A Halloween Mixtape: Spooky tunes curated by the writers of Motif

Certain music has a creepy vibe, whether the lyrics outright discuss what goes bump in the night or the melody more subtly imbues spookiness. We reached out to our Motif staff to put together the ultimate Halloween playlist for your next costume party. What they generated was an eclectic mix of genres across decades that doesn’t skimp on the scary. From esoteric to mainstream hits, we hope you will enjoy it.

BRIAN SHOVELTON

“Human Fly” by The Cramps
Lux Interior’s voice could sing the soundtrack to a nightmare.

“Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus
The atmosphere of the song is just…spooky.

“Bad Things (True Blood theme)” by Jace Everett
Great swampy song. Plus, who doesn’t love vampires?

DAVID SANO

“Halloween” by Dead Kennedys
Astride the jangliest of surf punk, beneath the withering lens of Jello Biafra, Halloween is characterized not by morbid fright, but caveated liberation. Indeed Halloween is a time of masked and costumed roistering that society usually will not countenance, but as the ghosts and spiders come down and the workday approaches, do we not trade one costume for another? This song is revelatory, but side effects include feeling like a conformist every time you see a pumpkin.

“Left Hand Path” by Entombed
This cavernous, rip-roaring, crushingly heavy masterpiece is also about liberation, this time from the entire creator-god framework. Presenting the Satanic Left Hand Path as a reclaiming of one’s very will and life-essence is sort of a profound thing, and thrilling for its aroma of heresy (this is not a peaceful revolution – Entombed quote The Satanic Bible in mockery of Christ). But this is also the music of dorky moshpit karate, windmill headbangs and spilled beer, and the use of the Phantasm theme to seed the outro is a seemingly self-aware gesture of eerie playfulness.

MARK-ANTHONY LEWIS
“Killa Bunnies” by Moloko
On Moloko’s debut album, Do You Like My Tight Sweater, Róisín Murphy warns of a night of lepus homicide that will leave you unable to look at bunnies the same way again. Follow it up with the next track on the album,”Boo.”

“St James Infirmary Blues” by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra
A haunting big band jam. Look up the version with Betty Boop and Koko the Clown on YouTube. Cab Calloway rotoscopes a ghost dance precursor to the Crip Walk.

“Ghost Under Rocks (RAC Mix)” by Ra Ra Riot
Ra Ra Riot is one of my favorite bands. And I think the RAC remix of “Ghost Under Rocks” really kicks up the ghostly howl of their sorrowful song.

MEG COSS
“Carmina Burana: O Fortuna” by Carl Orff
This song rips. And its lyrics go for bone: “Fate – monstrous and empty, you whirling wheel, you are malevolent, well-being is vain and always fades to nothing, shadowed and veiled, you plague me too.”

“Planet Claire” by B-52’s
Great song for driving, whether riding on a broomstick or a bike, in a slingshot or a sporty compact SUV. Equally good song for Halloween mischief and midnight dancing.

The Whole Ghastly Debacle (Album) by Old Moth Dreams
This is my friend’s husband’s project. She calls him Gothslops and Gothslops makes terrifically spooky tunes for bighearted freaks who frequent haunted atmospheres and love a journey to the macabre.

CATHREN HOUSLEY
“Teddy Bear’s Picnic” by Henry Hall
The original version of this song gave me the creeps as a child.

“I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

“You Should See Me in a Crown” by Billie Eilish

MADDIE JARVIS
“A Nightmare on My Street” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
This is actually a song I never really hear, but I think it’s fun to hear around Halloween. Can’t go wrong with The Fresh Prince! (Unless you like Chris Rock I guess.) 

“Season of the Witch” by Lana del Rey (Cover)
Lana del Rey has such a great sound to her vocals, and I think she makes this song so spooky and pretty. 

“Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell
This one I think is probably a crowd favorite – it’s fun, it’s catchy, and I’ve never heard someone say they don’t like it. 

DANA SCHNEIDER
“Dracula’s Wedding” by Outkast ft. Kelis
Taking on the character of the Transylvanian bachelor, André sings out over distorted vocals, as if he is confessing through a payphone, a radio, or the ether itself – “You’re all I’ve ever wanted, but I’m terrified of you.” In doing so, he names one of the spookiest fears of all: Having your heartbroken by a baddie. 

“Halloween Store” by Andy Shauf
More melancholic than creepy, this song from the sleepy-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter makes me think of gray afternoons, old photographs of handmade costumes, and the syrupy taste of candy corn.

“Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett and the Cryptkickers
You probably know this well-loved seasonal banger, but did you know that some creative production went into conjuring the sound effects at the beginning of the tune? The sound of a cauldron bubbling was created by blowing air into water through a straw, while the coffin opening was mimicked by pulling a rusty nail out of a board. 

KATIE MUNSLOW
“Ghost Chicken” by Keith Munslow 
It’s a great local Halloween song for kids!

GINA LERMAN
“Spooky” by Mike Sharpe
From the first note of this 1967 instrumental, I’m ready for a groovy Autumn. The Dusty Springfield version is also a treat.

“War Pigs” cover by T-Pain
Play this funky Black Sabbath cover when you want to lament the evil and brutality of war, but also dance a little.

DANIEL CHRISTENSEN
“Last Caress” by The Misfits
Not unlike a few other Misfits songs, this one’s a campy slasher flick boiled down into a super fun and danceable punk banger. (I do not condone any opinions or actions referenced in this song.)

“Trapdoor” by Salem
Spooky, sludgy rap rolling over dark, witchy electronica.