A Spook or Two: A Halloween Playlist
By Laurel Sanders
It’s officially freezing. I’m getting sick every other week. And I’m being plagued by horror movie trailers. You know what that means: it’s Halloween season.
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I actually love Halloween, but I can’t say I love the weather, the sniffles, or the endless jump scares. (Watching horror movies feels a bit like voluntary self-harm, honestly.) What I do love, though, is spooky music.
Last year, I made a playlist called “Haunting Hits for Your Halloween Pre-Game,” full of classic Halloween bops guaranteed to get you amped for any party. If you’re after “Monster Mash” energy, that’s your stop.
This year, I wanted to tap into something different, music that feels haunted. Songs that are unsettling for reasons you can’t quite name. Not your typical Halloween fare.
I mixed in some new releases: Tame Impala’s new album, Deadbeat has some deliciously eerie vibes, with the single “Dracula” as my favorite. Florence + The Machine’s upcoming album, Everybody Screams, drops on Halloween itself, and her titular single made the cut, too. And of course, Lady Gaga’s Mayhem is an instant classic, packed with the kind of campy, glorious chaos that defines Halloween.
I also threw in a few older oddballs that have always creeped me out in the best way. When I saw David Byrne in concert recently, he said “Everybody’s Coming to My House” always felt like a horror movie where the guests just won’t leave. A true introvert’s nightmare. I loved that image and had to include it.
Then there’s Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust.” It’s not about Halloween at all, but something about the ghosts, the full moon, and that doomed tone gives it an eerie Western vibe, like no one’s making it out alive.
I also wanted to spotlight songs that are just plain weird. Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman” is one of those tracks that unsettles you without even trying, especially if you listen to it alone at night. And I couldn’t resist adding a few from Timber Timbre, who somehow makes love songs sound like confessionals from a ghost story. “I Am Coming to Paris (To Kill You)” and “Run” are chilling, yet heartbreakingly tender.
This playlist definitely goes in a few unexpected directions. Not everything here is a crowd-pleaser, and that’s the point. So go ahead, hate away. But I hope at least one of these songs gets under your skin in the best way possible this Halloween season.
