The Music of the Scares: A Soundtrack for Halloween

Posted in Halloween, Holidays, Music, Top Five Lists |

By Less Lee Moore

Halloween conjures many images: candy, costumes, decorations, haunted houses, and horror movies. While these are all integral parts of the holiday, there is one factor that is often overlooked but which is vital to embracing the spirit of the season: music.

Every year, on October 1, I break out my Halloween tunes and listen to virtually nothing else for the entire month. (This tends to annoy others who are not as enthusiastic about the holiday as I am, but I just turn up the volume and ignore them.)

For me, Halloween music can be generally classified into five categories: Halloween Kitsch; Lexiconography; Haunted Places and Noises; Soundtracks and Scores; and Just Plain Creepy. What follows is a brief introduction to and summary of these categories. Create play lists of these songs to get into the mood of Halloween or use as background music for your upcoming Halloween parties. (HINT: Halloween mix CDs also make great gifts!)

Halloween Kitsch

Probably the best way to describe Halloween Kitsch is to mention Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “The Monster Mash.” I cannot convey how much I despised this song as a kid and how much I love it now. Yes, it’s goofy. Yes, it’s embarrassing. But when you consider that Pickett made an entire career out of “The Monster Mash” and its many sequels (“The Monster Swim,” “Monsters’ Holiday,” and “Werewolf Watusi”), then all better judgment simply falls apart. Any songs that seem to have been created especially for Halloween fall into the Halloween Kitsch category, such as Disney’s “Grim Grinning Ghosts” from the Haunted Mansion ride or “Drac the Knife” by Gene Moss. In addition, there are bands who have devoted themselves to Halloween tunes with awesome results: The Revillos, The Ghastly Ones, and Subsonics. . . to name a few.

The Revillos, “She’s Fallen In Love With A Monster Man”
Running Time: 3:20

Lexiconography

Some bands tend to gravitate towards the dark side and often celebrate the subject matter of Halloween or evoke the feeling of the holiday. As a result, these artists are permanently linked with Halloween. The Misfits, Bauhaus, The Cramps, The Ramones, and Siouxsie and the Banshees can’t seem to get enough of vampires, voodoo, monsters, serial killers, and other Halloween-related subjects.

There are also those musicians famous for their non-Halloween music but who have created such classics that they simply must be included. “Little Demon” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and “Haunted House” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs are stellar examples. And yes, I even like “Thriller” by Michael Jackson without any irony whatsoever. It’s difficult to argue against a song featuring Vincent Price.

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, “Little Demon”
Running Time: 2:25

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