Top Ten Halloween Rock Songs for Your Grown-Up Halloween Party

This mix is for the grown-ups. Well hell, you can play them for your children if you don't mind waking up to screaming every hour. I can remember loving Freddy Krueger and Tales From the Crypt when I was little, but I was a "different" type of kid. I don't think I'll let my unborn son enjoy the same things, if I can help it. Plus, my wife would kill me. She hates Freddy and the Crypt Keeper. Some of my picks come from movie soundtracks, which is not all that surprising if you know me. These tracks are great to play at your Halloween party. Or if you are teen and your parents are out of town... You know...

#10. Sweet Dreams - Marilyn Manson
I usually dislike cover songs, but Manson does this one justice. In fact, for Halloween, this one is much creepier. It drips creep. You may feel like you need to take a shower after you hear it.

#9. Down With the Sickness - Disturbed
Man this song was cool when it first came out. I was in high school and it may be strange that my first memory of the track was me and my girlfriend (now my wife) making out in our friend's car while we rode through the country. It wouldn't matter what was playing on the radio then, but it was near Halloween if I recall correctly.

#8. In Dreams - Roy Orbison
If you've heard this song or if you are a Roy Orbison fan, you may not understand why this is on the list. If you are a movie fan and you've seen Blue Velvet, you'll say, damn that song kind of freaks me out. I did test the creepiness the other night when I played it loud while my wife was taking a shower. She has never seen Blue Velvet but the song did indeed freak her out.

#7. An Cat Dubh - U2
It sounds like The Cure to me, but it is a cool and kind of creepy U2 song. I don't know what else to say about this one, but it blends well with the crowd. The title means "The Black Cat" in Irish.

#6. Youth of America - Birdbrain
This song was featured in the Scream soundtrack. It is a forgotten gem from the 90's. Interestingly enough it was featured in the party scene. It really brings about images of doomed teens and that cynical f-k everything attitude from the post-grunge generation.

#5. Goodbye Horses - Q Lazzarus
Ah, it will forever be known as the Silence of the Lambs song or as the kids like to call it, that weiner tuck dance song. Yes, Buffalo Bill enjoyed sewing his woman flesh suit together, putting on lipstick, daydreaming in the mirror, and tucking his junk while dancing to this sleeper hit. It has gained more popularity recently due to a reference in Clerks II and being featured in the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto 4. It took me forever to find it a few years ago, but you may have better luck now. By the way, when I started this song and disrobed to tuck-dance in front of the bathroom mirror, my wife refused to pull back the shower curtain until I stopped the music and left the room.

#4. Closer - Nine Inch Nails
This one has a cool beat and unforgettable lyrics by Trent Reznor. I've heard it is about heroin, but you could also see your favorite serial killer rocking down the road to this one. It is one of the most hardcore songs from the band, but it still gets played on alternative radio stations more than their "safe" work." The video is freaky as hell too.

#3. I Love the Dead - Alice Cooper
Here is one for all the ladies. Amazon called this one, "probably the prettiest ode to necrophilia ever recorded." Apparently there are many more. Check the links for a Wiki page. It may be a little weird, but this is a cool song. My mom told me about this one. No seriously. She did. Alice Cooper was very popular in the 70's. Anyway, you can download the song for $0.99 on Amazon or iTunes. The whole Billion Dollar Babies album is worth a listen.

#2. Lullaby - The Cure
I don't know if this was in a movie, but I love this song. It is creepy and kind of pretty at the same time. The video is a bit unsettling as well. Not too uncommon for them, but this song really does set the mood.

#1. Dragula - Rob Zombie
Nobody does over-the-top B-Movie monster rock like Rob Zombie. This was the first song I ever heard by him and it is still my favorite. Check his movies out also. You can make a whole Halloween mix from this guy alone. Start your mix out with this and people will be head banging.