Halloween has finally arrived which means it's definitely time to party! Every Halloween get-together needs a music playlist of epic proportions, so let us help you out with a list of 20 of the greatest spooky songs of all time. You'll be invoking the spirits of party-mad ancestors in no time with these tunes.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
1. Halloween - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Taken from the post-punk's acclaimed fourth album Juju, this track is unambiguously seasonal. It's also often overlooked by the singles, Spellbound and Arabian Nights, which is just a huge shame.
2. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) - David Bowie
Or just Scary Monsters, the title track from Bowie's fourteenth album released in 1980 is thought to be one of his more commercially viable tracks. It's also a lot of fun and an absolute party essential.
3. Lullaby - The Cure
Basically the Monster Mash of the 80s. Robert Smith goes all out spooky in the video for this little number from 1989's Disintegration. It certainly deserved its British Video of the Year win at the 1990 Brit Awards.
4. Dracula's Wedding - OutKast ft. Kelis
You'd be forgiven for never having heard this song from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below - after all, it was massively overshadowed by the immense Hey Ya! Still, it's a genuinely weird little number with the perfect Halloween atmosphere.
5. The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
It's not hard to find a Halloween-appropriate tune among metal bands like Maiden, but their 1982 single from their first UK number one album of the same name, hailing the Dark Lord Satan himself, is definitely a favourite.
6. Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
Paying homage to arguably the most famous onscreen Dracula of all time, this is the goth band's debut single released in 1979. It's one of the earliest of gothic rock songs - what could be more Halloween than that?
7. Monster Mash - Bobby Pickett
You can't have a Halloween party without playing this song. It's probably illegal. It's been an holiday staple since the 60s and makes reference to Hammer Horror favourites like Dracula, Wolf Man, and even Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster.
8. Time Warp - The Rocky Horror Picture Show
A cult film that has become a timeless classic, Time Warp is by far the most famous song from the soundtrack. If you're not breathlessly doing the Time Warp again tonight, are you even celebrating Halloween?
9. This Is Halloween - Panic! At The Disco
The song is from Tim Burton's 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas, but the song has been covered numerous times over the years. Marilyn Manson did the most famous cover, but Panic! At The Disco remains a strong favourite. Long live Brendon Urie!
10. Little Drop of Poison - Tom Waits
A bluesy, jazz ballad from the Shrek 2 soundtrack and Waits' compilation album Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & B*****ds. It's not the most uplifting of Halloween anthems, but with his gravelly vocals it's a perfect down-time addition.
11. Thriller - Michael Jackson
An obvious choice, Thriller - from the album of the same name - has been played at every single Halloween party ever for 35 years. It's almost as iconic as Monster Mash, and the video was the first music video to be added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
12. Disturbia - Rihanna
In case you needed a bit of pop flavour on your Halloween playlist. This featured on 2008's Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded and it's kinda perfect if you want to raise the roof and Monster Mash isn't doing the trick.
13. Bark at the Moon - Ozzy Osbourne
Or indeed any song by the Black Sabbath legend - we just wanted to add in a werewolf in amongst the vampires, ghosts and zombies. The 1983 single featured on his album of the same name and features a strong Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde theme.
14. Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell
Rockwell was a bit of a one-hit wonder with his 1984 single from his Motown debut album of the same name. Still, what a wonder it was! It has been re-done so many times, most notably by Dutch dance group Beatfreakz in 2006.
15. Kernkraft 400 - Zombie Nation
Best known these days from the Shaun of the Dead sountrack, this German trance tune is one of those songs where everybody always gets the song name and artist mixed up. It's Kernkraft 400 by Zombie Nation for future reference. You're welcome.
16. Ghosts - Ladytron
We're most certainly not "sorry" for loving this epic single from the 2008 Velocifero album. It's shoegaze-y electronica at its finest and a worthy addition to any ghostly playlist. What's more, Ladytron are planning a new album!
17. Red Right Hand - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave just has one of those perfect spooky Halloween voices. It might come as a surprise that we haven't opted for a song from Murder Ballads, but Red Right Hand from Let Love In is classic Cave and even featured in the 1996 movie Scream.
18. A Nightmare On My Street - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Inspired by the indomitable Nightmare on Elm Street, this Will Smith classic from He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper is often forgotten about. Possibly because they were forced to destroy the video they recorded due to allegations of copyright infringement.
19. Dracula - Gorillaz
One of the US bonus tracks from the virtual band's self-titled debut album, it's not the most well-known Dracula-themed song of all time but it should definitely be up there with the best. Bram Stoker would be dancing in his grave.
20. Ghost Town - The Specials
Another Shaun of the Dead soundtrack tune but, let's face it, that's one film a lot of us will be watching this Halloween. This is possibly The Specials' most famous song of all time. Next year, they will release their first album in 18 years entitled Encore.
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