While as a general rule it is bad advice to leave the beaten path on Halloween (buddy system, people!), I’ve taken the risk to uncover some lesser-played spooky tunes for your listening pleasure.
The last thing the world probably needs is another article full of Halloween music. But this article is hand-crafted especially for you, my Ordinary compatriots. I literally crafted it using my hands, and my ears too I guess. I think I deserve a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup for that. Let’s hope so since I’ve already eaten 73.
—–
The first time I heard this song, I was in the car and muttered “blue snake, green snake” to myself again and again till I got home so I could Google it. Johnny Otis “Castin my Spell”.
—–
Because it wouldn’t be Halloween without a song equating women’s sexuality to sorcery, here’s The Sonics’ “The Witch”.
http://https://youtu.be/hVWAE6n_G4Q
—–
If you ever wanted to see a twist on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” only featuring 100% more violins, I give you Lindsay Stirling’s “Moon Trance”.
http://%20https://youtu.be/0dfZ9BXaNyE
—–
I’m not sure how spooky this is technically speaking like in a skeletons and zombies kind of way, but I am super into this song right now and want to share it with everyone. The Dead South “In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company”.
—–
The world needs more songs about mummies, so Josh Ritter gave us “The Curse”. Great video on this one.
http://%20 https://youtu.be/gxWxiuJRApU
—–
I suspect the wolf in this song is probably a euphemism for something (gonna go out on a limb and guess “female sexuality”), but just for today, let’s call it a song about werewolves. PS, there is some nudity in this vid, and also some dubstep. Ya been warned. David Guetta ft. Sia “She Wolf”.
http://%20https://youtu.be/PVzljDmoPVs
—–
Cyndi Lauper tells an eerie tale of a gypsy-procured love potion gone wrong in “I’ll Kiss You”.
http://%20https://youtu.be/6Xc_jsi4nU4
—–
This is a pretty well-known song, but is rarely included in Halloween music lists. It’s an enormously creepy song though. The Toadies’ “Possum Kingdom”.
http://%20https://youtu.be/EkwD5rQ-_d4
—–
The Decemberists have several creepy songs and in fact an entire spookily-themed album called “The Hazards of Love” that everyone should give a listen to because it’s fantastic, but this song is a masterpiece. Best song on the list, IMO. “The Mariner’s Revenge”.
http://%20https://youtu.be/t0CR1IJKMPo
—–
There are a LOT of spooky songs about swamps. I have been in swamps, and the only disturbing thing I ever saw there was skunk cabbage. But the Charlie Daniels Band apparently found one of the haunted ones. “The Legend of Wooly Swamp”.
http://https://youtu.be/qMz4MA2X-98
—–
Listening to The Beatles’ “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” reminds me that when my husband and I were young and dumb, we almost named our first child “Maxwell” after this song. Luckily the better angels of our nature prevailed.
http://https://youtu.be/mJag19WoAe0
—–
I almost had to cancel this whole entire article because I couldn’t remember the name of this song. Another mysterious tale of haunted swamps and female sexuality. Jim Stafford, “Swamp Witch”.
http://%20https://youtu.be/IB0SxXTR_UI
—–
Again, I think the wolf imagery may be subtextual, but screw that, it’s a werewolf song. First Aid Kit, “Wolf”. I really do wish this video was a little less cheesy, though.
http://https://youtu.be/Czj7SyPNRto
—–
Muse brings us “Psycho”, a song about the military turning people into killing machines, which is seriously way more frightening than ghouls and goblins. Be warned, this song has a lot of cursing in it.
http://https://youtu.be/UqLRqzTp6Rk
—–
Here’s another very well known song – Katy Perry’s “ET” – that for some reason isn’t associated with Halloween, despite some pretty disturbing lyrics. Plus, wasn’t ET a Halloween movie?
http://%20https://youtu.be/t5Sd5c4o9UM
—–
And last but not least, Annie Lennox sings a “Love Song For a Vampire”. Unfortunately, this video is a movie tie-in and sucks and I don’t mean in a vampire kind of way. But the song is purty, and I needed a vampire song, and most of them have been played to death. For anyone who’s ever been in a relationship with a soul-sucking monster (and who among us hasn’t, amirite???), this works on a couple different levels.
http:// https://youtu.be/vhG8zC4npsE
—–
And if those songs aren’t Halloweeny enough for you, here’s You Tuber Brian Hull singing Monster Mash in lots of villainous voices.
http://%20https://youtu.be/SNTgw2V30-8
If you still need more creepy tunes to do the Zombie Shuffle to, here’s a good article from Den of Geek full of Halloween songs, most of which I’ve never even heard of and have made plans to listen to later.
Happy Halloween!
Jeffrey Lewis’s “Shoot The Head Kill The Ghoul” is a great one.Report
That’s awesome, thanks! I never heard that before.Report
Anyone remember “Stay”, by Shakespeare’s Sister? It was a creepy ass song with a creepy ass video back in, I believe, the early 90s. Watching it now it doesn’t seem all that bad, but that abrupt change at 2 minutes in still gets me.
https://youtu.be/YCYaALgW80cReport
Oooh I like that a lot – but then again I’m inclined to like anything that came from an album called “Hormonally Yours”.
I have to think on the subtext of that video a little more. It speaks to me somehow.Report
Heavy metal is great for this. Metallica’s “The Thing That Should Not Be” and “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” are both excellent songs with creepy Halloween vibes.
https://youtu.be/bYJGt67Mwmo
https://youtu.be/V6Dfo4zDduI
Or there’s Ghost, a band that combines pop, heavy metal, and a touch of Satan. Listen to Ghost.Report
I deliberately shied away from Metallica because I do feel they get a fair amount of holiday play but yes they should definitely be included. Thanks.
Checking out Ghost now…if I’m not back in an hour, don’t come after me, that’s like the first rule of surviving Halloween music articles.Report
Yeah–my choices are kind of captain obvious–but i wasn’t sure about OTer’s heavy metal knowledge.Report
No not at all that’s what I was hoping would happen. Everyone chime in to share their faves, off the beaten path or on. I really appreciate your input!Report
Iron Maiden had a lot of good songs that had kinda spooky lyrics, even if the music was not creepy as such.Report
that was perfect coffee break music! Thank you!!Report
Ghost’s “Square Hammer” absolutely rocks socks.Report
Prequelleis their latest album and it’s really really good.Report
that was indeed quite awesome. Thanks Jason and Sam!Report
My go to for years has been Pink Floyd’s A Saucerful of Secrets looped on the stereo until the trick or treaters stop coming.
https://youtu.be/S7RL1F7hqRcReport
Nice! Thanks for sharing!! I’ve heard that before but never knew what it was.Report
Because it is far too awesome not to post; Dr Seuss’ Red Right Hand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxqV2COiHJgReport
That’s brilliant, thanks!Report
It is of course totally on the beaten path, but my longtime Hallowe’en favorite (and favorite generally) is TV on the Radio’s Wolf Like Me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1-xRk6llh4
gets at a lot of what I like about the werewolf genre.Report
Hey, it was new to me! Really enjoyed it. Thanks so much for sharing.Report
So one from my German days that registers on the creepy meter. This actually got to be a big enough hit they did an English version as well, but the German, especially the fill of the angry little kid counting in it, really makes this. It’s roughly a take on “hide and seek” with the chorus loosely translatable to what American children would say “ready or not, here I come”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuLPJg2gwjQReport
Ooh that is creepy, I love it!
The video reminds me of Skrillex’ “First of the Year (Equinox)” which is actually so scary and disturbing that I declined to include it in this article and should contain about every trigger warning that’s ever been put onto something. I hesitate to even post the link but for those who are up for an advanced placement scaring and have no triggers it’s here https://youtu.be/2cXDgFwE13gReport
Love Skrillex, I’ve snuck him into the links a time or two, so put that in anytimeReport
Some techno that is rather spooky, and rather more so if you understand German.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIt7qAL19Bg
Another blast from the past
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbMQFvW2CEgReport
Ooh that is scary! I love it, thanks!Report
One of my all time favorites of course I love anything Bauhaus or Peter Murphy has done
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skXn7jhXc5w&w=560&h=315%5DReport
Very much a classic!Report
Ah, I’ve been getting this suggested to me for years by Youtube and I never took the plunge! It’s great! Thank you! (PS love your avatar!)Report
Left a gimungous bowl of candy on the front porch with a small sign that said:
“Please take one. (If you are extra cute or extra scary or extra whatever it is that Superheroes or Star Wars characters are, you can take two.)”
I came home to a bowl that I don’t know whether or not it has even been touched.
Got a call from my mother-in-law a few moments ago and she told me that my brother-in-law did something similar so he could take his kiddo out around the block and, when he came home, not only was the candy gone, but the bowl was too.
While the idea of someone stealing all of the candy irritates me, it’s a risk that I knew I was willing to take when I left the bowl on the front porch.
But stealing the bowl too?
Man. That’s *LOW*.Report
We moved to one of “those” neighborhoods, the ones that all the parents take the kids to for a nice night. I two hours we have gone through 6-7 bags of candy. Groups of kids, families it looks like, very polite and happy to pet my dog. It has been a very nice night.Report
Bug was super excited to go, but some of our neighbors went a bit overboard for Bug. He came home early, changed into his puppy dog footie jammies, and helped Dad hand out candy all night.
I heard more teenage girls say, “Oh My God, he’s just SOOO cute!”…Report
Governor Jerry Brown handing out treats outside the governor’s mansion yesterday. I think the criteria for choosing a Democratic presidential candidate for 2020 should include “Have you handed Halloween candy out to kids at least once in the last five years?”Report
Ronald Ziegler pretends to be Richard Nixon on the twitters and every year he tweets something like this for Halloween:
All costumed children who visit the Nixon home between 6 and 10 p.m. on October 31 will receive a candy bar of their choice, a can of soda, and a signed card. – RZ
I shouldn’t find that half as charming as I do.Report
I hope they got a huge stomachache. :/Report
Welp. Halloween’s over.
Who wants to talk about “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”?Report
Hey, I still LOVE spooky scary music and anyone sitting on a contribution should still chime in.Report
Late to the party, but this is an old favorite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtEpqlrwX5cReport
That’s fun. Thanks for sharing.Report