Top Ten Halloween Songs, an Eclectic Mix

Around Halloween there are many accoutrements to set that creepy feeling. People decorate their houses with fake tombstones, scarecrows, and even large balloons that look like Frankenstein and other monsters. If you're looking to set a spooky mood for a Halloween party, get those costumed lazybones' out on the dance floor, or just entertain trick-or-treaters, here are 10 songs that will get those kiddies or your party guests jumping at shadows or dancing (depending on their mood):

10) Abracadabra, Steve Miller. This title track from the eponymous 1982 album is a pop title that goes well with the lighter moments of Halloween.

9) Toccata in C minor from Suite Gothique, Leon Boellmann. The poor stepchild of Halloween organ music when compared with Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, this piece still manages to be significantly creepy.

8) Hell, Squirrel Nut Zippers. This swing tune is a good one for dancing and actually warns unbelievers of eternal damnation. Play this when you want to up the tempo.

7) Ave Satani, Jerry Goldsmith. This Oscar-nominated song from the Oscar-winning soundtrack from the movie "The Omen" is an unabashedly evil chant. The Latin lyrics, though probably not understood by most, are sung with such sweeping grandeur that the wickedness comes through despite the difference in language.

6) The Song of the Volga Boatmen, Mily Balakirev. This creepy Russian song has always sounded to me like something that ought to be played at a funeral. Not knowing Russian helps, as this song is about guys loading trees on to barges, which would kind of take away from the eeriness.

5) The Twilight Zone TV theme song, Marius Constant. This isn't the sort of moody, haunting song that introduced the show on the first season. This is the jangling, psychotic intro song that began during the show's second season and continued on to its end. A combination of the bizarre and terrifying, this wordless piece makes for excellent Halloween music.

4) Phantom of the Opera, sung by Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. The most notable song from the famous musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, this song is the perfect combination of ancient haunting and modern theatre.

3) Anything by Alice Cooper. While most of his music isn't for dancing, it's Halloween through and through. From Billion Dollar Babies to Feed my Frankenstein (which is actually a cover of a Zodiac Mindwarp song), Alice is the first modern-day goth. (Besides, how could I not include a guy that went to school down the street from me?)

2) Monster Mash, Bobby "Boris" Pickett. While not at all scary, this 1962 song will certainly coax all those costumed cavorters out onto the dance floor of your Halloween party. Covered by the likes of The Misfits, Vincent Price, and Mannheim Steamroller, this quirky tune embodies all that is fun about Halloween.

1) The toccata and fugue in D minor for organ, Johann Sebastian Bach. Probably the single most-played piece of music around Halloween, this masterpiece has been featured in such movies as Fantasia and Rollerball and often accompanies the opening to many midnight movie programs. It is, and likely will always be, Halloween's theme song.

Holidays can get boring fast without the right music. Check out these songs and come up with a unique play list for your Halloween festivities.