As Halloween approaches, pumpkin spice everything returns to stores and twelve-foot skeletons take center stage on decorated lawns. There’s no better way to establish the mood of the time than with a playlist that fits your scary vibes. Most people have heard The Monster Mash, I Put A Spell On You, and Thriller, all these classic but overplayed songs associated with Halloween, but there’s so many other overlooked songs out there that belong on your curated soundtrack to get you through the spooky season.
Anybody by Dom Fera starts with ghost-like hums that immediately sets the tone for the song and maintains it throughout. It brings on the feeling of walking through a haunted house, where the spirits cling to the shadows and scurry away from the beam of your flashlight. Fera’s sultry singing blends so well with the punchy piano and trumpets that embodies the Hallow’s Eve vibe easily. And to add to its charm, the album cover is a sheet ghost.
Nearly everyone knows Metallica, especially after Stranger Things reignited its popularity, and although Master of Puppets is great, Enter Sandman deserves its own time under the spotlight. It is the perfect song for any metalheads with a love for all things scary, with addictive guitar riffs, solid vocals that will scratch that itch in your brain, and the titular haunting figure Sandman as the center of the song, adding a haunting feeling, especially during the bridge.
If you’re looking for a short and explosive love song with supernatural themes, may I introduce you to Baby You’re A Haunted House. Gerard Way is a master at macabre and intense songs, as seen throughout his entire discography, and although this one stands out against most of his other songs from My Chemical Romance, it’s a great chipper song to add to your repertoire for when you’re dancing in costume at a Halloween party.
all the good girls go to hell starts distant church bells and spine-tingling reverb over Billie Eilish’s sweet and misleading voice, already putting you on edge. Many of Eilish’s songs could be on this list, as they fit the aesthetic of the spooky autumn holiday, but this one in particular evokes that shiver of dread that runs up your arms during a horror movie. It’s the perfect song if you’re trying to embody those awesome final girls who kill the bad guy in the end.
Although Somebody’s Watching Me came out in 1984, it has been trending on TikTok for some time now, a well-deserved revival for a great song. It embodies all the great things people loved from the eighties, like the funky synth, head-bopping bass lines, and of course, the lyrics sung in that exaggerated manner. This song is a staple of Halloween, and should be on everyone’s playlist, no matter if they’re looking for a harrowing or fun vibe for their parties.