Halloween is one of my favorite holiday’s and it’s not even close. It’s one of the few holidays we have in the US that is purely about being goofy and having a good spooky time. The problem is, Halloween music as we know it sucks – or so I thought. For decades, the musical leitmotif to my favorite time of the year (and by no coincidence, my birth month) has been the incredibly tired classics: John Carpenter’s Halloween theme, the Ghostbusters theme, and god-forbid the Monster Mash… And I’m not in denial here. Halloween is never going to get the god-tier catalogue that Christmas has… But surely we can get a rotation of spooky-ish songs for October, right?

Be the change you wish to see in the world, brother. I took it upon myself to compile an out-of-the-box playlist that trades all of the stale tunes you’re used to for less obvious, more fun tracks. Some tracks you may have to squint to get the vision, others are much more obvious – but they’re all good songs. And by miracle, they’re somehow actually kind of thematically connected? Like if this playlist was playing at your local dive-bar or coffee shop, you wouldn’t even bat an eye.

Guts, Ghouls, and GooGoo Muck

I admit you have to stretch the limits of what constitutes a spooky season song. I found basically anything regarding horror-esque tropes and then prioritized the song not being annoying which leaves you with a small but workable handful of tracks. You’ll notice a wide range topical relevance from Chuck Berry’s whimsy in “Trick or Treat” to the dark gothic vibe of Bauhaus’ tribute to the OG Dracula in “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”. You will also notice how hard it was to create this playlist without half of it consisting of legendary psychobilly band The Cramps who have exploded in popularity thanks to this iconic scene in Netflix’s mini series Wednesday. In fact, there are quite a few bands who kind of make horror rockabilly their whole schtick but none do it quite as well the OGs.

And look, there’s just no way of avoiding horror film nods in a playlist like this. I believe they still have a place in these types of playlists, especially when the vibe is still a match to the rest. Consider for example the iconic needle drop in Wes Craven’s Scream: Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand. Its a little spooky, thematically about a murderer (I think), and best of all it’s a great nod to all the horror heads out there. Similarly “The Pink Room” is included from the deeply disturbing David Lynch film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. It’s a song that further develops the dread of a scene that I’m pretty sure is an abstract depiction of hell. Again, its a deep cut for those who know.

Without further adieu, I would like to present a Halloween playlist I am actually quite proud of. One that you may actually listen to well outside of October. Here is “Trick or Treat, Baby!”

Epilogue

Submitted for your consideration: A man not unlike you or me who is haunted, year and year again, by the predictable Halloween playlists. One of many that roam aimlessly like hungry ghosts, unsatiated by the cliche, corny soundtracks that are summoned every October in ghastly ritual. It was a breaking point, perhaps a graveyard smash, that tipped him over the edge of insanity. He took matters into his own hands, hoping to unearth deeper sounds… fresh horrors… to fulfill his yearning. But during that search, he missed one crucial point: sometimes it isn’t the music that changes, but the listener.

A tune that’s tough for anyone to sing… especially in… The Kudzu League.

Happy Halloween!