Don’t get me wrong, songs like Monster Mash, Ghostbusters, and Thriller are all good spooky Halloween songs. They’re classics for the holiday. However, if you’re looking for new songs to spook up your playlists, or to enhance your Halloween spirit with some fresh tracks, look no further. Here I’ll be highlighting some fun, spooky, dark and catchy songs that should be on your Halloween playlists but probably aren’t already. With a mix of metal, classical, ambient, and pop, this playlist has something for everyone to enjoy this spooky season.
If you want my full Halloween Playlist, check it out HERE.
If you’re looking for a more seasonal, Fall vibe, check out my previous article HERE.
Halloween – AFI
Punk (1999)
If I wanted to, I could put the entire four song EP on this list. The EP is called “All Hallows EP” after all. I hold this EP in a special place close to my heart. This band was one of the gateway bands into harder music and harsher vocals. They also are the main band I link to fall and Halloween, probably because of this EP and the other album they released the same year, “The Art of Drowning”.
There is a fall sound to the EP, the lyrics, especially in the track Halloween, are littered with images about the season, and even the cover art is iconic and screams Halloween. The song itself is only about 2 minutes, but the other half is scary ambience music that sounds like it would be played at a haunted house. It adds a spookiness as another layer to the song. What a better way to start off this list than a song named after the holiday that this list is all about.
Fear of the Dark – Iron Maiden
Metal (1992)
Arguably my favorite Iron Maiden song, this track has a spooky and Halloween vibe. The album covers and the song title alone all scream “scary” and “fall.” Powerful singing and enchanting guitar chords make this a unique and overall great song. There are no real harsh vocals or screaming that usually turns listeners off from metal. Furthermore, the guitar solos are more emotional, melodic and controlled rather than heavy. The lyrics scream Halloween and a spooky fall evening. Thus, making this track more of a Halloween vibe than an Autumn vibe, but Halloween is in the fall season so there will be some overlap between the two playlists and vibes.
Werewolf – Motionless In White
Metalcore, (2022)
Taking inspiration from 80’s dance pop and electronic music, this track is unique for what seems like a simple song. Halloween hits like “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell and “Thriller” by Michael Jackson are heavy inspiration from this song. The lyrics, the electronic synths and the red jackets in the music video are all pointing to these two hits. However, this song builds on those songs and makes it a modern day version of these songs with a gothic flare. It’s catchy, it’s fun and it fits perfectly into the season.
Similar to a lot of the other bands, this band has a lot of songs that could be considered Halloween hits. For example, Undead Ahead 1 & 2, Whatever You Do… Don’t Push The Red Button, and We Only Come Out At Night. It makes sense for so many of this bands songs to be Halloween-esk because of their gothic and spooky inspirations.
Love You to Death – Type O Negative
Gothic Metal (1996)
This seven-minute serenade does not have too many lyrics for how long the song is. Regardless of the lyrics, the vocals of Peter Steele start very deep and low, but crescendos as the song escalates into higher-pitched notes. While this is more of a love song, the gothic metal feel from the slow guitars and deep voice makes this a great fall song. It isn’t a leaves changing color feel, more of a dark evening with candles and a gothic feel.
Witching Hour – In This Moment
Alternative Metal (2017)
The band In This Moment really started to find their sound in 2012 with their album Blood. They kept evolving and growing into their sound and by 2017 with their album Ritual, they were a spooky, catchy and theatrical band. This whole album has a haunting sound to it, but this track’s main theme is the “witching hour.” This term is used to describe the time at night, usually 3 AM, where supernatural events are more likely to take place.
I like many other songs on this album more, such as Joan of Arc, Roots and Lay Your Gun Down as I feel like they have more character to them. However, the most haunting track on this album is Witching Hour. However, you can’t go wrong with spooky songs from this album as this was their biggest jump into their current sound and style.
Lead singer, Maria Brink, a metal icon, is one of my favorite vocalists in metal and music overall. She brings lots of emotions and I love her energy and sound, from her strong singing and powerful screams. I am sad to see them steer away from the fantasy world of their 2008 release, The Dream, but I still love their current work, even though they took a more haunting and dark approach to their music.
Tarantula – Bob Schnieder
Alternative Americana, Funk (2009)
When it comes to how people get their music taste, a big influence is from their parents. I can thank my dad for showing me this track (and many others). With a fun blend of genre’s, this song tells a tale of a man falling for a woman who had this hypnotic and enchanting dance, a Tarantula Dance. The lyrics of this song suggest spooky themes like “potions and magic spells,” making it a fun and unique dance song for Halloween. The sound alone from this song doesn’t scream Halloween, but it’s really the lyrics that make it onto this list. Overall, its fun to spice up the sound of the playlist, otherwise there would be too many dark, haunting and heavy picks. And this song’s sound is a fresh and fun breathe for your Halloween playlists.
Monstrance Clock – Ghost
Hard Rock, Alternative Metal (2013)
Ghost was previously seen on the “10 Essential Fall Songs: Autumn Vibes for Your Playlists.” This track showcases their earlier, more eerie work. With organs, big drums and them not hiding their themes as much, this is a great Halloween track. As the band evolved, they leaned into a more pop rock sound, finding inspiration from the 80’s. I like their new modern sound, but to hear the creepy choir with the organ as the only instrument towards the end of the song is *chef’s kiss*.
It’s perfectly Halloween-y, and so are tracks like Crucified, Year Zero, and Secular Haze. I was tempted to write about Ritual, as it also has a creepy rock vibe, almost like a lite Rob Zombie. However, I went with the less popular pick to shine light on a song and give it the attention it deserves. Overall, Ritual sounds a bit more pop-ish and mainstream. It has a great guitar solo and should be in your Halloween playlists. However, if you had to listen to only one Ghost song for Halloween, I’d chose Monstrance Clock.
Stabbing In The Dark – Ice Nine Kills
Metalcore (2018)
What I said about Motionless In White is also true for this band, Ice Nine Kills. A majority of their songs are about top horror movies. It’s a very specific niche and topic, but a lot of horror movie fans also like metal so the combination works well.
I chose this song specifically because this song is all about the horror film “Halloween.” To have such a great film, one of the best Halloween films ever, as the main theme of a song makes it a perfect choice for the season. The song directly takes quotes and music from the film and mixes it in the song to create a heavy song perfect for Halloween. The band always finds unique and fresh ways to make the song really capture the movie’s atmosphere and themes, without making the song corny.
Poison Tree – Grouper
Ambient, Gloomcore (2008)
This last song isn’t your typical song. It isn’t a track you’d play on aux for people, or at a party for others. I listen to this song and artists more when I’m reading or writing. It’s a great ambience and tone setter, without taking away or distracting from what you might be doing. It’s great for reading horror/Halloween books as it sets a creepy tone, but still let’s what you’re reading shine. The haunting, monotone and repetitive lyrics mixed with the background noise makes for a good Halloween mood setter.
Friday the 13th – $uicideboy$
Hip-hop, Dark Trap (2014)
The $uicideboy$ are used to darker lyrics and beats, but this one fits perfectly for Halloween. There is the obvious allusion to the hit horror film, Friday the 13th, as they both share the same title. There also is a lot of horror imagery or items linked to Halloween like scarecrows in the lyrics. Mixed with one of their “darker” beats makes it a good rap Halloween song. There’s not a lot in the genre that really fit into the Halloween vibe, but this track is an outlier.
About The Author
