85 Halloween Songs

Most so-called “Halloween hits” are really just songs about angst, depression, abuse, suicide and murder. These might be a Goth’s idea of paradise. However, these are also just regular things shown on the news daily. It’s hardly Halloween.

Apparently, Halloween’s true meaning has fallen by the wayside in a society that wants to be all “extreme” and “edgy”. Halloween is not about death and dying. It’s about honoring or celebrating the, already, dead in order to keep them from returning to the living world along with their otherworldly friends. The holiday also demonstrates the consequences of their return.

In the true spirit of Halloween, this list is full of what I consider to be representative of the holiday season. Every song suggestion is reviewed for lyrics as well as sound. All songs are about the paranormal or Halloween items such as costumes, candy, pumpkins and chilling, non-ordinary scares. Cuss-happy lyrics need not apply. While there are plenty of great sad songs out there, this list is a party playlist. Lesley Gore may want to cry at her party but we sure don’t!

Enjoy this list of 85 upbeat, mostly clean (A little gore, euphemisms and minor swears) tunes for your Hallowday season presented by the Old Pumpkin Keeper.

The Old Pumpkin Keeper’s List of Tunes for the Hallowday Season

The Adams Family Theme - Vic Mizzy
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes - (1980 Movie Theme)
Boris The Spider - The Who
Bones - Little Big Town
Brains – Voltaire
Bride of Frankenstein - Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Calling all the Monsters - China Anne McClain
The Candy Man - Sammy Davis Jr. (what's Halloween without candy?)
Casper The Friendly Ghost - Little Richard
Can't Sleep, The Clowns will eat me - Alice Cooper
The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati - Rose & the Arrangement
The Creature From The Black Lagoon - Dave Edmunds
Curse of the Werewolf - Timeless Miracle
Dark Lady – Cher
Day of the Dead – Voltaire
Devil Went Down to Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band
Do the Zombie - Chubby Checker
Don’t Look Now - The Misfits (Jem and the Holograms ep ‘Trick or Techrat’)
Dream Warriors - Dokken (Nightmare on Elm St 3)
Drink With the Living Dead – Ghoultown
The Eggplant That Ate Chicago - Dr. West's Medicine Show & Junk Band
Everyday is Halloween - Ministry
Flying Saucer Attack - Rezillos
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
Ghost in a Bikini - The Judys
Ghost Riders In the Sky - The Outlaws
Give Me a Smile (Pumpkin Song) - Andrew Gold
The Greatest Show Unearthed - Creature Feature
Grim-Grinning Ghosts - (Haunted Mansion Theme) Thurl Ravenscroft & the Mello-Men
Halloween Song - Al Dana
Haunted House - Gene Simmons
Hearse Song - Unknown (Halloween just isn't without the instrumental version of this song!)
He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask) - Alice Cooper (Friday the 13th part VI)
Hephelumps and Woozles - (Winnie the Pooh)
Highway Cafe of the Damned - Austin Lounge Lizards
House Party at Arkham Asylum - The Great Luke Ski
I Died So I Could Haunt You - Stars I Put a Spell On You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
I Put a Spell On You - Bette Midler (Disney movie Hocus Pocus)
It’s Terror Time Again - Skycycle
Legend Of Wooley Swamp - Charlie Daniels Band
Little Demon - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Little Ghost - The White Stripes
Little Shop of Horrors - (1986 Movie title song)
Maneater - Hall & Oates
The Martian Hop - The Ran-Dells
McCavity - Cats
The Meanest Meanest Pumpkin In The Land - Alan Kirk
The Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Monster’s Holiday - Buck Owens
Monster Squad - (Movie end credit song)
Mr. Ghost Goes to Town - The 5 Jones Boys
Nature Trail to Hell - Weird Al Yankovic
Nightmare on My Street - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Pet Sematary - The Ramones
Phantom 309 - Red Sovine
Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley
Scary Ned - Arrogant Worms
Shalloween - Andy Partridge
Shiver My Timbers - Muppets (Muppet Treasure Island)
Sittin' Up With The Dead - Ray Stevens
Skeleton Song - Kate Nash
Skullivan Walks - They Might Be Giants
Spooky - Classic 5
Star Trekkin - The Firm (Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection)
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Surfin’ Dead - The Cramps
Swamp Witch - Jim Stafford
That Old Black Magic - Margaret Whiting
There’s a Zombie on Your Lawn – Laura Shigihara
This Is Halloween - Danny Elfman (Nightmare Before Christmas)
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Time Warp - Damian (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Trick or Treat - Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Trick or Treat (for Halloween) - The Mickey Mouse Club (1952 Donald Duck cartoon theme)
Walking Alone - Rusty (Haunted History episode Haunted Tombstone)
Weird Science - Oingo Boingo
Werewolves Of London - Warren Zevon
Wicked Old Witch - John Fogarty
Witch Queen Of New Orleans - Redbone
Witchy Woman - Eagles
Your Brains - Jonathan Coulton
Zombies Ate Her Brain - The Creepshow
Zombie Jamboree - Rock-a-Pella
Zombie Love Song - Ray Johnson
Zombie Stomp - Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

And of course.... There's a Monster Mountain of Instrumental music

Anything by "The Midnight Syndicate"

Movie/TV Theme Examples (Impossible to list them all) Beetlejuice Theme
Friday the 13th Theme
Exorcist Theme
Gremlins Theme
Halloween Theme
Nightmare - Artie Shaw
Invader Zim Theme
Jaws Theme
Nightmare on Elm St Theme
Night On Bald Mountain (Disney's Fantaisia)
Tales From the Crypt Theme
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Phantom of the Opera theme)
Twilight Zone Theme

Video Game Examples American McGee’s Alice
Fatal Frame series
Luigi’s Mansion
Silent Hill series
…Just to name a few