The ten monster classics you have to play at this year's Halloween party

22 October 2025, 09:22

Halloween Songs. Picture: YouTube/Talking Heads/Michael Jackson/Rockwell

By Mayer Nissim

Having a bash? Then play the Monster Mash (and these other Halloween classics).

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Christmas is coming... but not just yet. You can keep your Jona Lewie and John Lennon on the shelf for now, because before then we've got Halloween.

The Samhain celebrations don't quite have the depth of back catalogue of Xmas, it's true, but there are still oodles of spooktacular hits to enjoy.

We've rounded up just ten of the creepiest songs out there.

Avoiding stuff that has the title but plainly doesn't fit the brief ('Ghost Town' is about urban decay, 'Zombie' is about The Troubles), we've got a couple of handfuls of songs that take in monsters, death, stalking, bad moons and black magic.

We've ranked them all the way up to the very best and have got ready to add to your Halloween Party Playlist.

Devil Woman - Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard - Devil Woman (Official Video)

There are plenty of songs that talk about bad, bad girls, but most don't move past that appeal to naughtiness to actually count as being truly devilish.
Not so Sir Cliff Richard's rocking 'Devil Woman', taken from his 1976 album I'm Nearly Famous. It went top ten on both sides of the Atlantic and is all black cats, crystal balls, potions and spell casting.
Black Magic Woman - Santana

Santana - Black Magic Woman (Official Audio)

Yup, we know that 'Black Magic Woman' was written by Peter Green about his ex Sandra Elsdon, and originally released by his early version of Fleetwood Mac, but it's Santana's version that's really stood the test of time.
The witchy twang and delightful mangle of styles that Carlos and the gang gave it made it a massive hit, going all the way to number four in the US on its release in November 1970.
Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bad Moon Rising (Official Lyric Video)

Creedence Clearwater Revival can always summon up a vibe, and on 'Bad Moon Rising' we've got a sense of doom and gloom.
Is it really a Halloween song? "Hope you got your things together/ Hope you are quite prepared to die". That counts for us. It also topped the UK singles charts and got to number two in the US.
Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me

Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me (Official Music Video)

The worst kept secret in pop music history may well be that, as well as Jermaine and Randy Jackson on backing vocals, Rockwell's 'Somebody's Watching Me' features the actual Michael Jackson doing uncredited guest vocals (it's pretty hard to mistake his "hee hees" for anyone else.
Thanks to that MJ spot, its creepy/hilarious music video and earworm melody, it got to number 6 in the UK and number two in the US.
Psycho Killer - Talking Heads

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer (Official Video)

The song that helped Talking Heads break through, 'Psycho Killer' was one of the many standouts from their punky/new wave debut album Talking Heads: 77
Could it be the internal monologue of a (French speaking?) serial killer ("Don't touch me I'm a real live wire") or just earpleasing babble that fits the tune? We love it either way.

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer - Stop Making Sense

The song was also the opening track of the peerless Stop Making Sense live concert movie directed by Jonathan Demme.
That version opened with the immortal words 'Hi. I've got a tape I want to play" and featured David Byrne and a Boombox (actually the sound of a drum machine piped in).
Monster Mash - Bobby 'Boris' Pickett

Bobby "Boris" Pickett - Monster Mash (Official Lyric Video)

One of the first (and still the best) Halloween songs, written and sung by Bobby 'Boris' Pickett, born Robert George Pickett, along with Leonard Capizzi.
Written in half an hour, recorded in less than that, 'Monster Mash' was a play on the mashed potato dance craze shot through with spookiness, topping the US listings on its original release and after failing to chart in the UK it eventually went to number three here on its re-release in 1973.
Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (PCM Stereo)

The first song on the first Bat Out of Hell album. The song that launched a franchise. It could have been consumed by the fiery wave that it sparked, but its near-ten-minutes of heavy rock damnation make it every bit as powerful as it always was.
"There's evil in the air and there's thunder in sky /And a killer's on the bloodshot streets". 'Bat Out of Hell' has the vibe of Bruce Springsteen shot through with Peter Pan and every brilliant as that sounds.
Season of the Witch - Donovan

DONOVAN Season of the Witch #1

When The Beatles were still singing about Love being all you needed, Donovan was capturing the more sinister side of psychedelia ("Beatniks are out to make it rich") with this creepy slice of pop, produced by Mickie Most.
It it about actual witches? Probably not, but there's a real sense of unease and impending doom that means this really does work as a Halloween number.
Blue Öyster Cult - Don't Fear The Reaper

Blue Oyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper (Official Audio)

The meaning of Halloween has been often discussed and debated... it's not clear if the roots are pagan or actually a spin on the Christian All Hallow's Day, but the modern Halloween is all about ghosts, skeletons, witches, demons and ultimately about death.
Like some interpretations of Día de los Muertos, the festival is about the embrace and understanding and demystification of death, and for that reason Blue Öyster Cult's 'Don't Fear The Reaper' is maybe the ultimate Halloween soundtrack.
A top 20 hit on both sides of the Atlantic, it has had an afterlife in popular culture thanks to Halloween/Halloween Ends, Bill & Ted ("I heard that!"), Saturday Night Live ("More cowbell!") and X.
Thriller - Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson - Thriller (Official 4K Video)

Despite the backlash from his own Jehovah's Witnesses community that led to the "disclaimer" at the top of the classic video, the promo really made clear that the song isn't "about" the occult. It's actually about the very best part of Halloween: Horror movies. (And also, making out: "I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try").
A love letter to the grisly B-movies of yore, the music video was directed by John Landis, who had already proved his horror bona fides with An American Werewolf in London. It helped elevate what was already an instant classic and the song that has remained one of Michael Jackson's very best, and you can't get much higher praise than that.