STORY BY MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER
For 21st Century Media
Whether you’re headed out for Halloween to a raging costume-themed house party, a bar or nightclub for drinks and dancing or just taking the kids out for some old-fashioned trick-or-treating, it’s important to have the right soundtrack to scaring up some fun. Here are ten songs, some from the most downright horrifying musicians ever, which are perfect for setting the right mood on All Hallows’ Eve.
Beware … it’s not for the faint of heart. (Click on the band/artist’s name for a link to videos, website or music.)
Black Sabbath
“Black Sabbath”: This eerie title-track from the original doom rider’s debut is about as scary as it gets. Between the storm sounds and church bells, guitarist Tony Iommi’s down-tuning and Ozzy Osbourne’s wail, it’s truly frightening. Try opening up a Halloween DJ set with it and watch everyone huddle in a corner scared out of their wits.
Alice Cooper
“Welcome to My Nightmare” Classic Cooper, it’s a bit funky, a lot 70s, and a ton of fun. Alice can be quite the menacing character, and here it’s mixed in with self-aware scares.
Misfits
“Halloween”: This one is a no-brainer. And while this is the obvious choice, try following it up with Glen Danzig’s next and darker outfit, Samhain, and the slowed down sequel, the inventively titled “Halloween II.”
Ozzy Osbourne
“Bark at the Moon”: You can try to find a better Ozzy song tailor-made for this holiday, but nothing will beat “Bark at the Moon.” The reason is simple; it’s not hard to picture the original musical madman actually living out the song’s title.
Marilyn Manson
“I Put a Spell on You”: It’s a feat to top the original Screamin’ Jay Hawkins original, but Manson does his best to out-creep it. His version appeared on the soundtrack to the David Lynch film Lost Highway, which isn’t a horror film per se, but it definitely has some skin crawling moments.
Van Halen
“Runnin’ with the Devil”: Maybe this is what started the whole bad reputation for the notorious Southern California party rockers. Most people tend to run from the devil, whereas these guys ran with him. Scary stuff indeed.
Roky Erickson
“Night of the Vampire”: Done by one of the more eccentric and interesting artists Texas has ever spawned, the former leader of the psychedelic outfit 13th Floor Elevators dropped this fright-fest after an extended stay in a mental institution.
Gus
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”: Originally appearing on the soundtrack to the original “Scream” movie, this doesn’t even sound like the Blue Oyster Cult original. It’s acoustic, accented with a bit of strings and with singer Gus Black’s slowed down vocal delivery is downright haunting.
Type O Negative
“Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)”: You could pick just about any track from these heavy Goth rockers, but this remains the prime cut. Mixing a love for “Munsters” camp with distorted guitars and the late Peter Steele’s imitation of Dracula crooning lines like, “She’s got a date at midnight, with Nosferatu,” made it an instant classic.
Bauhaus
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead”: Speaking of Goth, you can’t even mention the genre without invoking the almighty classic from the original scaremongers of Bauhaus. The nearly 10-minute track remains the spookiest one to drop the needle on before bobbing for apples.