Let's Do the Mash

Here's a bold claim that I'll make right here and now: Halloween songs just are better than Christmas songs. Mostly because they're usually just so much more fun.

My playlist is a little bit of a mix. Some of these are original songs created by people that just have enthusiasm for being spooky, some of them belong to soundtracks that are usually horror-related. This is my favorite time of the year, and I like to think I know what I'm talking about.

Screaming Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You.

As much as I'm sure we all enjoy Bette Midler's cover of this from Hocus Pocus, there's something about Screaming Jay Hawkin's delivery and performance to this song hits different. It really sells it in his favor, and that's why it's my favorite spooky version of this song. Plus, he's the original shock rocker. Marilyn Manson, Ozzie Osbourne, and others could only wish to be on Screaming Jay Hawkin's level.

Time Warp - Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Admittedly, most of the songs from the soundtrack would be great for the season. There's just something so amazing about this musical and I have a deep appreciation for all the songs. But this one really gets you in the mood to move around and have fun. It also comes with instructions, which is greatly appreciated for people that are rhythmically challenged (me).

This is Halloween - A Nightmare Before Christmas.

I know that the source material for this song is about Christmas, but this is the best song from the soundtrack. And it's strictly about Halloween, so I'm considering this a win for me. I lean more towards the original because I love all the creepy voices singing. Although there are a ton of amazing covers.

Thriller - Michael Jackson.

It's literally not spooky season until I've sat down and watched all thirteen minutes of this music video. When I say that no one was doing it like Michael Jackson, I mean it. With a breakdown by Vincent Price, this song is truly a cut above the rest. It is my absolute favorite Halloween song and I'm really not kidding how many times I listen to this through September and October.

The music video scared the heck out of me growing up though.

Almost Halloween - Panic! At the Disco

Way back when, twelve years ago, when there were four members to the group and after their second album; they for some reason came out with this. It's goofy and is very heavy on Ryan Ross' vocals, but it's a fun song to vibe with coming up to the holiday.

Monster Mash.

I have no idea what this song is really about, I feel like that's an argument that I've been seeing on tiktok lately. But it's a great song. A classic, and one that I think you can enjoy at every age. I'm not going to pretend I have the understanding of what the Monster Mash is but I know it's a Graveyard Smash.

Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.

I'm not the biggest fan of Ghostbusters but I can't pretend like this song isn't just amazing. Ray Parker Jr really makes this a funky little song about calling dudes that will shoot nuclear strings of light at dead people. It really doesn't have any business being this good of a song. I feel like it's a necessity for the season to listen to this at least one time. Even if you're watching the movie with this.

Hex Girls.

Introduced to us through Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost, the Hex Girls have a pretty great song for us to meet them through. They're spooky, but cool. And if you're a queer kid that was growing up in the early 2000s, you definitely enjoyed this movie than the other Scooby Doo animated movies that came out around this time.

Goosebumps Theme.

The song is just a good, spooky song. And it has some history of being a meme, specifically on vine and twitter. It's just a fun song that a lot of us younger millenials/older gen-zs remember listening to. Every Goosebump episode was a goofy fun time, and I think that's portrayed pretty well through the song.

There's so many great songs that could be listed here, but here are some of my 'This Absolutely Should Be Listened To' Halloween songs.