Shine on Vocal Readers

As the nights draw in, and an eerie orange glow from the streetlight illuminates the blanket of fog creeping up my driveway, I sit in the sanctuary of my bedroom listening to the claps of thunder which are fast approaching, and the rain as it taps on my window. Every few minutes my room is suddenly filled with white light, as lightning strikes the corpse of the oak tree stood skeletal at the edge of my property before I am again relying on the fairy lights that hang on my ceiling.

‘Isn’t the view beautiful? It takes my breath away. Well, it would if I had any.” – Corpse Bride.

The vibes this autumnal evening are immaculate, filling me with so much joy, as I feel Halloween approaching. Now all I need is the perfect playlist to capture and enhance this ambiance.

As Beetlejuice would announce: ‘It’s showtime!’ Over the last few days, I have carefully developed a playlist that combines the classic horror movie tracks, spooky sound effects, and nostalgic Halloween tracks for all to enjoy, whatever their plans are this spooky season.

Check it out: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LAAtt1GsMDgtkirs1Dhw9?si=d617a6178d734ee0

I will begin with disturbing instrumental tracks, and those with a slower tempo, perfect for background music and creating an atmosphere. As the playlist goes on the tempo will build up, making it the perfect playlist for your Halloween Event of the year. As people loosen up, people start to dance, and the party builds up so does the music, concluding with a selection of party anthems with a sinister twist.

The Haunting of Hill House Soundtrack (Newton Brothers)

The eerily beautiful story of ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ and its accompanying ominous soundtrack, will automatically get you into the Halloween spirit. My personal favourite songs include, ‘The Haunting of Hill House/ Bly Manor (Main Titles)’, ‘Come Home’, ‘The Red Room’ and ‘Luke’. Each track is unique yet they all carry the same ambiance. This soundtrack would perfectly set the scene at any Halloween Event, with each song gracefully blending into the next.

If you haven’t watched the show (or the two following series, ‘Haunting of Bly Manor’ and ‘Midnight Mass’) or listened to the soundtrack I would definitely recommend that you do this October. It will blow your mind!

Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Newton Brothers)

I also recommend this spectacular soundtrack produced by the Newton Brothers. If you are an avid horror fan, you will definitely instantly recognise the 2019 Stephen King adaptation these songs are from. The Doctor Sleep (sequel to The Shining) Soundtrack cleverly incorporates the original shining theme into the opening of the movie and as the characters return to the infamous Overlook Hotel. If you prefer the classics, I have also added the original ‘Shining’ main theme.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt.2 Soundtrack (Alexandre Desplat)

We are now going to fly over to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. From the eight Harry Potter movies there are an array of mystical tracks for us to enjoy this spooky season. I have selected some of the most unnerving tracks from my favourite movie, ‘Deathly Hallows, Part 2’. Personally, whilst some of these songs have dire connotations to tragic moments within the story, when I hear them I get chills and am instantly comforted by its familiarity.

Stranger things Soundtrack (Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein)

The Global Phenomena Stranger Things is one of the most watched Netflix Series’ of all time! The soundtrack is captivating, combining synth work and 80s classics to reflect the retro yet supernatural theme of the show. I have included ‘Stranger things’, ‘Kids’, ‘The Upside Down’, and ‘Aftermath’.

Coraline Soundtrack (Assorted Artists)

As an eight-year-old Coraline acted as a gateway to my love of horror. Coraline, a young girl discovers a hidden door in her new house to a fantasy version of her life, whilst the other world is everything she desires, it is in fact a much darker world than she anticipated. The incidental music which corresponds with this stop-motion movie, creates the perfect spine-chilling playlist to be used as background music this October.

IT Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Benjamin Wallfisch)

The 2017 Remake and 2019 sequel of Steven King’s ‘It’, tells the horrific tale of a murderous clown called Pennywise which returns every 27 years to terrorise the town of Derry. It follows seven children, the ‘loser club’ as they fight against their demons. The menacing soundtrack for both movies includes a range of tracks from ‘Every 27 Years’, ‘You’ll float too’, ‘Georgie’s Theme’ to ‘Yellow raincoat’, ‘Epilogue’ and ‘27 years later’, all of which I have added to the playlist.

Jaws Main Title (John Williams)

The infamous Jaws Title theme, from Steven Spielberg’s 1975 Thriller would be the perfect addition to your playlist. This theme by John Williams won an Oscar for best original score and would add the suspense you need to enhance your Halloween playlist.

Halloween Theme Main title (John Carpenter)

One of the most recognisable themes tunes on this playlist is for the 70s Horror movie, 'Halloween', which was composed and performed by John Carpenter. Whilst the original movies are outdated, they are still widely popular, with recent new releases attracting new fans to the franchise.

I Don’t Want to Set the World On Fire (The Ink Spots)

This creepy track has become incredibly popular on the horror side of TikTok recently. If you were to listen to this song alone in the darkness, you would certainly be unnerved.

Daisy Belle (Lil Godd)

This eerie song incorporates the original horror song created by Harry Dacre, which in all its variations has been used on multiple shows and movies, including Scream the TV show. Recently the end of this track has become an extremely popular sound on TikTok, just like the previous track.

Cigarette Duet (Princess Duet)

Another popular spooky song on social media is Cigarette Duet, used frequently on the horror side of TikTok again, over the top of videos with sinister backstories. So, whilst the song may seem innocent when you read the lyrics, as it appears a couple is simply discussing the health implications smoking can have on them, the song now has disturbing connotations.

Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me (Tiny Tim)

One of the most unsettling items on this list is ‘Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me, is made up of extremely lively lyrics, whilst the tone and the atmosphere it creates is extremely disturbing, which makes it the perfect addition to this list.

Bury a friend (Billie Eilish)

Billie described the meaning behind her 2019 hit as ‘how similar a nightmare can be to your real life can be’ and ‘finding yourself in a situation you wish you could wake up from’. The dark nature of this song, and the creepy music video that accompanies it certainly adds the scare factor we are searching for this October.

Every Breath You Take – Remastered 2003 (The Police)

Most people believe ‘Every Breath You Take’ to be an innocent song about love however if you listen intently to the lyrics, you can’t help but notice that the character may have more sinister intentions. When Sting wrote this song, he found himself slipping into a dark place as he fought for control, following the divorce from his wife. This carries through to the song’s theme with lyrics such as ‘I’ll be watching you, every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you’. Regardless, the song is massively popular within all generations, therefore it will certainly spark a positive response.

Zombie (The Cranberries)

‘Zombie’ written by the Irish band ‘The Cranberries’ in the 90s, was inspired by the conflict in Northern Island between the Nationalists and Unionists and was dedicated to two young boys killed in an IRA Bombing in Warrington, England. Today people tend to misconstrue the meaning, however the song can be interpreted to describe an apocalyptic world, which is why I thought it would complement this playlist well.

Monsters (Ruelle) and Spectacular Rival (George Ezra)

I decided to add these two darker modern pop songs, which featured in the Netflix Original TV Show version of Scream (one of my favourite series of all time), to build the atmosphere I am aiming for.

The Monster (Eminem, Rihanna)

Whilst the song is actually about battling your inner demons and the negative implications of fame, the song references Monsters which is why it is a popular song around the Halloween season. Caution: Mild Swearing

Disturbia (Rihanna)

Similarly, another one of Rhianna’s hit songs, ‘Disturbia’, is based anxiety, and distress, however the freaky and catchy tune, means it is consistently on everyone’s Halloween playlist.

Suicide Squad: The Album (Assorted Artists)

The Suicide Squad movies are about a team of Supervillains, that the government sends to fight evil forces. If you haven’t watched them, I recommend that you check them out, I’m obsessed! Not just with the movie and the characters but also their elite soundtracks. My favourites include ‘You don’t own me’, ‘Sucker for Pain’, ‘Heathens’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘Sympathy for the Devil’.

Ghostbusters (Ray Parker Jr.)

This timeless tune is certain to get the party started, whether your guests are fans of the original 80s movies and/or the newer movies. Ray Parker Jr. was given only two and a half days to create the song. Two months after the original theme tune was released in 1984, it spent a few weeks at number 1, and has been popular ever since due to its catchy tune and simplicity.

This is Halloween (Marilyn Manson)

Originating from the Disney Movie Nightmare before Christmas, ‘This is Halloween’ is one of the most popular Halloween songs, especially amongst children. I chose to add the Marilyn Manson version as it is more disturbing than the original.

Monster Mash (Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers)

One of the greatest Halloween songs ever created has been extremely popular every Halloween Season for the last 60 years. It includes references to monsters, vampires, ghouls, and zombies, and is popular amongst all age groups.

Highway to Hell (AC/DC)

Described online as ‘a monster of its era’, ‘Highway to hell’ is still a popular rock track, especially on Halloween. It appears in a vast array of TV shows and Movies, including the film ‘Final Destination 2’ back in 2003. This anthem will have your party guests screaming along!

Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran Duran)

Inspired by the infamous Brother Grimm fairy-tale ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’ is another popular Halloween Party Groove, riddled with lustful metaphors. This one is a definite crowd pleaser!

Thriller (Michael Jackson)

If you are looking for a spooky party song that carries a lot of nostalgia from Halloween Discos growing up, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, would be the perfect addition to your Halloween Playlist.

Somebody’s Watching Me (Rockwell)

In contrast to ‘Every Breath You Take’, ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’ is sung from the perspective of a person who believes someone is watching them, and the paranoia he is feeling because of this, adding an additional element of mania.

Time Warp (Little Nell, Patricia Quinn, Richard O’Brien)

From the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the song and dance number ‘Time warp’, is iconic! Whether you and your guests know the simple dance routine that goes with the song, or it inspires you to have a good boogie, it is a wonderful addition to our Halloween playlist.

Midnight City (M83)

The Electronic song ‘Midnight City’, by French band M83, whilst not a spooky song per se, ‘Midnight City’ is about how the city comes alive at night, which fits the theme across this list. The song is also a popular dance track, so will encourage people onto the dance floor, bringing your party to life.

All that is left for me to say is Happy Halloween! I hope this playlist helps you savour the holiday season this October!