Let’s dress up and enjoy some great Halloween tracks. Here is a selection of essential to any Halloween tunes.
The Edgar Winter Group – Frankenstein
An Instrumental rock piece from the early 70’s… what’s that got to do with Halloween? Nothing specifically, but those monster guitar riffs add to the horror-like image the track title suggests. It’s just a great track with tantalising synth and sax solos, it’s perfect to get you into a musical mood.
Alice Cooper – Feed My Frankenstein
There are plenty of names that are associated with horror-rock, but I don’t think anyone does it better than Alice Cooper. There’s a huge discography to choose from that fit Halloween themes, but I think this explosive rock piece seen in Wayne’s World suits the gruesome and dark nature of Halloween very nicely. I also think Cooper’s vocal delivery on this track is hauntingly good.
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – I Put A Spell On You
Here’s a song that’s been covered and re-done many times including Nina Simone’s brilliant cover and Bette Midler’s groovy version in the Disney movie Hocus Pocus. Personally, I think the erratic vocal delivery from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins in the original version is both unsettling, enticing and well expressed. You really do feel like Screamin’ Jay will put a spell on you as he wails out throughout the track.
The Specials – Ghost Town
As soon as you hear that brass delivery in the intro you’re transported to the music video as the band explore the ‘ghost town’. The brass instrumentation for me sets the spooky chill of the track’s theme and furthermore the vocal wailing provides an uneasy mood. Add some organ-style keyboards into the mix and you have a great ska-Halloween track.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – A Nightmare On My Street
Hip-Hop meets Nightmare On Elm Street in this funky and beat-layered piece by Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff. Smith narrates his dream of Freddy Krueger attacking him which like the movies winds up not being a dream, all Krueger wants to do is be a part of their crew, is that too much to ask? The remix of the movie’s theme fits so well with the drum beats, it’s a real gem.
Johann Sebastian Bach – Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
You might be thinking, what’s a classical piece of music doing here? All I can say is, press play and you’ll hear one of the most notable pieces to be connected with horror. Those organ notes send chills down my spine every time I hear them.
It’s a track that gets thrown around in a lot of horror/Halloween movies such as The Conjuring, Paranorman & Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. The chorus is so catchy and I think in the horror world it makes the same intro impact that All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix does in its movie features.
Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me
What is a Halloween playlist without this Rockwell classic? The chorus features Micahel Jackson as well as further vocal contributions from Jermaine Jackson. This track which is basically what we all know Rockwell for is catchy with grooving synths and the eerie subject matter of being watched which is the theme for a vast amount of horror movies. The track was later covered by Beatfreakz who added their own horror-visual spin.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack
It would be hard for me to choose just one track from this brilliant musical which spawned the infamous ‘Time Warp’ number. The album which features contributions from the likes of Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon is packed full of hard-rock and cheesy pop numbers that take place throughout the movie. Rocky Horror takes a huge influence from classic science fiction movies and is a must watch/listen every Halloween!
The Nightmare Before Christmas – This Is Halloween (Danny Elfman)
Is it a Halloween movie? Is it a Christmas movie? I think it’s both so watch it in October, December or whenever because the music and film are great. ‘This Is Halloween’ is the opening number to The Nightmare Before Christmas and builds on the Halloween Town themes and nods to all kinds of horror history. It’s a welcoming introduction to the film and a great opener for your playlist to get you into the Halloween spirit.