A Halloween Party Play List That Skips the Monster Mash

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I love Halloween, and I really love Halloween parties. Everything about this holiday excites me: costumes, scary movies, haunted houses, and candy (okay, candy should be first). I’m up for anything on Halloween, like attending crazy parties that resemble something you’d see on Scooby-Doo or in a bad 80s horror movie (like a hayride in a rural corn field that was so terrifying, it made my then-boyfriend pretend he had a piece of straw in his eye because he was crying with fear).

I am a grown woman, but you’d never know it by witnessing my level of Halloween excitement, or my raucous taste in music this time of year. I hope I’m not the only one who wants to shake up my Halloween soundtrack a little bit. Honestly, if I have to bob for apples one more time while listening to Ministry’s “Every Day is Halloween” or anyone’s version of “Monster Mash”, I think I might go berserk and start throwing candy corn.

In case any of you decide to have a Halloween party and invite me, or even if you don’t, I’d like to share my list of classic Halloween music that won’t make anyone unhinged. You could play these picks in their entirety or pick a few classic from each for the bones of your Halloween mix and then add your faves – every playlist needs that personal touch!

The Misfits – Walk Among Us
Never mind The Misfits’ skull stickers festooning every skateboard from coast to coast, this early release from the horror punk legends isn’t just kid stuff. Young Glenn Danzig was obsessed with comic books and 1950s horror movies, and unlike in later years, when he took himself way too seriously, here he makes it all fun. No Halloween mix is complete without “Vampira” and “Astro Zombies” at the very least.

AFI – All Hallows EP
Flamboyant front man Davey Havok is known for his powerful vocals and gender-bending style, and, in AFI’s early years, a love of the Misfits. This four-song collection contains a cover of Danzig’s “Halloween” that blows away the original, as well as “Totalimmortal”, which The Offspring had a hit with. But what I really love is the Halloween cover illustration, which makes me long for the days of vinyl when you could really see the art. Spooky and fun!

Southern Culture on the Skids – Zombified
Unless you live on the East Coast, where SCOTS have toured incessantly for the last 20+ years, you might not know my favorite party band of all time. This Halloween-themed release blends their addictive surf rock riffs with creepy lyrics. Nothing tedious about “Bloodsucker” or the catchy title track.

The Cramps – Bad Music for Bad People
They called their music psychobilly for a good reason. Crazy, fun, rockabilly-influenced songs sure to get your guests dancing. I defy you to stand still when “Goo Goo Muck” or “Human Fly” is playing. For me, the best part of this album is the cover illustration by super cool Maryland artist Steve Blickenstaff, whose monster paintings are surprisingly affordable.

Various Artists – Halloween Hootenanny
Rob Zombie got all his friends together and created this compilation of fun, eerie tunes with loads of crazy energy. “Halloween (She Get So Mean)” by Rob and the Ghastly Ones puts me in a good mood every time I hear it. Other standouts include the Reverend Horton Heat’s “Halloween Dance” and Los Straitjackets rocking version of “The Munsters Theme”.

Alkaline Trio – Good Mourning
So catchy, it might take you awhile to realize how dark the lyrics are. Kicking off with a love song about pyromania, and moving on to vampires, graveyards, cannibalism— what more could you want on Halloween? And this Chicago trio loves the Misfits, too. In Good Mourning’s signature tune, “We’ve Had Enough”, they instruct us to “put Walk Among Us on and turn it up.”

There you have it – imo, the perfect tracks to base your own personalized your scary holiday soundtrack, wht readers! Join me in the comments and let me know what songs need to be added to this playlist!

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