Best of AC Content: Halloween Music 2009

What would Halloween be without its sinister soundtrack? If you're one of those putting together a playlist for this October 31, look no further than these articles for the best ghoulish tracks out there.

1. Top 10 Halloween Songs: Halloween Music To Make Your Guests Scream with Delight by Bridgitte Williams

Ms. Williams suggests a wide variety of demonic tunes for Halloween. Her top pick is Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (and why not honor the man who brought us this all-time great?). Her list also contains many rock and metal gems, such as White Zombie's "I'm Your Boogieman"; Alice Cooper's "Welcome To My Nightmare"; Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon"; and AC/DC's "Hell's Bells." Check out the full article for more spooky suggestions.

2. Top Horror Soundtracks for Halloween Music by Wendy Dawn

Dawn takes a slightly different approach to her Halloween sound-search. She recommends her "Top Ten Songs and Soundtracks for Halloween Music," including Halloween and Halloween II; Psycho: The Original Motion Picture Score (and that's the remake); John Carpenter's The Fog; and The Exorcist: Music Excerpts.

Simply reading the article brings forth echoes of the terrifying Halloween theme song and The Exorcist's "Tubular Bells." All in all, a great list and a fun read.

3. Top 10 Halloween Songs; The Best Halloween Music by Diana Richardson

Not only does Richardson list her favorite Halloween songs, but she also includes links to Amazon.com pages where the music can be purchased.

While she includes some of the expected classics, such as "Thriller" and "Monster Mash," she throws in a few unforeseen ideas as well: "Abracadabra," by the Steve Miller Band; "I Put a Spell on You," by Screamin' Jay Hawkins; and the theme song from Beetlejuice, by Danny Elfman.

4. The Groovy Top Ten of Halloween Music by Boris Lugosi Sr.

I know what you're thinking...any relation to Bela Lugosi? Boris doesn't say, but his only piece of content thus far is this excellent list of Halloween songs.

Among his unusual selection is "Bela Lugosi's Dead," by Bauhaus, a dark industrial anthem; "Satan Takes a Holiday," performed by Anton Szandor LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan; "Tubular Bells Pt. 1 (Theme from The Exorcist)" by Mike Oldfield; and "Witchcraft," by Frank Sinatra.

The article is very well-written and provides some great background information on all the songs, in addition to having some choices that only a few other AC authors have included.

5. The Top 10 Halloween Songs by Maxine Nelson

Although Nelson's list also includes a few Halloween clichés, her article is skillfully written and entertaining to read, and for that she deserves kudos.

Ms. Nelson recommends such tunes as "Frankenstein," the wild wah-wah guitar-backed theme by The Edgar Winter Group; "People Are Strange" by The Doors; "Black Magic Woman" by Santana; and "Running with the Devil" by Van Halen. Just about all of these songs are great fun, while still having a chill-inducing edge to them.

6. Best Halloween Songs with a Devil Theme by K. Bellamy

"Planning a playlist of Halloween songs is more fun if you can vary the selections," says Bellamy. I couldn't agree more.

Out of everyone on this list, Bellamy has come up with some of the most startling song titles. As the article's title states, all of these songs include Lucifer in them somewhere, such as "Devil with a Blue Dress On" by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels; "Shout at the Devil" by Mötley Crüe; "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones; and "Devil Inside" by INXS. Go ahead and amuse yourself by reading through this article; these just may become part of your Halloween soundtrack.

7. Compendium of the Best Halloween Songs from Various Genres by Carly Cretney

Ah...another highly original list. Cretney compiles some favorites from classic rock, hardcore, and punk for a damn good Halloween party.

Examples, you ask? "Die, Die My Darling" by The Misfits; "Goo Goo Muck" by The Cramps; "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo; "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones; and "Pet Cemetery" by the Ramones. If, by chance, you haven't heard some of these, you definitely should. And you should also stop by Cretney's page to check out more of her ingenious work.

8. Sophisticated Halloween Songs by K. Bellamy

Yes, although K. Bellamy already has one article on this list, this one, too, provides great examples of Halloween music that may not have occurred to you.

Like Boris Lugosi above, Bellamy suggests the song "Witchcraft," either sung by Sinatra or Nancy Wilson. Also on this "sophisticated" playlist are such melodies as "Spooky" and "This Masquerade" by saxophonist David Sanborn; "I Put a Spell on You," as performed by Queen Latifah; "Halloween" by Donald Rubinstein; and "The Spooky Blues" by the Vampire Trio.

Not only might this list make perfect background music or a Halloween dinner party; it just may expand your musical palette overall.

9. Top 10 Halloween Songs by Matthew Stoker

Stoker, like many others on this list, has come up with some very original ideas for a Halloween soundtrack.

Though there are a few of the popular favorites here, Stoker includes such greats as "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder; "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell, featuring Michael Jackson; "Tombstone" by Suzanne Vega; and "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend," written by Stan Jones and performed by a number of greats.

Stoker, at the end of his list, makes #10 a tie between the theme song from Beetlejuice and the Bette Midler version of "I Put a Spell on You." Feel free to disagree with him, but this is one awesome list.

10. Top 10 Halloween Songs from Someone Who Celebrates Halloween Everyday by Amanda King

"Maybe I take Halloween too seriously, but the traditional spooky songs and Halloween song soundtracks sold in stores...just don't get me in the mood for the season," says King.

Couldn't agree with you more, Ms. King. Her rockin' Halloween list is made up of essentials such as The Misfits' "Halloween," with lyrics like "Candy apples and razor blades"; "This Is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas, specifically the cover by Marilyn Manson; and "Everyday is Halloween" by Ministry.

Amanda King's playlist is clearly with those who need some metal barbs to pierce their Halloween night. Trust me, she knows her stuff.

There You Have It

So these, in my humble opinion, are the Top 10 Halloween Music Pieces for this year. Read them, and you're likely to discover songs in almost all genres, including country, hardcore punk, industrial, and metal. And now, rest assured that you can at least have your personal soundtrack taken care of before the 31^st.