It's tough to find a great Halloween playlist. We've all been there, sifting through Spotify playlists, trying to find something deeper than the same old Thriller/Ghostbusters/Monster Mash fare. You might come across some vintage novelty tunes that sound like they belong at a kids' party or a playlist of pop songs that are ostensibly about Halloween but don't sound like Halloween. But nothing that really scratches the itch of the discerning Halloween devotee. Well, fellow traveler, your search ends here.
The ultimate Halloween playlist spans the gamut of pop music, from rockabilly to hip hop, industrial to classic soul to synth wave, but all the time capturing the dread & ominosity of late October. You'll find clips from horror film soundtracks, classical interludes, & covers of classic tracks, but always with the terror cranked up to 10.
As of October 2023, the playlist features 300 tracks so no matter how versed on the macabre you may be, you're guaranteed to find something new.
Note: Spotify embeds only display the first 100 tracks, so you'll have to open it in Spotify to see all 300.
Disasterpeace - Detroit, clipping., Cam & China - '96 Neve Campbell, VCTRYS - Black Magic Woman, Los Straitjackets - Rockula, Lauren O'Connell - House of the Rising Sun, Federale, Meghann Hegna - Thirsty's Return, Rob Zombie - House of 1000 Corpses, Herschell Gordon Lewis - It's Almost Like Halloween, The Cramps - Fever, Within Destruction - Danse Macabre, The Jim Jones Revue - Eagle Eye Ball, White Zombie - Blood, Milk and Sky, Daniel Johnston - Devil Town, Kendra Morris - Concrete Waves, Kim Petras - Close Your Eyes, Tiny Tim - People Are Strange, SAULT - Monsters, Michael Abels, Luniz, Michael Marshall - I Got 5 On It (Tethered Mix), Gus Black - Don't Fear the Reaper, John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, Daniel Davies - The Shape Hunts Allyson, Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks, Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse, David Lynch - Dark Night of the Soul, Ramones - Pet Sematary, Johnny Cash - Ain't No Grave, Dead Man's Bones - Werewolf Heart, Timber Timbre - Bad Ritual, Talking Heads - Psycho Killer, Southern Culture on the Skids - Undertaker, Heavy Trash - Pimento, Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein - Soldiers, Tom Waits - Little Drop of Poison, The Rolling Stones - Living In A Ghost Town, Rob Zombie, the Ghastly Ones - Halloween (She's So Mean), Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs - Lil' Red Riding Hood, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Tony Cohen - Red Right Hand, Lana Del Ray - Season of the Witch, AC/DC - Night Prowler, Umberto - Black Candles, Pixies - Where Is My Mind?, SQURL, Madeline Follin - Funnel of Love, The Cure - Lullaby, Robyn Hitchcock - Creeped Out, Echo & the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon, Messer Chups - Agent Horrifica, Priest - History in Black, Kip Tyler - She's My Witch, The Coasters - The Shadow Knows, Grinderman - Worm Tamer, Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), Jeff Alexander, Alfred Hitchcock - The Hour Of Parting, Black Flamingos -Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Television - Marquee Moon, Squrl - The Dead Don't Die, Rayland Baxter - Bad Things, Bernard Herrmann & the Philharmonic Orchestra - The Murder, Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hell, Kim Petras - Massacre, The Jim Jones Revue - Killin' Spree, Dan Auerbach - The Prowl, John Carpenter - The Fog, Morricone Youth - Barber Twist, The Ventures, Kevin Reeves, Ron Furmanek - The Twilight Zone, Santo & Johnny - Sleep Walk, The Zombies - She's Not There, Demented Scumcats - Splatter Baby, Johann Johannsson - Forging the Beast, Black Sabbath - The Wizard, Sionia Caves - Sentionauts II, French Camp - Day of the Dead, T. Hardy Morris - Scare Easy, Memphis Minnie - Haunted House, Fabio Frizzi - Unreal Sounds, The Ghastly Ones - Spookmaster, White Zombie - Children of the Grave, Apollo 100, Tom Parker - Mad Mountain King (Hall of the Mountain King), The Rolling Stones - Paint It, Black, Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These), Disasterpeace -Title, The Cramps - I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Cake - Strangers In the Night, Tony & the Monstrosities - Igor's Party, The Meteors - Psychobilly Stomp (The Real McCoy), Wojciech Golczewski - She Comes, Mountain Witch - The Dead Won't Sleep, Fleetwood Mac -Black Magic Woman, Magic Wands - Black Magic, Squrl - Streets of Detroit, Terrortron - Hexed, Dex Romweber Duo - Weird (Aurora Borealis), Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare, The 5.6.7.'s - Harlem Nocturne, Henry Mancini - Experiment in Terror, Los Straitjackets -"The Munsters" theme, The Spectres - Hell-Bent, The Gifted - Southbound, Tom Jones - Evil, Bernard Herrmann - Failed Search, Link Wray - Rumble, BurningTapes - Rise!, Ennio Morricone, Charlotte Kinder, the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra - The Heretic - Regan's Theme, David Lynch, Alan R. Splet - In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song), Dead Man's Bones - Lose Your Soul, Kim Petras - Wrong Turn, Makeup and Vanity Set - No Survivors, Curtis Harding - Ghost of You, Southern Culture on the Skids - Tingler Blues, the Gifted - Southbound, UNKLE, Thom Yorke - Rabbit In Your Headlights, Stonefield - Dead Alive, Kay Starr - Headless Horseman, Richard Rome - Ghost a Go Go, Carpenter Brut - Le perv, the Black Keys - Howlin' For You, the Ventures - Fear, Blue Oyster Cult - (Don't Fear) the Reaper, Bat For Lashes - What's A Girl To Do?, Kreeps - Voodoo Walk, Piney Gir - My Halloween, Harry Belafonte - Jump in the Line, Daniel Davies - Shadows Alive, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - 666 Conducer, the Stooges - Down the Street, the Moon-Rays - Blues For Vampira, Goblin - Suspiria, Danzig - Bodies, John Carpenter - Night, Classics IV - Spooky, Los Straitjackets - It's Monster Surfing Time, Chuck Mead - Evil Wind, Richard Swift - Drakula (Hey Man!), Pilotpriest - Silver Bullet, Mildred Bailey & Her Orchestra - the Little Man Who Wasn't There, Phantom Planet - Raise the Dead, the Vettes - Devil Driver's Theme, the Doors - People Are Strange, Angelo Badalamenti - the Pink Room, Little Nell, Patricia Quinn, Richard O'Brien - Time Warp, Vic Mizzy and His Orchestra and Chorus - Uncle Fester's Blues, Demented Are Go - Shadow Crypt, Tom Waits - Black Wings, Terrortron - Orgy of the Vampires, the Hives - I'm Alive, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Bag of Bones, Jack Marshall - the Ghoul, John Carpenter - Escape From New York (Christine remix), People's Blues of Richmond - Black Cat, CHVRCHES, John Carpenter - Good Girls (John Carpenter remix), Sneaker Pimps - Small Town Witch, Nightcrawler, Christian Bergagna - Nation of Trash, Kim Petras - Everybody Dies, NOTLD audioclip (P, D) - "They're Just Dead Flesh... and Dangerous", Mark Lanegan - The Gravedigger's Song, K.Flay - Blood In The Cut, Jesse Jo Stark - Fire of Love, Muse - You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween, Bat For Lashes - Vampires, DILLY DALLY - Sober Motel, Benjamin Wallfisch - Every 27 Years - Reprise, White Zombie - Super Charger Heaven, Pdxsanderson Sisters - Come Little Children, Orville Peck - Dead of Night, John 5 - Three Sisters, Danger Mouse - Two Against One (feat. Jack White), The Midnight - The Stranger, Kim Petras - Turn Off The Light, The Greenhornes - There Is An End, CZARFACE - Phantoms, Lena Platonos - Bloody Shadows from Afar, Charles Bernstein - Horror Movie, CHVRCHES - Cry Little Sister, The Smashing Pumpkins - The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning, Thom Yorke - Open Again, The Rubens - I'll Surely Die, Mark Korven - Main Title, Corey Hart - Sunglasses At Night (Jean Jacket Mix), REI AMI - RUNAWAY, The Vampires Of Dartmoore - Frankenstein Greets Alpha 7, Machines Of Loving Grace - Golgotha Tenement Blues, Joseph Trapanese - Are You Afraid of the Dark Opening Theme, Norma Tanega - You're Dead, Goblin - Amo non amo, Birdbrain - Youth of America, King Plague - Devils, Invadable Harmony - The Death Lurker, Chelsea Wolfe - Oui Oui Marie, Dance With the Dead - Riser, Peter Gabriel - Intruder, Putney Dandridge - The Skeleton In The Closet, Messer Chups - Harlem Nocturne, Hunter As a Horse - The Passenger, François de Roubaix - Les dunes d'ostende, Anika - End Of The World, Wojciech Golczewski - Sup Dad, Black Moth Super Rainbow - I Think I'm Evil, Jason Crest - Black Mass, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Waiting for Blood, Cults - Always Forever, Kim Petras - Running Up That Hill, PJ Harvey - Down By The Water, Peter Gundry - When Darkness Spoke, Robert Cobert - Dracula End Title, Jesse Jo Stark - Rot Away, Golden Earring - Twilight Zone - Single Version, Widowspeak - Harsh Realm, Philip Glass - Helen's Theme, Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face, Justice - Phantom Pt II, Gary Jules - Mad World, Camille Saint-Saëns - Danse macabre, Witch - Sweet Sue, Peggy Lee - Me And My Shadow, Marie Laforêt - Paint It Black, Blue Foundation - Eyes on Fire, Zeuss - Lily / Toccata and Fugue In D Minor, Badwoods - Black Magic, Sinoia Caves - Forever Dilating Eye, Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker, Alice Cooper - I Love the Dead, Cults - Bad Things, Haroula Rose - Lavender Moon, Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath, Os Mutantes - Ave, Lúcifer, MX80 - Theme From Sisters, Krzysztof Komeda - Main Title, Vince Guaraldi - Graveyard Theme, Phoebe Bridgers - Halloween, Lera Lynn - Wolf Like Me ft. Shovels & Rope, Ennio Morricone - Dies irae psichedelico, Graveyard Club - Witchcraft, Jon Spencer & the HITmakers - The Devil's Ice Age, Jim Jones All Stars - It's Your Voodoo Working, Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells, The Primitives - The Witch, Michael Andrews - Slipping Away, Jim Stafford - Swamp Witch, Nine Inch Nails - 08 Ghosts I, Alexandra Savior - Howl, The Shacks - Strange Boy, John Carpenter - Laurie's Theme, Holly Golightly - Satan Is His Name, Jad & David Fair - Werewolf, Jodie Foster - La Vie C'est Chouette, Slothrust - The Next Curse, J.J. Cale - Don't Go To Strangers, Tom Waits - Sins of My Father, Radiohead - Burn the Witch, Deftones - Digital Bath, Giant Drag - Wicked Game, My Morning Jacket - Highly Suspicious, Margo Guryan - I'd Like to See the Bad Guys Win, Nora Keyes - Tomb Song, Blood Red Shoes - MORBID FASCINATION, The Hives - Rigor Mortis Radio, LA MECANICA POPULAR - Noche triler, Heartless Bastards - The Mountain, Mazzy Star - Ghost Highway, The Films - Bodybag, Angelo Badalamenti - I'm Hurt Bad, Anya Taylor-Joy - Downtown - Downtempo, Band Of Skulls - Black Magic, Riz Ortolani - Cannibal Holocaust, Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs - Devil Do, 22-20s - Devil In Me, Daniel Deluxe - Darkness, The Sadies - Wolf Tones, Windows to Sky - Hitchhiking Ghosts, Fabienne DelSol - I'm Gonna Haunt You, Steelism - The Spook, Cherry Glazerr - Trick or Treat Dancefloor, Spindrift - Speak To The Wind, The Poppy Family - Where Evil Grows, The Orwells - Halloween All Year, The Neighbourhood - Devil's Advocate, Disasterpeace - Red Red Red, Johnny Goth - Burn Out, Marsheaux - Eyes Without a Face, Rafferty - Mausoleum, The Black Angels - Bad Vibrations, Leonard Cohen - Avalanche, Chris Isaak - Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing, Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain, Jad & David Fair - Sasquatch, E.K. Wimmer - The Hearse Song, The Secret Sisters - Water Witch, Broadcast - The Equestrian Vortex, Eels - Teenage Witch, Tyler, The Creator - NEW MAGIC WAND, Dianna Lopez - Euphoria, BurningTapes - Labyrinthine, Gary Numan - Trois Gymnopedies (First Movement), Creedence Clearwater Revival - Sinister Purpose, Low - Half Light, Colin Stetson - Hail, Paemon!, La Luz - Floating Features, Tom Waits - What's He Building?, Jon Spencer - Ghost, Exuma - Mama Loi, Papa Loi, Luna - Season of the Witch, Hurray For The Riff Raff - Hungry Ghost, M. Ward - Dead Man