Whether your spooky season fun starts when the weather starts to cool or not until Halloween night, Deezer’s playlist of spooky songs sets the perfect mood for trick-or-treating, handing out candy, or dressing up for a costume party. Halloween music has been popular for singers and bands for decades. After all, it’s a great way to ensure the vibe is right come October 31st.
Not sure where to get started? Here’s a playlist of Halloween-themed songs and scary music that’s sure to get your friends — ahem, ghosts and goblins — on the dance floor.
“Hell’s Bells” by AC/DC
Kick off your party with this classic 1980 rocker jam. Distant, gloomy bells toll to open the track, calling to mind foggy churchyards and cemeteries, as a single electric guitar breaks in with a menacingly slow, but building, melodic line. Finally, drums and bass kick in, and the guitar turns louder and crunchier as Brian Johnson’s powerful wail joins, singing that the devil’s going to “take you to hell.” It doesn’t get much scarier than that.
Leading off AC/DC’s album Back in Black, the song features lead guitarist Angus Young’s trademark scorching riffs and drummer Phil Rudd’s big, heavy beats, building slowly into a headbanging anthem.
“Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo
“You only come out at night, like a vampire,” sings the one-time Disney TV star (Bizaardvark, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) on the lead track off her second album, Guts, released in September 2023. Like its lead-in from the Australian hard-rockers above, this song starts gently, here with a plaintive piano, before building into a blazing, dance-beat riff about a parasitic relationship.
Accompanied by a video that casts Rodrigo in the role of the “final girl” in a slasher film, complete with a blood-splattered dress, this song brings a modern sound to the party while adding to the horror theme.
“I Put a Spell on You by “Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins
Ready for a fright? Just listen to Hawkins’ villainous cackle, deep-throated screams, and raucous howls to get you in the mood. With lyrics about casting spells, and a slow, foreboding beat, this 1956 bluesy banger brings campy spooks while still exhibiting a real feel and craftsmanship. With a stage show that had him emerging out of a coffin and filled with voodoo-style props and imagery, Hawkins pioneered the kind of shock rock Marilyn Manson would later lay claim to.
“The Beautiful People” by Marilyn Manson
Behind a rollicking rhythm and distorted metal guitar riffs, the outlandish Manson rails against privileged elites in this 1996 electric stomper. Co-produced by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and accompanied by a video drenched in horror-film style imagery, the song was the lead track off Manson’s second album, Antichrist Superstar, and helped it debut at number three on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus
The song that started the entire goth subculture, this 1979 debut single from the UK’s Bauhaus is one of the most influential singles of all time. At over nine minutes long, the song starts with drummer Kevin Haskins’ understated beat before it’s joined by David J’s ominous bass line and Daniel Ash’s intermittent, experimental guitar sounds. Finally, three minutes in, Peter Murphy’s powerful, haunting voice chimes in, with lyrics describing the funeral of the title’s iconic Dracula star: “Bela Lugosi’s dead / The bats have left the bell tower / The victims have been bled.” You may want to turn the light on for this one.
“Bury a Friend” by Billie Eilish
The third single from Eilish’s 2019 debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, “Bury a Friend” begins with rapper Calvin simply uttering the singer’s name, “Billie.” Immediately, a bouncy synth beat kicks in, quickly joined by the singer’s eerie, restrained, almost hollow vocals. The lyrics take the perspective of the mythical Monster Under the Bed, wondering, “Why aren’t you scared of me? / Why do you care for me? / When we all fall asleep, where do we go?”
“Thriller” by Michael Jackson
Accompanied by an extravagant, 13-minute-long music video featuring Jackson turning into a werewolf and leading hordes of dancing zombies, this disco classic finds the legendary singer at the absolute peak of his powers. The recording was included on the massive album of the same name and was produced by the renowned Quincy Jones, who filled the sound up with drum machines, horn blasts, and an infectious, unforgettable bass line. It not only remains a spook-season favorite, “Thriller” might be the biggest Halloween-themed song of all time.
“Dracula’s Wedding” by Outkast
Behind a fuzzy, funky bass line, André 3000’s high-pitched vocals slide in with lyrics about the uber-vampire’s ultimate fear: true love. “I wait my whole life to bite the right one / Then you come along, and that freaks me out / So I’m frightened, ooh, Dracula’s wedding,” the Atlanta rap icon sings, putting an ironic spin on the classic tale. The song’s found on Outkast’s 2003 double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and brings some necessary groove to any Halloween gathering.
“No One Lives Forever” by Oingo Boingo
“Let’s have a party, there’s a full moon in the sky / It’s the hour of the wolf and I don’t want to die,” sings Danny Elfman, lead singer of Los Angeles-based Oingo Boingo on this rambunctious track from the band’s 1985 breakthrough album, Dead Man’s Party. Elfman may be better known these days as the voice of Jack Skellington from the animated classic The Nightmare Before Christmas and as the composer of soundtracks such as “The Simpsons” theme. But Oingo Boingo was famous for their Halloween night concerts, playing songs like “Grey Matter” and “Weird Science.” But this one always got the crowd moving without fail.
“The Headless Horseman” by Bing Crosby
First featured in the 1949 Disney animated film, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” this jazzy favorite livens up the playlist with some big band-era spooks. The peerless crooner Crosby, at his laconic best, sings of a headless horseman looking for a head to chop: “When the spooks have a midnight jamboree / They break it up with fiendish glee / Ghosts are bad, but the one that’s cursed / Is the Headless Horseman, he’s the worst.” A bouncy rhythm and luscious harmonies from his backing vocalists, The Rhythmaires, add to the fun for a more light-hearted approach to the holiday.
“Spooky, Scary Skeletons” by Andrew Gold
Originally released by Gold as a children’s novelty song in 1996, this infectious tune has found new life in the age of TikTok. With its simple, repetitive earworm of a chorus, playful tone, and goofy lyrics, it’s a perfect closer to a Halloween party, leaving your guests with a smile as they return to the much scarier real world.
Add Sound Effects and Soundtracks
Break up your playlist by interspersing creepy sound effects like attic noises, howling winds, and ghoulish rattling chains. Or consider including themes and soundtracks to classic horror films like Halloween or Psycho. Pad out your Halloween songs playlist with our list of the weirder sounds you’ll find on Deezer for just the right touch.
