October is in full swing, which means it’s time to make those costumes, watch scary movies, and eat half your weight in mellowcreme pumpkins (no? just me?) It’s also time to put on some spooky tunes, whether you’re hosting a party or chilling out in between trick-or-treaters’ eager doorbell rings. Monster Mash, Thriller, Ghostbusters… I love ’em, but admittedly, they can get boring after a while.
If you’re looking to freshen up your late October mixtape this year, here are seven great spooky season songs for your Halloween playlist that you won’t hear on loop at Spirit Halloween.
- “Haunted House” by McKenna Grace
-
McKenna Grace, noted horror film darling, has been on the rise in the world of music this year. Her poignant debut single, “Haunted House” was actually released back in November 2021, and even though McKenna has grown a lot since then, it’s still incredible. Think: an Emails I Can’t Send era Sabrina Carpenter ballad about a breakup with a creepy, twisted edge and a ghost motif. If McKenna wrote “Haunted House” when she was only fifteen…I’m scared of what she’ll be capable of with a couple more years of experience under her belt.
- “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo
-
The song of summer 2023? Maybe so, but a year after the release of GUTS, it’s obvious that Olivia Rodrigo’s “vampire” is much more suited for fall. If you’re not already a fan of this electric power ballad about a bloodsucker which includes Olivia’s best bridge to date, where have you been? As a die-hard Livie, I urge you to listen to “vampire” and tell me it isn’t perfect for October.
- “My Girlfriend Is A Witch” by October Country
-
It’s vintage in a very nostalgic way, it’s short, it’s fun, it’s catchy and it’s twisted. It’s even got a guitar solo! What more could you ask for in a Halloween song? “My Girlfriend Is A Witch” is the perfect song for a cozy, chilly night spent catching up on Agatha All Along.
- “Leave Me For Dead” by GAYLE
-
I absolutely love pop rock, and if you’ve written off GAYLE after “abcdefu”, you’re missing out. “Leave Me for Dead” has a creepy track that sounds exactly like my childhood nightmares paired with haunting, anthemic lyrics.
- “Love Potion No. 9” by The Searchers
-
This dark midcentury pop song has a title that screams “Valentine’s Day”, but rest assured, it’s a Halloween tune. If you listen closely to the lyrics, “Love Potion No. 9” tells the story of how a sorceress named Madame Rue poisons the narrator with a love potion which coerces him into kissing “everything in sight”!
- “When You’re An Addams” from the Addams Family musical
-
Okay, I’m biased as a former theatre kid, but you really can’t go wrong with a good musical number. The Addams Family franchise is a Halloween classic, and the soundtrack to its musical adaptation is so fun, especially the opening number, “When You’re An Addams”. I would know – my high school put on Addams Family when I was a junior, and I was in it!
- “The Graveyard Shift” by The Ghouls
-
“The Graveyard Shift” is the very evil twin of “Monster Mash”. If you’re like me and “Monster Mash” is your jam in late October, this tune about working in a graveyard is the fresh find for you.
My Halloween-themed Spotify playlist includes all these songs and more if you’d like to give it a listen. Happy haunting, ghouls!
