Halloween is Sunday. Halloween parties will be happening this weekend. I didn't post an Ultimate Halloween playlist last year because (probably, hopefully) no one was having Halloween parties, but this year, most of us (probably, hopefully) are vaccinated, and while perhaps things aren't quite fully in swing, maybe you're still having some people over to celebrate the day on which the earthly world and spirit world are one. Call me a classic pagan high priest who enjoys a good summoning -- or a bad one! -- but Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year.
As I've done in years' past, I'm giving you the tools you need to make your Halloween party a blinding success. I have added 24 more songs to the list this year -- because that's the number of songs the charismatic new pastor at St. Patrick's on Crockett Island told me to add, as it's the number of hours in a day, double the number of Christ's apostles, and his favorite Kiefer Sutherland action TV show -- compiling the best songs for you to use either at a Halloween party to set the mood right or in the background on Halloween night, when you're dressed like Bev Keane, passing out cups of rat poison to passersby with a self-righteous grin on your face while telling them to trust in the Lord and they will receive eternal life.
Halloween is the one time of year when it's okay to embrace evil. At any Halloween party or during trick-or-treating, you want there to be a certain level of creepiness, as well as some campiness, because Halloween is supposed to be a mixture of paganism, macabre, and fun. As a result, the playlist below includes songs that have dark and evil themes, talk about monsters or the devil or witches or the like, mention the word "Halloween," or are just plain creepy. My mix has a lot of heavy metal, but that's kind of expected, since metal bands are more likely to embrace darker subject matter than, say, Sean Mendes. That said, it's all pretty palatable, even to those ears that might not be used to wailing guitars and double bass drums.
As always, you don't want to go too dark, like, say, Norwegian black metal, because you're going to lose your party-goers, or the neighbors are going to think you're really into church burning. And if you are into church burning, you're probably not going to want to tip the neighbors off by blaring Borknagar out your front door while handing their children black and orange Molotov cocktails (you have to be festive).
For parties, you'll probably want to mix these songs in with your regular party mix. After all, who doesn't want to hear "Feed My Frankenstein" after "Wonder"? For trick or treating, you're probably going to want to just go straight spooky, which probably means a heavy dose of Ghost, Pentagram, Misfits, and Black Sabbath. Just make sure the songs you choose for trick or treating don't have any swears in them. Parents can be real assholes about that.
With that, here are my recommendations for your Halloween playlist, in alphabetical order by artist, with comments where I felt it was necessary. For your sake and the safety of your offspring, I suggest you add at least some of these to your Halloween party playlist, lest you'll get a midnight visit from Monsignor Pruitt.
1-4. "Highway to Hell," "Hells Bells," "Night Prowler," and "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" by AC/DC
"Highway to Hell" is an obvious choice and a crowd pleaser. "Hells Bells" has those instantly recognizable bells -- hells bells, if you will. "Night Prowler" is a slower, creepy song that, several years later, serial killer Richard Ramirez (aka, "the Night Stalker") claimed inspired him, or something like that. "If You Want Blood" was added solely to appease Countess Bathory.
5. "Them Bones" by Alice in Chains
6. "Demon Eyes" by The Answer
7. "Zombie Graveyard Party!" by Be Your Own Pet
8. "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles
This should be played just before or after "Look At Your Game, Girl" by Charles Manson.
9. "Howling for You" by The Black Keys
10-14. "Black Sabbath," "War Pigs," "The Wizard," "Children of the Grave," and "Heaven and Hell" by Black Sabbath
"Black Sabbath" was inspired by a vision Geezer Butler had one night after reading a book about witchcraft that Ozzy Osbourne gave to him. He woke up in the middle of the night, and a black figure was standing at the foot of his bed. The figure disappeared, and when Butler went to get the book, it too was gone. "War Pigs" is about war, death, and bodies burning. "The Wizard" is about a wizard. "Children of the Grave" is about zombabies, presumably. "Heaven and Hell" is the title track from the first Sabbath album with Ronnie James Dio as the lead singer, and it is awesome.
15. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult
But do fear sprouts because the consumption of raw sprouts may result in an increased risk of foodbourne illness, such as salmonella or e-coli.
16. "D.O.A." by Bloodrock
17-18. "We Are The Dead" and "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" by David Bowie
19. "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow
20. "Howl" by JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound
21. "Satan Is My Motor" by Cake
22. "Halloween Theme" by John Carpenter
Instantly recognizable as one of the more creepy horror movie themes.
23. "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash
24. "The Night Time is the Right Time" by Ray Charles
Baybaaaaayyyy!
25. "Spooky" by The Classics IV
26-27. "I Love The Dead" and "Feed My Frankenstein" by Alice Cooper
28. "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" by The Cramps
I wasn't.
29. "Zombie" by The Cranberries
30. "The Crypt Jam" by The Crypt Keeper
This song is ridiculous, but a light-hearted Halloween option.
31. "Am I Demon" by Danzig
No, no I'm not.
32. "One Way Ticket" by The Darkness
You see, it's a one way ticket to hell. And back.
33. "Demon's Eye" by Deep Purple
34. "Am I Evil?" by Diamond Head
"Yes I am."
35. "A Nightmare on My Street" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
This is a classic late '80s rap song, playing off of the popularity of Freddy Krueger, who, for many of us growing up in the '80s, was the most terrifying of all the horror movie villains. I should also note that I did, in fact, perform this with a friend for our elementary school talent show in fifth grade. I was Freddy. It was pretty awesome.
36. "Dream Warriors" by Dokken
Speaking of Freddy, this was the title track to Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
37. "Season of the Witch" by Donovan
38-39. "The End" and "People Are Strange" by The Doors
"The End" is one of the creepier Doors songs, which says a lot.
40. "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran
41. "Murder On the Dancefloor" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor
In case you're spiking your M&Ms with molly.
42. "I Walked With a Zombie" by Roky Erickson
43. "Zombie Eaters" by Faith No More
44. "Trick or Treat" by Fastway
'80s metal band Fastway played the soundtrack to the 1986 the metal-themed horror film Trick or Treat. This is the title song.
45. "Satan Is My Master" by Ben Folds Five
46. "Kiss Me Deadly" by Lita Ford
47. "Close My Eyes Forever" by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne
48. "Evil and a Heathen" by Franz Ferdinand
49. "Halloween Blues" by The Fratellis
50-57. "Monstrance Clock," "Year Zero," "Stand by Him," "If You Have Ghosts," "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen," "Cirice," "Nocturnal Me," and "Rats" by Ghost
"Monstrance Clock" is about conceiving "Lucifer's son," and "Year Zero" is about Satan in general and has a nice gothic feel to it. "Stand by Him" is about "the night of the witch," which is, in fact, tonight. "If You Have Ghosts" is a Roky Erickson cover about having ghosts. "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen" is about Ghuleh and a zombie queen. "Cirice" is a sold song about souls merging. "Nocturnal Me" is about you, assuming you're nocturnal. "Rats" is mostly about rats. To be honest, I would suggest just including all songs from Ghost's four albums and three EPs -- Opus Eponymous, Infestissumam, If You Have Ghost, Meloria, Popestar, Prequelle, and Seven Inches of Satanic Panic -- especially if you're looking for trick-or-treating background music. They are demonic in a polite Swedish way.
58. "Friend of the Devil" by Grateful Dead
59. "Clap for The Wolfman" by The Guess Who
60. "Maneater" by Hall & Oates
61. "Hallow's Eve" by Hallows Eve
62-63. "Halloween" and "Mr. Torture" by Helloween
German power metal band Helloween obviously has the right name for a Halloween mix, and their song "Halloween" is included for obvious reasons. I also chose to go with "Mr. Torture" because I like the song. So there.
64. "Friendly Ghost" by Harlem
This one's a little more light-hearted, to offset the vast majority of this list.
65. "I Put a Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
I prefer the original to CCR's cover (which is still very good) because Hawkins adds a level of voodoo campiness that CCR just couldn't have matched.
66. "Magic Man" by Heart
67. "I Ain't Superstitious" by Howlin' Wolf
68. "Devil Inside" by INXS
69-72. "Killers," "Murders in the Rue Morgue," "Number of the Beast," and "Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden
It was tough figuring out just one Iron Maiden song to include, so I went with three. The first two are from 1981's Killers album: "Killers," which is essentially about someone being stalked and murdered, and "Murders in the Rue Morgue," which is not only my favorite Iron Maiden song, but is also based on short story by Edgar Allen Poe of the same name. The third, "Number of the Beast," is a metal classic off of the 1982 album of the same name. Because of this song, my children know that 666 is the number of the beast.
73. "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
This is a no-brainer and should be played at every Halloween party for eternity.
74. "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane
This is especially good if your partygoers are all on LSD.
75. "Devil's Child" by Judas Priest
76. "I'm Your Boogie Man" by KC & The Sunshine Band
77. "Halloween" by King Diamond
78. "Hotter Than Hell" by KISS
79. "Pretend We're Dead" by L7
80. "Vampire" by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
81. "Heeby-Jeebies" by Little Richard
82. "Look at Your Game, Girl" by Charles Manson
Recorded when Manson was still trying to break into the LA music scene and before he started ordering his minions to murder movie stars and grocery store owners, this song comes across as an innocent folky acoustic song. Then you realize it's sung by Charles Manson, and it becomes super creepy.
83. "Evil Love" by Meat Puppets
84-85. "Fade to Black" and "Creeping Death" by Metallica
86. "(Every Day Is) Halloween" by Ministry
I wish.
87-90. "Halloween," "Death Comes Ripping," "Mommy, Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight," and "Bloodfeast" by The Misfits
91. "Shout at the Devil" by Mötley Crüe
92-93. "Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "I'm Your Witch Doctor" by Motörhead
94. "Dead!" by My Chemical Romance
95. "Frankenstein" by New York Dolls
96. "Spiderwebs" by No Doubt
97. "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo
98. "Tubular Bells (Theme from The Exorcist)" by Mike Oldfield
99. "Running Scared" by Roy Orbison
100. "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff
101-103. "Mr. Crowley," "Bark at the Moon," and "Zombie Stomp" by Ozzy Osbourne
104. "Dracula's Wedding" by Outkast
105. "Cemetery Gates" by Pantera
106. "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr.
107. "Satan's Bed" by Pearl Jam
108. "Sign of the Wolf (Pentagram)" by Pentagram
Doom metal pioneers Pentagram have a good number of hard-rocking creepy songs, but this one is probably the most relevant to Halloween.
109. "Zombie Zoo" by Tom Petty
110. "Wolfman's Brother" by Phish
111. "The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt Kickers
This is a classic Halloween song that should be played at least once at every Halloween party.
112-113. "Fallen Angel" and "Flesh and Blood (Sacrifice)" by Poison
114. "Halloween" by Matt Pond PA
115. "We Drink Your Blood" by Powerwolf
116. "(You're The) Devil in Disguise" by Elvis Presley
117. "Going to Hell" by The Pretty Reckless
118. "Gates of Babylon" by Rainbow
The song is about sleeping with the devil. And then paying for sleeping with the devil. Probably because the devil gave you the clap.
119. "Halloween Parade" by Lou Reed
120. "Devil Woman" by Cliff Richard
121. "The Time Warp" by The Rocky Horror Picture Show cast
122. "Diablo Rojo" by Rodrigo y Gabriela
123-125. "Sympathy for the Devil," "Dead Flowers," and "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones
126-128. "Soul Sacrifice," "Black Magic Woman" and "Evil Ways" by Santana
129. "Li'l Red Riding Hood" by Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs
130. "Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra
131. "Halloween" by Siouxsie and The Banshees
132-133. "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood" by Slayer
While I would generally recommend steering clear of Slayer at parties, there is no more appropriate time to let it loose than Halloween. And you can always use it as a way to clear people out.
134. "Bullet With Butterfly Wing" by Smashing Pumpkins
It just wouldn't seem right to have a Halloween playlist without a Smashing Pumpkins song on it. I went with this one, not only because it starts by exclaiming -– wrongly, mind you -– that "the world is a vampire," but also because it's an awesome song.
135. "Serial Killa" by Snoop Doggy Dogg
136-137. "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" and "The Witch" by The Sonics
Halloween has room for garage rock, too.
138. "Fell On Black Days" by Soundgarden
139. "Ghost Town" by The Specials
140. "Wicked Garden" by Stone Temple Pilots
141. "To Hell With the Devil" by Stryper
In case you are concerned that your playlist might be a little too devil-heavy, you can balance it out with this '80s Christian hair band classic.
142. "Santeria" by Sublime
143. "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads
"You're crazy!"
"That's what they said about Son of Sam."
144. "Devil's Daughter" by Tax the Heat
145. "See No Evil" by Television
146. "Here Comes the Night" by Them
147. "Killer On the Loose" by Thin Lizzy
148. "Possum Kingdom" by Toadies
149-150. "Demon On Demand" and "Sinister Minister" by Township
151-152. "Running With the Devil" and "D.O.A." by Van Halen
153. "The Black Angel's Death Song" by The Velvet Underground
I have never done acid, but I assume this song is what a bad acid trip would have sounded like in Victorian England.
154. "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" by W.A.S.P.
155. "Burning the Witches" by Warlock
156. "Got My Mojo Working" by Muddy Waters
157. "If My Mind is Evil" by White Lion
158-161. "Death Letter," "Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground," "Little Ghost," and "Walking With a Ghost" by The White Stripes
162. "Boris The Spider" by The Who
163. "Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group
164. "Friends of Hell" by Witchfinder General
165. "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
166. "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon
"I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's / And his hair was perfect." Great line.
167-168. "Dragula" and "Living Dead Girl" by Rob Zombie
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