Happy Howl-oween!

Coming in at 31 songs and just under 2 hours long, here is the playlist I created for the “Graveyard Smash” 2021 challenge on Vocal.media! It’s not just a playlist made for boo-geying, however, as a good Halloween playlist - to me - should always include at least one track that tells a story! I am also a huge fan of remixes and alternative versions and am versed in multiple versions of many songs, so while the titles may look familiar, be advised most versions here are not the most well-known or popular.

The story is simple, and woven between track listings in italics. I hope readers and listeners have a howling good time!

1) “The Legend 2007” (Featuring Don Julin) by Steve Cook

The playlist begins with the 2007 version of “The Legend” by Steve Cook. This strange story-telling style song follows the emergence and subsequent reappearances of “dog men” which occur every 10 years from 1887 through 2007. The only way to make this beginning entry any spookier would be if it were 2027 - the seventh year, during which the creatures would presumably reappear. This 2007 version tacks on a few extra lines from the original versions of 1987, creating a continuation of the legend’s growth.

The guests begin to appear as the daylight wanes, wary of the eyes staring back from within the foliage surrounding the cabin. Some seem to stand much taller than should be expected of the usual wildlife….

2) “This is Halloween” by Marilyn Manson

Whatever the opinion is on Marilyn Manson nowadays, the fact is this version of the famed movie’s opening tune from The Nightmare Before Christmas was included on bonus discs for a reason; this version absolutely slaps! It’s familiar enough that those who wish to can sing right along, but different enough to warrant a spot at the number two track - a fitting introduction to the following tracks.

The unsettling eyes outside are soon forgotten as music and scrumptious scents fill the cabin. Dozens of disguised humans mill around, examining the spooky decor set up for the festivities.

3) “Come Little Children” by Erutan

Hocus Pocus fans will recognize this hauntingly beautiful version of “Come Little Children” by Erutan. Though many recreations of the original exist, I find this one to be my personal favorite - even more than the movie version, which is a rarity!

A few small children race around, each holding their respective candy buckets. As they pass by dressed as ghouls and heroes, adults toss them treats.

4) “Black Shuck” by The Darkness

“Black Shuck” as in this song was said to be a massive black hound, who supposedly killed churchgoers in England before swatting the church door and fleeing in the midst of a terrible thunderstorm. Considered a Hellhound, “Black Shuck” is also sometimes used interchangeably with Hellhound. And The Darkness wants you to know, “That dog don’t give a fuck!”. Don’t forget to treat canine companions this Hallow’s Eve; it may be the only thing to spare you an untimely death at the jaws of this enigmatic hound.

Suddenly, a long, piercing howl makes itself known over the quieted music and the din of chatting people. Nervously, guests begin exchanging glances, laughing with uncertainty at the unexpected noises. Surely, they must be part of the atmosphere...

5) “Vampire Heart” by HIM

It’s not Halloween without the mention of the famed bloodsuckers, the Vampires! While it’s not exactly singing about the fanged creatures, this track earns its place for eerie, beautiful lyrics. With it’s slower pace, listeners can definitely, “Hold me, like you held onto life” with their sweetie!

Couples hold on tight on the dance floor as the howls continue throughout the party. While the host swears not to have anything to do with it, they do say they suspect teens from the local campgrounds.

6) “The Addams Family” by Andrew Gold

It’s Halloween time - how could we not “pay a call on” our dear, spooky friends, the Addams?! How deranged to suggest such a thing! This version includes some extra sound effects to add to the lighthearted fun.

More adventurous couples venture throughout the upper level of the cabin. A child runs screaming from one room, claiming a ghost has appeared. Upon investigating, the host finds a couple, dressed as Morticia and Gomez, looking for a little naughty fun beneath the dusty room’s bed sheets. Taxidermies decorate the walls and shelves.

7) “Black Spires” by Nox Arcana

Mostly instrumental with a healthy dose of choir-like chants, this song truly does inspire visages of dark, rising spires and inner passages of a castle! Shadows shirk away from torchlight in the mind’s eye as listeners frantically climb their way up the spiraling stone steps, continuing onwards.

A wayward flashlight spooks a family of bats housed in the chimney, and soon the entire cabin is filled with frantic screams and fluttering, confused bats. It takes half an hour to clear the frightened animals from the cabin and usher the people back in. The unsettling eyes in the woods are back, and now they are seen from all windows in the cabin.

8) “Monster Mash” by Jonathan Young

This version of the popular tune which inspired this challenge’s name by Jonathan Young is an impressive recreation. Jonathan has also recreated many famous songs from Disney movies, and he excels in attempts at songs sung by villains (I highly recommend checking out his first version of “Be Prepared” from The Lion King; he has two versions). His vocals in this version of “Monster Mash” do not disappoint!

Someone seeks to ease the discomfort, and the playlist is turned up to encourage the dancing to return. Even the amorous Gomez and Morticia pop back onto the dance floor.

9) “The Pine Barrens Blues” by Paul Evans Pedersen, Jr.

This tale-like song introduces listeners to the Jersey Devil, for which New Jersey’s hockey team is named. Legend has it that Mrs. Leeds fell pregnant with her 13th child and did not want it, and so cursed it. Upon its birth, the child transformed into a chimera-like beast, sporting a horrific combination of animal parts. The head of a horse, bat-like wings, and horns and hooves paint the image of the Pine Barrens’ local cryptid.

Scratching at the door suddenly draws the attention of the party. A curious host goes to check. Deep scratches mark the door, but no one is in sight. The host dismisses it as the teenagers again.

10) “It’s Terror Time Again” by Scud Lightning

Jinkies! Fans of "Scooby Doo", particularly the fan-favorite movie, Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, should recognize this tune as the main song played throughout the zombie chase on Moonscar Island. Scud Lightning’s version is just what the inner sleuth is looking for! Like, yikes!

The door suddenly flings open again, and in races a man wearing a cow costume. What can be seen of his face is drained of color, and he hyperventilates as he tries to communicate with the host.

11) “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult

Sometimes, a classic is a classic for a reason. As such, the popular Blue Öyster Cult song features here in all its glory, undisputedly the best version for this list! Take the hint and (Don’t Fear) the Reaper - meet him on the dance floor instead!

“A dog… a dog… a dog-man!” he finally announces. His outburst draws the attention of the entire party. Many laugh, but a few nod, wide-eyed.

12) “Deep Waters” by Grendel

A personal favorite, Grendel offers a feminine, creepy-sexy vibe that I totally drown in. This makes it fitting to represent all of those water dwellers lurking in the depths! Shake a fin!

A group of the braver few venture outside, into the dark. Odd prints in the dirt lead them down to the nearby pond. Water has been splashed far onto the bank, as though something large has recently jumped in.

13) "Fever Dream” by Tyler Bates

At number 13, we hear “Fever Dream” from the movie 300. This track makes itself known as a heavy instrumental that does indeed stir the mind with thoughts of nightmarish visitations. Fueling adrenaline, listeners may be left wondering if it is the song or the sugar making their hearts race.

Later in the night, the children awake, screaming. Adults pour into the room, gaping helplessly at the window the children point at with fear.

“A creature! Hairy! Dog-like!”

14) “Zombie” by Bad Wolves

At 14, we slow down with Bad Wolves’ more modern version of the song “Zombie” - the more popular and known version being that by The Cranberries. This track also serves to remind us that the greatest monsters are not those that lurk in the dark edges of forests, but rather walk among us.

Drunk, one adult ventures out to relieve himself when the line for the bathroom is too great. It isn’t long before he senses that he is being watched. The gaze feels predatory, and he quickly finishes his business and rushes back inside.

15) “Killer by Night” by A Pale Horse Named Death

This band has several songs that were big contenders for this playlist. “Killer by Night” eventually won out due to the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the main POV. Those dressed to kill will appreciate this killer track.

The adults begin playing a game; a murder mystery. The lights are off, save for a few candles and a handful of flashlights. Someone screams near a window, insisting they saw something outside, skulking in the wood-line.

16) “Dig Up Her Bones” by Misfits

Opening with howling, this creeptastic song puts one foot in the grave. There is something about the thought of exhuming bones that inspires reflections of the self; just what do we break down into after the fleeting beauty of flesh fades and deteriorates? What remains?

A second group ventures out, seeking answers to the night’s mounting mysteries. They too follow odd prints…

...And find human remains, picked over and scattered. They are old, but bear signs of being gnawed recently.

17) “Devil’s Choir” by Digital Daggers

Another feminine, sexy-creepy song, “Devil’s Choir” will have any “sexy” costume wearers shimmying out their best moves! Sweet, sweet, seduction…. Mind handing over the candy bowl? I’m drooling.

Inside, frisky couples continue their seductive dances. One woman struggles to pull away from her lover, insisting once she does that she saw something large and furry looking in at her. Like it wanted to eat her.

18) “The Lady Wore Black” by Queensrÿche

Here we meet another lady; this one a solemn soul dressed in black. And we learn that tangling with the sorrow of another can become an entrapment from which there is no escape. Ghosts and banshees rejoice; this song goes out to you!

The second group continues searching after finding the remains. They feel relentless eyes upon them, hear low moans…

Suddenly, a ghastly specter, donned in black, races towards them. They flee, fearful of the wretched wails the dark spirit utters.

19) “Copperhead Road” by D. B. Bryant Band

“Copperhead Road” may not seem like the most intuitive track to place in a Halloween playlist, but this song has always evoked that “cops and robbers” vibe in me! This version starts off with a short dedication, which I usually find precedes really good versions of any song. For the most part, the song is sung in the same fashion as the one by Steve Earle, with only a few places swapping out “Copperhead Road” for “Opossum Hollow” and “Vietnam” for “Afghanistan”. Safe to say, this has since become my favorite version of this song!

Inside, adults and children alike cower and hide. Hairy silhouettes and piercing eyes pass by each window. The host hides beneath one window, breath stilled as a looming shadow falls over her.

20) “Bloody Creature Poster Girl” by In This Moment

Really, what is it with women singing these songs that are creepy AND seductive? I couldn’t make this playlist and not include, “Bloody Creature Poster Girl”. If this doesn’t smack of every Carrie, female werewolf, vampire, or other disturbingly bloody women’s costumes, I don’t know what does. Bring on the (fake) blood! Drink it in.

The group outside rushes back into the cabin, fleeing the wailing ghost. Upon seeing another partygoer doused in fake blood, however, one passes out on the floor.

21) “Moondance” by Nightwish

Overall a softer entry, this instrumental encompasses what it means to dance beneath the pale moon. Listeners may find themselves longing to find a wooded clearing in which to dance with earthbound spirits.

Chaos ensues as the party-goers frantically race around the cabin, uncertain of where to go and where safety can be found. Cell phones have spotty service, and something large and hairy skulks around the cabin door.

22) “If I Only Were a Goth” by Thoushaltnot

Set to the tune of The Wizard of Oz’s “If I only Had a Brain”, this fun and quirky parody song pokes fun at the stereotypical Goth. As someone who dressed in black, leather collars, spikes, chains, and fishnet in high school and my twenties… ah, nostalgia. One day I'll pick them back up, but it’s hard to keep adopting that look with a house full of critters - particularly a large, white dog who sheds constantly. I used to joke about dressing up as a cheerleader, but it gets far too cold here for that nonsense on Halloween. I bet some cheerleader has dressed like a Goth, though!

A sudden, frightened duo of screams breaks through the pandemonium from outside, and footsteps thunder up to the cabin door before heavy, frantic pounding shakes the door.

“Let us in!” pleads a voice. The host cautiously cracks the door, and instantly two teenage boys push past and into the cabin. Both are fully dressed in black, their eyes ringed with black eyeliner and wide with terror.

23) “The Mermaid” by Martin Carthy & the Uk Group

Water-goers needed another track, and “The Mermaid” delivered! This song even pulls double duty between the half-human, half-fish, and as a pirate’s song!

The teens explain how they followed what they thought was a beautiful young woman down to the nearby pond - the same one one group had seen the water splashed upon the bank of. When they got there, however, they soon realized it was not a woman, but rather something predatory mimicking the form of one...

24) “Nightmare” by Avenged Sevenfold

“Nightmare” fits the mold for the asylum and prison systems and for killers. There is no gentle dreaming within this haunting melody - Freddy would be proud!

The children cower in a room upstairs. The eldest creeps over to the window to draw the curtains closed, and yells out as he does. Adults race up to the room to see what is wrong, and from it, the group can see several large, furry beasts skulking around the vehicles. One even digs its long claws into the side of a truck, scratching the metal with a horrendous sound.

25) “The Reaper and Tam McCorty” by The Rumjacks

The Reaper reappears in this track to haunt Tam McCorty, and he’s got some wisdom to share with both Tam and listeners! The upbeat tempo reminds us to live well and enjoy it while we can; we never know when the Reaper will come for us!

The group watches with horror when they realize that one of the group has risked sneaking out to their vehicle; a woman dressed as a cat shakes fearfully in her car, trying desperately to hunker down and avoid drawing the creatures’ attention.

“Why doesn’t she leave!?” exclaims one guest. A man behind him finds the woman’s purse on the table beside them, silently showing the rest the keys that are attached.

26) “Hero” by Weezer

(Super)heroes rejoice - this is your song! Everyone needs a hero, right? Right? Well, maybe not if you are a hero…. But at least it reminds listeners to stay humble! “With great power…”, after all. Sometimes it’s better to walk alone and make our own path.

The woman’s boyfriend, dressed as Batman, dashes out waving a baseball bat he’s found. The creatures gather around him, but are made to give him some berth as he swings wildly. Reaching the car, he pulls his partner out and the two flee back inside the cabin, three of the massive beasts on their heels.

27) “Power of Darkness” by Two Steps From Hell

This instrumental track goes on to show the power of darkness; it is as deep and impenetrable as darkness itself. Complex, mysterious, and tinged with the dangers of the unknowns, this song leaves no doubt about the influence and fear of the dark. Or, rather, what lies within the dark.

The party-goers huddle on the upper floor in silence. All candles have extinguished and only a few flashlights still work, leaving much of the cabin in darkness. The lights have been turned off in the hopes that maybe the creatures may lose interest, but time and again the group hears the tell-tale sounds of shuffling and eager sniffing outside in the dirt.

28) “Immortals” Remix by Fall Out Boy, Black Thought, B Wheezy

Whether ghost, god, vampire, or any other seemingly immortal being, this remix will be both at once familiar and strange. And will also remind us of our short, mortal lives - but with style!

The teenagers worry about friends they had been separated from earlier in the night. When no one has heard any noise for an hour, they slip out unnoticed and return to the woods, determined to find their peers. One carries a fire poker and the other a knife tied and taped to a broom handle.

29) “Only if for a Night” by Florence + the Machine

We begin winding down with a more sweetly solemn song featuring a practical ghost. Listeners be warned, however; they may feel the need to perform cartwheels in the local graveyard!

The teens stumble upon an old graveyard as they seek out their scattered friends. A shadow moves behind a headstone, and they brace for an encounter with the large, hairy things that have hunted them throughout the night. Instead, one after another, their missing friends appear, gratefully hugging each other. Together, they begin a tense return to the cabin, hoping to make it out with the group of party-goers.

30) “Zombie Prostitute” by Aurelio Voltaire

This comical take on undead prostitution will have listeners falling to pieces! While the questionable actions of the singer may make listeners ask if they have the stomach for it, he more than pays for it by the punch line!

The group of teens reaches the cabin just as daylight breaks. The rest are hurriedly jumping into their cars, and the teens bolt to a large van before the driver can leave without them.

“Hey, hey! Let us in!” cries one. The driver lets them in; a known prostitute, still donning her zombie apparel. The kids pile in, and the convoy of fleeing vehicles speeds off.

31) “The Legend ll: the Sigma Story 1989” by Steve Cook

To close off this playlist, we circle back to near where we began. In this follow-up piece to the early versions of “The Legend”, we are introduced to a town called Sigma. The song details how the 300 souls of Sigma left the town abandoned after strange happenings occur just like in the original song! And it departs, once more, the best advice you’ll ever get; “Don’t go out at night”.

No one returns to the cabin and the nearby camp shuts down. Despite the decrepit state the building falls into, curious groups of teens and young adults still venture out after word of the incident gets out. The cabin door has since been broken, and in the dirt blown across the floors, strange, dog-like tracks are left…

...with an upright gait.

Howling for more? In 2020, I created in-game events for World of Warcraft in my Event and Giveaway Discord server: a Hallow’s End (World of Warcraft version of Halloween) Kids’ event and a Hallow’s End Garrison event. Below, I’ve included the links to both of these playlists as well!

Hallow’s End 2020 Kid’s Event Playlist: 21 songs, ~ 1 Hr, 10 Min.

Hallow’s End 2020 Garrison Event Playlist: 112 songs, ~ 7 Hrs, 15 Min.