Music
10 Halloween-Themed Music Videos for Your October Playlists
Halloween may be a little different this year, but it can never be canceled. It’s a way of life, after all. Pumpkins need carving, horror movies need watching, and treats need to be made and consumed. Not feeling it? Well, what better way to set the mood than with Halloween music?
Year after year, the requisite songs can feel a little stale. Much love to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Bobby Pickett’s “Monster Mash” – truly, they’re classics for a reason- but we’re expanding beyond the tried and true favorites this year. Even better, we’re making it visual.
These ten delightfully spooky music videos will help evoke the October spirit….
Carpenter Brut feat. Mat McNerney- “Beware the Beast” (NSFW)
This catchy tune makes for a good Halloween playlist addition on its own, though its lyrics aren’t particularly tailored toward the holiday. That’s where the very NSFW video comes in; it’s a greatest hits montage of heavy metal horror, kicking off with Black Roses. The final film featured? Trick or Treat.
Ryan Adams – “Gimme Something Good”
Ryan Adams is a fan of Halloween if his song “Halloweenhead” is any indication. “Gimme Something Good” is a moody melody with an equally gloomy video. The featured appearance by the Mistress of the Dark, Elvira, pushes this over into seasonal playlist fare.
The Killers – “Bones”
If you’re in the mood for a romantic song with a retro, drive-in kind of vibe, then “Bones” is a great addition. Plus, dancing skeletons are so very Halloween appropriate.
Billy Idol – “Dancing with Myself”
Aside from another upbeat bop that you can dance to, this Billy Idol song doesn’t exactly scream Halloween. The video, however, feels perfect for 2020’s Halloween. A post-apocalyptic setting sees Billy Idol surrounded by zombies who want to party. This might be an ‘80s video, but it thematically feels very much of this year.
Nekromantix – “Gargoyles Over Copenhagen”
This psychobilly band leans hard into horror all year-round, so you could take your pick and still nail that Halloween vibe. Especially their Halloween specific song, “Trick or Treat.” Except that one doesn’t have an official music video. “Gargoyles Over Copenhagen” does, and it’s fantastic for the spooky season.
The Misfits – “Scream”
Sure, there’s the obvious song choice, “Halloween,” but like Nekromantix, the band’s entire identity is steeped in horror, which means that you could pick and choose your favorite for your Halloween playlist. “Scream” is an earworm tune with fun zombie mayhem unleashed in a hospital.
Rob Zombie – “Living Dead Girl”
A Halloween playlist for the horror fan would feel a bit incomplete without a track by one of music’s most avid Halloween fans. He even eloped on Halloween. Again, there could be numerous songs of his that would fit, but we’re going with this The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari inspired video for maximum creep factor.
Clipping. – “Nothing is Safe”
The entire lyrical-based video from this experimental hip hop group emulates John Carpenter’s Halloween opening credits. Even the iconic notes permeate the song. It’s perfectly suited for October, ominous lyrics and all.
Lordi – “Would You Love a Monsterman?”
Before winning Eurovision in 2006 with “Hard Rock Hallelujah,” the Finnish metal band broke out with this horror-centric song. Their Eurovision success meant a second take on this song’s music video, which gave it a Halloween makeover.
Helloween – “Halloween”
This German power metal band adores the holiday, both in name and songwriting. It’s one big ‘80s metal love letter to Halloween. Complete with a mention of Charlie Brown, of course.
It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.
Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.
Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.
“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.
“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”
You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…
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