time!

This one's for the Stevie Nicks troll giving Stevie a hard time for defending women's reproductive rights!

El Chubacabra - Sugar Lime Blue

The incomparable Elvira is featured wonderfully.

The whole album is Halloween perfection.

Something in My House by Dead or Alive

A full year and 165 posts later, and no one has posted a direct link to “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by BOC? Some bizarre, irrelevant choices in this thread. Yikes. “Creep” by Radiohead?? Queeny dance-pop? Ugh.

The original Halloween (1978) theme song — not the re-recorded version Carpenter did for an early soundtrack release which added a thumping bass drum.

I wish I could find the original opening credits in mono, though—the way the film was originally experienced.

Oh, here it is in mono.

No classical music lovers here? How could anyone not have mentioned Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" or Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette."

In elementary school I remember singing a Halloween song set to the music of Grieg's "In The Hall of The Mountain King":

'On October thirty-one, when the sun, goes to rest, that's the night of Halloween when fun is at its best.....'

R169 They all lived on Elm Street.

I always thought this would be a good opening song for a female werewolf film =

Kim Petras' entire Turn Off The Light Album... bow down bitches!!

Recently reminded The Misfits have a version of "The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati."

This is much easier on my ears than the corny original by Rose and the Arrangement.

Brit eccentric Peter Hammill's one-LP-side tour de force 'Gog & Magog'.

The Munsters Theme cover by The Surf Dawgs

Fabulous, I love surf rock.

Pete Wentz samples "The Munsters Theme" in "Uma Thurman," which makes it on to some Halloween playlists.

Incidentally, Los Straightjackets also did a surf rock cover of "The Munsters Theme" for Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN HOOTENANNY album.

But I like the sped-up, smoother version by r177's Surf Dawgs.

Grim Grinning Ghosts

Surprised it hasn't been mentioned. Nick Cave, Red Right Hand.

Ghost was mentioned above, but this one is more appropriate. Cirice.

Ministry “Everyday is Halloween.”

I unabashedly love this one.

We already have "Every Day is Halloween" @ r60.

Really, any Ghost song would work for Halloween. And half of all metal songs, too!

I chose "Danse Macabre" because it's one of their biggest hits.

Here's another huge hit for them, "Square Hammer."

Here's one, it's really easy to learn. It goes like this.

Boo Boo Boo, Boo Boo Boo Boo Boo Boo, Boo Boo, Boo Boo Boo

repeat

Dr. Demento just reminded me of this fabulous song by Harry Belafonte.

Zombies were originally from voodoo, a magic and real religion practiced by people all across the Caribbean region that Belafonte and origial singer Lord Intruder are from.

PARTY DANCE FAVORITE!

Bobby "Boris" Pickett also did a sequel to "Monster Mash" in 1993. He really milked that song for eternity!

Here's "It's Alive."

Shari Belafonte “Get Dead” from the ‘80s TV flick The Midnight Hour.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐤 by Herbert Chappell:

𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕾𝖍𝖆𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖘 by Robert Cobert:

That theme is wonderful and eerie. It's on my Halloween playlist.

15 New Wave Halloween songs =

This seemed to be a relationship gone wrong horror song for a film soundtrack

I think openly bisexual Jane made a '85 song about a lesbian vampire trying to get the Bride Of Frankenstein based on the sounds & lyrics =

Something In My House 2020

The original from 1986 =

He's So Strange (live) = The Go-Go's

I Want Out = Pat Benatar

Hell Is For Children (live) - Pat Benatar

Anxiety - Pat Benatar

Monster Mash - Reina del Cid & Toni Lindgren

1 hour plus of Halloween hits here...

Hanging On A Heart Attack - Device

Ghost Town - Adam Lambert

Ghost Town - Shiny Toy Guns

Ghost Town - Cheap Trick

That's fabulous, r196. I LOVE the "Just Can't Get Enough" series and didn't know they had a Halloween edition!

DLers already listed 14 of those songs, but yeah.

Little Ghost - Boy George (song starts at 0:57)

I thought Jane Wiedlin was straight-up openly lesbian?

Here's her best Halloween song:

Boy George's Funtime...

Satan's Butterfly Ball - Boy George

I may as well include Rob Zombie's "Halloween (She's So Mean)" from HALLOWEEN HOOTENANNY.

Murder Rap Trap - Culture Club

This was the scariest song & video in '82

The most Halloween video of '85

I always thought this song took place in a graveyard with someone missing a dead person...

This seems like a tribute to Gotham City's crazy Halloween villains...

Some Love Voodoo

Voodoo Doll - Heart

Bruce Banner's Hulk out tune...

The Dollyrots have a cool, punk version of "The Monster Mash," if the Misfits' cover isn't good enough for you!

Some dark country songs to add to your Halloween lists....

Sorry, I'm all out of Bon Ami.