What song are you adding to our Halloween party playlist?
As we settle into Horrors Week and prepare for Halloween, it's time to update our party mix
Image: Photo: H. Armstrong Roberts Music Features Gwen Ihnat
As we settle into Horrors Week and prepare for Halloween, this week we’re asking:
What song are you adding to The A.V. Club’s Halloween party playlist?
Alex McLevy
I was particularly pleased this year to find that someone had heard my cries for more Halloween-themed pop music, because along came Lovecraft—a group of seven pop songwriters and producers—to deliver This Is Halloween Vol. 1, which combines glossy modern dance-pop with retro haunted-house sounds and a macabre lyrical bent. The best of the bunch? “Skeleton Sam,” a dance-floor-worthy ode to a creepy bleached-bones ghoul who likes to party. It’s “Monster Mash” for the VSCO set.
Katie Rife
One song that got cut from last year’s list purely for time was Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party,” which appeared in the 1986 Rodney Dangerfield movie Back To School. If it wasn’t six and a half minutes long, a full 10 percent of an hourlong playlist, it definitely would have been on the AVC’s Halloween party mix for three reasons. First, the music sounds in my mind like skeletons dancing, which is perfect. Second, it’s got lyrics about “Goin’ to a party where no one’s still alive”; again, perfect. Third, the song is a cornerstone of my personal theory that the plot of Back To School is a fever vision in the dying mind of Dangerfield’s character, whose chauffeured car gets into an offscreen crash at the beginning of the film. Spooky!
Baraka Kaseko
What’s not to love about “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah,” the exceedingly goofy novelty Halloween song from 30 Rock’s original soundtrack? The Tami Sagher-penned lyrics (“I was working late on my Haftorah / when I heard a knock on my bedroom-doorah”) are tremendous, and Donald Glover’s cameo as Tracy Jordan’s exasperated hype-man adds wonderfully to the track’s silliness. But the best part? The fact that Glover actually sang on much of the song using his “amazing” Tracy Morgan impression.
Shannon Miller
I hope nobody minds me slowing things down just a tad, as I feel Mottron and Crenoka’s “Indecent” deserves a spin at any spooky gathering. The blend of tinkling piano notes, haunting, chant-like refrains, and an almost whimsical tone make for an excellent listen all year round. Within the context of this season, though? I’m just not sure there are many songs that scream “Let’s pause this party and solve a quick mystery!” quite as loudly as this one. And considering that I first heard this song in an episode of Elite, that’s probably appropriate.
Erik Adams
Speaking of fan theories: Despite other publications’ jokey insistence, you have heard the song described in the lyrics of “Monster Mash.” It’s “Monster Mash,” the graveyard smash to which one dances the Monster Mash, a Frankensteinian variation on the Mashed Potato. Furthermore, you’ve heard the song that launched the dance craze the Monster Mash replaced—or, at least you have if you’ve ever flipped over The Original Monster Mash LP to hear “Transylvania Twist,” an actual recording that I did not just make up. Consider this the sonic equivalent of the punny costume you’ll spend the whole party explaining: Put “Transylvania Twist” on and luxuriate in your own cleverness, even as it sails over the heads of your friends and family.
Gwen Ihnat
A friend recently turned me onto Dickey Lee’s “Laurie (Strange Things Happen),” a goosebump-inducing ghost story disguised as a sweet 1965 pop song. It starts out with the narrator talking about falling in love with a girl at a dance, “an angel in this world,” a tale we’ve heard in popular songs a million times before. She says it’s her birthday, and she’s cold, so he lends her his sweater. He walks her home, realizes that he forgot his sweater, and then… I know you think you know where this is going, but I swear, there are still a few good twists in there, so I don’t want to ruin them for you. “Laurie” could also be the theme song for my fave local ghost “Resurrection Mary,” so no wonder I like it—but the ending still gives me chills every time.
William Hughes
The joke of Nick Wiger’s recurring Comedy Bang Bang bit, “The Monster Fuck,” isn’t especially complex: Every year or so, Wiger comes back on the podcast to play Leo Karpatze, the “original” writer of “The Monster Mash.” Karpatze then tricks host Scott Aukerman into thinking he’s written a new track, then proceeds to play the exact same gleefully vulgar parody song he’s been busting out for years. It’s delightful in its repetition, but it’s also delightful because “The Monster Fuck”—in which Wiger employs every possible sexual combination inherent in the Universal litany of monsters (including Swamp Thing)—is so much damn fun, especially as Wiger throws his entire body into every single “Fuck!” during the song’s intentionally stupid chorus. As with so many truly great comedy songs, Wiger/Karpatze’s composition isn’t just funny; it’s also legitimately catchy. Just be careful that you’re in properly impolite company when you start humming along to the line about Igor deciding to fuck his own dad.
Kelsey J. Waite
The Cramps rightly made the cut last year, but I’d dig a generation deeper and add one of Lux Interior and co.’s biggest influences to the list: Link Wray. Wray is well-known for his early rock ’n’ roll instrumentals, which often carried a dangerous air and whose titles even occasionally referenced the macabre (“Jack The Ripper”). But 1964 single “The Shadow Knows”—a throwback to the classic radio mystery series—stands out for its stumbling, zombie-like groove and especially Wray’s unhinged vocal performance. “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of man? The shadow knows,” he says before strumming his guitar, then letting out a maniacal laugh, just like in the show’s old intro. The way he keeps circling back to that line—“The shadow knows”—and that echoing cackle completely sells the unsettled feeling of something lurking in the unknown.
Randall Colburn
There’s plenty of reasons to be jealous of Ryan Gosling—A-list actor, chiseled abs, memes galore—but did you know he’s also behind one of this century’s most frightening albums? In 2009, he and Zach Shields released a self-titled LP as Dead Man’s Bones, a 13-track collection of atmospheric chamber rock that’s as cheeky as it is spine-tingling. Gosling’s sonorous vocals do a fine job of summoning the spirit of Vincent Price, but the band’s secret weapon is the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir, here manifesting as an undead army of trick-or-treaters. Just listen to “Lose Your Soul,” a spooky, propulsive singalong caked in cemetery dirt.
Angelica Cataldo
I’m a firm believer that adding a Foo Fighters song to any playlist makes it infinitely better, and I think that’ll be the case here. “Skin and Bones” is a particularly gloomy song off Foo Fighters’ 2006 live album with the same title. Aptly named to reference the band stripping their hard rock sound down to the bare bones of raw acoustics, “Skin and Bones” gives me chills every time I hear it. You may not want to do “the mash” to this tune, but you can’t deny the catchy sound of Dave Grohl’s eerie guitar plucking and even creepier lyrics.
93 Comments
I’m not sure how it’s Halloween related (more of a summer beach song for me) but I will always encourage adding “Rock Lobster” to any Party Playlist.
Turn the lights down or off first.
and
“Frankie Teardrop”:
This has become a standard for the past four years. My favorite version of an old classic song.
They just need to make Until Dawn 2 already!
Man of Medan was kinda Until Dawn 2. Except it was a different urban legend, wasn’t as long nor as good. Less said about that games title song the better.
Also this is great for the campy animation-Edit- After that bit of dudes and ending with a very naked lady I feel the need to include-
“werewolf bar mitzvah” bugs the shit out of me b/c i always expect the the lyrics to rhyme so it should go, “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah, Spooky scary, Boys becoming men, Men becoming hairy.” instead, i would offer warren zevon’s “monkey wash donkey rinse.” “hell is only half full, room for you and me…”
hairy… reminds me, Boys 4 Now “I Love You So Much (It’s Scary)“ is perfect and belongs at everyones Halloween party forever.
boo boo!
Even ignoring the (blindly obvious) “Werewolves of London,” I feel like a solid 50% of Zevon’s songs could fit right in for a Halloween party. “Excitable Boy” and “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” in particular….
And the scariest things all“Lawyers,guns and money“
Tom Waits – What’s He Building in There.
I mean, pretty much any Tom Waits song would fit, just by definition.
I know this is two years old, but I can’t see “Halloween” and “Tom Waits” without posting a song off my favorite Halloween album. This is a cover of the Misfits song Halloween, performed quite convincingly in the style of Tom Waits.
I first heard this song when I was asking peeps for a K-Pop Halloween Playlist and they suggested this. It’s Dracula by f(x) a song which I dig. It’s a fun little ditty about how you the listener better run. I think they’re comparing themselves to Dracula even if Dracula’s Wives would be a better fit.
The World/Inferno Friendship Society. Pumpkin Time is the most obvious selection, but essentially any song from any album, will work and you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by just playing their entire catalog rather than compiling a playlist. Most likely no one will have heard of them before and you’ll be thanked repeatedly.
I suppose “add to” implies there was already a playlist? Well I’ll just assume it’s a halfway decent one and already has both Thriller and the Monster Mash, right?
No Thriller. They probably thought it was too easy. No Werewolves of London either, or Twilight Zone by Golden Earring.
The previous playlist is linked at the type of the article
For some reason, Elle King’s “Ex’s & Oh’s” gives me horror movie vibes. Feels like it should be on a teen slasher soundtrack. A cheeky diddy to play during the keg scene, or perhaps over the closing credits. She’s is a playful “man-eater”, who likens her boyfriends to ghosts haunting her. It’s not a particularly dark song, but it’s perfect fun for a Halloween party.
She always reminds me of another person. Hers is more of a throwback, but the kinda old Michael Madsen obsessed West Hollywood Boho uber pop song –
Pink Floyd—Welcome To The Machine: Tom Petty—Zombie Zoo
And, of course,Stay for the end of the video.
Good assortment of artist involved to make this masterpiece.
Hurdy Gurdy Man – DonovanDracula’s Wedding – OutKastFrankenstein – Edgar Winter Group (scariest song ever)
Tom Waits
I love “spooky” novelty music. Some favorites:
Plenty of appropriately gothy stuff on Emilie Autumn’s Opheliac album, but the holiday centerpiece is Dead Is the New Alive:
Radiohead’s “Climbing Up The Walls” is not exactly a party anthem (it doesn’t have a good beat, and its not easy to dance to) but it is one of the creepiest songs
I’m pretty sure Marilyn Manson is a Halloween character so anything he does is relevant. Turns out it’s better when someone else does it first though.
XTC Poor Skeleton Steps Out.
double post
I recently discovered this little gem:
“The Monster Fuck” is the only correct answer.
My go to.
Ludo! Broken Bride. Scream it from the rooftops how good this ep is. Here’s a standout.Concerning a zombie attack:
The Knife – We Share Our Mother’s HealthDead Can Dance – CantaraBauhaus – She’s in Parties
“The Boogie-Woogie Man” by Pee Wee Hunt, heard here as performed by the Casa Loma Orchestra.“So if you hear a piano and there’s nobody playing it
And it’s playing boogie like nobody can,
And it hits a rhythm and your feet start obeying it,
Look out! It’s the boogie-woogie man!
“There’s a tune that he plays; it’s a tune that he made up,
And the ghost union card that he carries is paid up.”
There’s one clear answer:*drops mic*
*picks up mic again*Antony and the Johnson’s cover of “Crazy in Love” is hauntingly beautiful. The video, however, is just haunting!For more of a kitsch Halloween vibe, gotta give a shout out to Patton Oswalt doing “The Cringe”:Um, none of the writers chose “Thriller” – too obvious? Also surprised no mention of the creepy “Us” version of “I got 5 on it”
Bottom of the River by Delta Rae, which has a nice creepy vibe to it. Plus I love the group.
Ooh, I got this!
Mr. Brown by Bob Marley and The Wailers.
This is a personal fave.
I was going to say that Link Wray song was the one that The Prodigy used in ‘What Evil Lurks’, but its actually a different sample of the same line .( From the radio show?)Also ..the if songs about ghosts and vampires etc count , surely a song about El Diablo himself is valid .
Every Halloween, I listen to Nick Cave’s “Song of Joy” on repeat. It’s not really spooky or classically Halloween-ish, but the implications of the lyrics have always scared the living hell out of me.
It’s nice that someone put Skulls on there, but come on now, the point of a Halloween playlist is to be super on the damn nose, and if you’re putting one Misfits song on, it should really be the one called Halloween.
Can’t choose one, so you can have two of my favorite Halloween oddities, Igor’s Party and Nightmare Hop.I have a ton of this stuff. Weird Fifties horror novelty records are my jam. I’ve been playing them all day at the library’s Zombie Jamboree.
I nominate you to post a longer list.
I second that.
I second that nomination.
OK, here are a few more. If your library has Freegal, you can find these and more. The album is 50s Rock & Roll Horror, which I bought before it was available free through Freegal.And last, if you grew up on Seventies game shows, or watch them now for nostalgia, you may think of Bert Convy as only a game show host and guest. But before that, he had a career as a novelty singer. Here’s my favorite of his, Monster Hop.
“At the library’s Zombie Jamboree.”
I mean, if you’re going to bring that up….. (To state the obvious, I assume.)
I have no memory of that song existing & certainly didn’t know when I named the program. It was an off the cuff description that everyone liked. But maybe I knew and consciously forgot.
I love big band Halloween music. There’s something extra spooky when you know all the artists involved are now deceased. I can understand why all modern horror movies like to play them slowed down for their trailers.
More people should know about … The Forbidden Dimension
Skatt Bros “Walk the Night” Rich Buono editlike if that version of the song comes on, forget it you’re done for. Cenobites are Puritans compared to what you are about to experience.
A Sound of Thunder’s haunting “Elijah.” It has shades of Lovecraft’s “The Outsider,” but with enough ghost child /imaginary friend content to make it extra creepy. Plus, as with all things ASoT, it’s rockin’ metal.
Little Red Riding Hood by Same the Sham and the Pharoahs:Vampire Blues by Neil Young (not literally about vampires, but I still love it):Mrs. Crowley by Ozzy Osbourne:
“Tomorrow Wendy” by Andrew Prieboy is pretty haunting.
It’s not an especially clever addition, but I feel like I would remiss if I didn’t throw this in.
Since someone here liked this when I linked it recently, and I’ve repeatedly listening to it myself, I ought to include this:I still haven’t seen the actual film though. Plus, the song isn’t very scary/spooky sounding, so perhaps an alternative:Finally, to get a head start on when you do this feature again for Christmas:
I’m partial to this: my favorite instance of a song re-purposed to become a (surprisingly effective) Halloween-themed song. (Well, other than “Santa Claus is coming to town,” which is the creepiest fucking song in the world, and you don’t even have to change a word.)
Can’t let a list like this go without a nod to Jill Tracy, whose whole thing is making songs perfect for Halloween.
I build my Halloween playlist all year!
This one actually I learned from an AV Club Inventory years ago.
Monster Fuck part 2 is the GOAT
Quick side note: Back to School is a remake of a Bing Crosby movie called High Times. Except Der Bingle is a widower and not a divorcée.My pick is “I Put A Spell on You “ by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, “I Walk on Gilded Splinters “ by the late great Doctor, and “Saturday Night” by The Misfits. Saturday Night is basically Sandy from Grease, except for the fact that John Travolta had brutally murdered Sandy and had her body locked in the trunk of his car. It doesn’t feature Danzig on lead, but some other guy. I swear it’s the most insanely catchy Murder Ballad ever.
It’s the very definition of on the nose, but how can we forget this one, that actually rocks super hard:Halloween, by Helloweenand this classic by The Toadies:Possum Kingdom
march of robots coming for us all
forgot one…
“Speaking of fan theories: Despite other publications’ jokey insistence, you have heard the song described in the lyrics of Monster Mash.”*Links to article which explicitly stated that the song described in the lyrics of Monster Mash is not the song itself, and does not in fact exist*Oops.
Exuma is my go to for spooky stuff: And this old one is just fun:Some of Waits’ Black Rider stuff:
Good disco dancing:The Girl Scouts – I Don’t Want To Be A Zombie
E Nomine— “Mitternacht” (Midnight). It has it all, menacing-sounding german lyrics delivered in a growling tone, latin choir, lyrics about vampires.Alternately their song “Das Tier In Mir” (the animal in me), which is very similar in layout, but about werewolves.
Goblin – Tenebre
The Cramps – TV Set
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Trust In Me
Bauhaus – Terror Couple Kill Colonel
Pulp – The Mark Of The Devil
The Gruesomes – Jack The Ripper
The Cure – Lullaby
The Damned – Twisted Nerve
Lord Dent & His Invaders – Wolf Call
David Bowie – I’m Deranged
Nash the Slash – Children of the Night
Gary Numan & Tubeway Army – Down in the Park
The Fleshtones – I Was a Teenage Zombie
Dave Vanian & The Phantom Chords – Haunted Garage
A little late to the playlist, but this song creeps me out every time I hear it, but most especially this version:
Nobody will ever see this, but Daughn Gibson’s ‘Phantom Rider’ or Yeasayer’s ‘Reagan’s Skeleton’.
Absolutely YES! to including “Dead Man’s Party!” that song is great all year long but I’ve always wanted a Halloween party where it was the theme.My nominee would be “Evil Eye” by Franz Ferdinand. Fun, creepy sounding, and good for a party.I’d also add “GhostFaced Killer” by The Dead 60s which very much has a The Specials’ “Ghost Town” feel to it. (“Ghost Town” also being a great Halloween party song)
City of Lost Children soundtrack, particularly “L’anniversaire d’Irvin” and “L’execution”