The 40 best Halloween songs of all time

While Rockwell’s 1983 hit, ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’ wasn’t necessarily made for the spooky season, its eerie nature makes it a certified Halloween hit. Paired with increasingly paranoid lyrics and synth sounds, the song’s music video leans into the haunted theme even further, decked out with ghosts, ghouls and unsettling characters. With Michael Jackson on the hook and Jermaine Jackson on back up vocals, how can this not be part of your Halloween mix?

The title leans vampiric but the wordless chorus – literally just Mark Oliver Everett’s sharp woo and bleak howl – is all werewolf. Lyrically, maybe it’s about a breakup or an emotional low, but sonically ‘Fresh Blood’ screams creature-of-the-night: it’s grimy and grim with a sludgy (but borderline danceable) beat that sounds like it’s bumping from a sketch car in an industrial alleyway. It’s no wonder it’s become a go-to track for true crime and supernatural shows.

The absolute classic ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ song is done right with this hella-dark cover by Marilyn Manson. Essentially, it’s everything you want in a Halloween song: dramatic electric guitar, chaotic lyrics, and Manson’s deep, raspy vocals. He really committed to this one (all in the name of the ‘ween), and it pays off.

Calling someone (ahem, Zack Bia?) a blood sucker and a fame fucker is pretty inspired. And that’s not even the best part of Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Vampire’. An epic pop song split into three parts – making it Gen Z’s equivalent to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – this is an explosive exploration into heartbreak, failure and full-on rage. The girlies are all set to be screaming ‘you sold me for parts’ and ‘you sunk your teeth into me’ this year, and while we aren’t all rich, famous and conventionally beautiful ex-Disney stars, we can relate to this experience.

Yola’s incredible voice commands your attention in this song that starts as a ‘50s bop (it's from Baz Luhrman’s Elvis biopic) and quickly devolves into an atmospheric tale of warning with the help of a ghostly, gospel-ish choir. It’s fun, it’s oddly creepy and it’s simply the best way to set the mood at a party (or maybe to kill it – you decide). Add this Halloween classic to your playlist. 

‘Goo Goo Muck’ has always been a Halloween banger, but it had a massive resurgence last year as the backtrack to Jenna Ortega’s iconic dance (which she apparently made up herself) as Wednesday Addams in the 2023 Netflix horror series ‘Wednesday’. Whether or not The Cramps planned for this rock ’n’ roll banger to be a Halloween go-to, it’s long-since been considered one, with its lyrics of turning into a Goo Goo Muck (whatever that is) when the sun goes down and hunting out people to eat. And Wednesday Addams? She’s cemented it, we’re afraid.

Rihanna’s 2008 classic still holds up as a Halloween banger. There’s even a horror movie-like scream in the first few opening seconds for maximum impact. Made famous by the earworm hook of ‘bum-bum-be-dum’, the song has an eeriness to it thanks to the twisting melodies and Rihanna’s verses of ‘It's a thief in the night to come and grab you / It can creep up inside you and consume you’. What she’s actually singing about is a mystery. But it’ll get you riled up and ready for a night of spookiness.

Over the Garden Wall is mandatory fall watching. ‘Into the Unknown’ starts with spooky tinkling on the piano with vocals from someone who sounds like maybe he’s your grandpa telling you a ghost story. It quickly turns into a sweet tune that gives cozy vibes. You won’t want to go another fall without putting it on.

Lord, did Shakira bless us with this song in 2009. A timeless classic, ‘She Wolf’ is sexy, spooky and party vibes all at once, and it’ll fill the dancefloor in no time (hopefully the crowd will join in with her werewolf-esque ‘a-wooo’). Forget the party planning, Shakira’s got you covered. 

There are at least two Time Out New York editors who believe that the part of this 1984 classic where Parker ecstatically croons, ‘Bustin’ makes me feel good!’ is the single-greatest piece of music ever recorded (and they will fight you over this opinion). Huey Lewis actually sued Parker over the song’s similarity to his ‘I Want a New Drug,’ probably because he was jealous of how much better “Ghostbusters” is.