There’s something in the air. The leaves are turning different colors, the temperature’s slowly dropping, and everyone’s wearing sweaters. This can only mean one thing: Halloween is only a few weeks away, and it’s time to get hyped. Please enjoy these jams as you drink your apple cider, carve some pumpkins, and get spoopy.
1. “Bad Moon Rising,” Creedence Clearwater Revival
What better way to kick off spoopy season than with CCR’s omen of doom? While not explicitly Halloween-themed, this eerily-upbeat tune will be sure to get you in the mood for some boos.
2. “Close your eyes,” Kim Petras
It’s already been pretty well established that Kim Petras is the reigning queen of Halloween, so it’s a safe bet that this song will get you feeling some haunted electronic ~vibes~.
3. “A Nightmare on My Street,” DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Listen. As goofy as it may seem, this 90’s Will Smith story of an encounter with the horror movie villain Freddy Kreuger is seriously underrated. Add the intrigue surrounding this song’s long lost music video, and you’ve got a certified spoopy jam.
4. “Ghostbusters,” Ray Parker Jr.
This one’s a classic. It’s got that 80’s je ne sais quoi that ensures that this song never goes out of style. There’s really nothing quite like “Ghostbusters” anywhere else in spoopy season canon.
5. “Tainted Love,” Soft Cell
There’s something about the foreboding organ music and deep percussions on this track that make it particularly spoopy, and it’s oh-so danceable.
6. “Disturbia,” Rihanna
Get ready to get haunted with this 2008 Rihanna bop, which I thought for an embarrassingly long time was called “Disturbida.” It was spoopy when we were in elementary school, and it sure as heck is spoopy now.
7. “Midnight City,” M85
You know for-sure-for-sure that this is the one song that makes all of the indie ghouls run right out onto the dancefloor. Though it could be–and probably has been–used in a melodramatic coming-of-age movie, that doesn’t make it any less spoopy.
8. “Monster Mash,” Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers
Do I even have to explain this one? As far as novelty Halloween songs go, we all know that there’s no beating “Monster Mash.”
9. “My Boo,” Usher and Alicia Keys
Fight me.
