A Halloween party playlist has a hard job. It has to be spooky enough to count, danceable enough to keep the room moving and recognizable enough that your uncle doesn’t ask what’s playing. Ten songs can do all three if you choose well.
These are ordered roughly the way a good party flows: warm-up, peak, then the moment when somebody’s mom takes over the speaker. Each one comes with the story behind it, so you can sound smart while someone’s hunting for the chip dip.
“Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett (1962)
The granddaddy of Halloween songs. Bobby Pickett did a Boris Karloff impression, put it over a dance-craze beat and the result climbed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1962, which is about as perfectly timed as a novelty record can get.
It’s silly, it’s short and everyone knows the words to the chorus. Play it early, when the room still needs an easy win, and let the older guests feel like they’ve been invited to something.
“Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. (1984)
The theme to the movie hit number one in 1984, which means a song that asks “who you gonna call?” was answered by an enormous number of record buyers. Ray Parker Jr. wrote it quickly to fit the film, and the music video is a cameo parade.
It famously got Parker into a legal fight with Huey Lewis, who said it sounded like his hit “I Want a New Drug.” The case was settled out of court. None of that matters when the chorus kicks in and a room full of adults points at the ceiling in unison.
“Thriller” by Michael Jackson (1982)
The title track of one of the best-selling albums ever, written by Rod Temperton, with a spoken-word rap by horror legend Vincent Price. The song comes from the 1982 album, and the nearly 14-minute short film that turned it into a cultural event came out in December 1983.
There is no better song for the peak of the night. If anyone at your party knows the zombie dance, give them the floor, and if nobody does, give them a cold drink and a ten-minute tutorial. Either way, it’s the one record guaranteed to get your guests moving.
“This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Danny Elfman wrote the songs for Tim Burton’s stop-motion musical, and the opening number is a roll call of every creature under your bed, each one proud of how scary they are. It also doubles as the best advertisement for Halloween Town you’ll ever hear.
It works on any playlist because it feels like a parade. Slot it where the party needs a change of pace, and if there are kids around, it won’t scare them. They’ll just start naming the monsters.
“Time Warp” by the cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Richard O’Brien wrote Rocky Horror for the stage in 1973 and the film followed in 1975. “The Time Warp” is a dance with instructions built into the lyrics, which is the single best thing a party song can be.
It’s gloriously weird and perfect for a costume party, because half your guests are already dressed like they’re in it. Put it on when you need people to stand up, because the song tells them exactly what to do.
“Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell (1984)
A paranoid synth-pop hit about being watched by neighbors, mailmen and everybody else. Rockwell was Kennedy Gordy, the son of Motown founder Berry Gordy, and Michael Jackson sings the chorus, a favor between family friends.
It’s the perfect creepy-but-fun song. The groove is irresistible, and the lyrics are funny enough that you can sing along without feeling like you’re in a horror movie. It also doubles as a good prompt for someone at the party to do a dramatic over-the-shoulder look.
“Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon (1978)
Warren Zevon’s hit from the album Excitable Boy is a piano-driven rock song about a hairy fellow who strolls through London looking for a drink, and the howl in the chorus is an invitation. It remained Zevon’s only Top 40 single.
This is the one for the older guests who think your playlist is too young. It rocks, it’s actually funny and the “ah-hoo” is irresistible. Place it in the middle of the night, when people have had a drink and are ready to sing.
“Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo (1985)
The title track of a 1985 Oingo Boingo album, fronted by Danny Elfman, the same man who wrote the songs for The Nightmare Before Christmas. The song is a lively, horn-heavy new-wave track about a party that’s literally for the dead, and it shows up in the 1986 comedy Back to School.
It’s got the best title for a party playlist, and it’s perfectly danceable. Put it right after “Thriller” for the guests who are still warming up and want something a bit weirder.
“Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
John Fogerty wrote this, and it’s famously cheerful for a song about hurricanes, lightning and general doom. It’s also home to one of the great misheard lyrics, “there’s a bathroom on the right,” which is what a lot of people swear they hear instead of “there’s a bad moon on the rise.”
It brings the whole room together, because the tune is so friendly. It’s the song you use to cool the party down a notch without losing anyone, and the misheard lyric gives you a free joke.
“I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (1956)
Hawkins wrote and recorded it in 1956, and the story goes that the record label plied the band with drink and the take turned into the howling mess we know. He then built an entire stage persona around coffins and a skull on a stick.
Many covers followed, including Nina Simone’s in the 1960s and Bette Midler’s version as Winifred Sanderson in Hocus Pocus. Play any of them to close the night, because it’s a spell and a goodnight in the same song.