Top 40 Halloween Party Songs
Creepy Music to Help Get Guests in the Spirit of the Season
Sep 23, 2009
Costume? Check. Jell-O molded into brains, deviled eggs, wrapped candy in the automated zombie-hand bowl and other freaky Halloween party favors? Check. Morosely named craft beers and other Autumn spirits? Check. Once the basics of a Halloween party are covered, it's time to develop a playlist of music people can groove to that also goes with the season.
Classic Halloween Songs
Though perhaps cliche, these are the songs guests will want and even expect to hear at a Halloween party. Leave them off the list and suffer the consequences. In most cases, they will be requested ... probably repeatedly.
- "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Picket and the Crypt-Kickers
- "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo
- "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
- "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC
- "They're Coming to Take Me Away" by Napoleon XIV
- "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones
Halloween Music Pulled From TV Shows and Movies
Hollywood has been an excellent source of haunting ballads for many years. The best thing about using songs from films and television is that guests will instantly recognize them. Just don't overdo it. There is such thing as too much of a good thing.
- "Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show
- "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr.
- The Addams Family theme song
- The Munsters theme song
- "This is Halloween" from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- "Poor, Unfortunate Soul" from Disney's The Little Mermaid
- "Grim Grinning Ghosts" by Buddy Baker and Xavier "X" Atencio (from Disney's Haunted Mansion ride)
- The Exorcist theme song
- The Twightlight Zone theme song
- Harry Potter theme song
More Spooky Mood Setters
Tunes in this list are fairly well-known and popular hits that deal with subjects near and dear to Halloween. Though the lyrics might not be specifically geared to the holiday, the songs still have a bewitching effect.
- "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads
- "Season of the Witch" by Donovan
- "Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band
- "Sweet Dreams" by The Eurythmics
- "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores" by Bauhaus
- "Living Dead Girl" by Rob Zombie
- "Ballroom Blitz" by The Sweet
- "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles
- "Venus in Furs" by The Velvet Underground
- "Hell" by Squirrel Nut Zippers
- "Cruel to Be Kind" by Nick Lowe
- "Brick House" by The Commodores (Watch Rob Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses first to see why this song makes the list)
Offbeat Halloween Songs
These songs were never major hits on the radio, but they each have a creepy vibe that will enhance the mood of a Halloween party. They are also kosher for the daylight as well.
- "Bugs" by Pearl Jam
- "Spider Webs" by Joan Osborne
- "Make it Rain" by Tom Waits (or anything by Tom Waits, really)
- "I Want You to Die" by Storm Large
- "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" by Nirvana
- "Satan's Bed" by Pearl Jam
- "Human Fly" by Nouvelle Vague
- "We Hunger" by Siouxsie and the Banshees
- "Vampira" by The Misfits
- "The Zombie Dance" by The Cramps
- "Cat People" by David Bowie
- "The Garden" by Mirah
- "Shot You Down" by Audio Bullys and Nancy Sinatra
- "Leather" by Tori Amos
Putting it All Together
When devising a playlist for a Halloween costume party, determine what type of guests will be in attendance to pick the songs that will be right for the party. If most guests like a darker mood, go with grittier, scary songs. If the majority are light-hearted, go with funny or memorable songs from television and film. The best party music mixes obscure and well-know hits in a way most attendees can enjoy.
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