My Top 10 Halloween-themed songs

October 31 ------ Listen up, ghouls, goblins, and ghosts of the Internet. Haha. As you all know, Halloween 2025 is coming. It’s time for tricks, treats, and, most importantly, a killer playlist to scare the living daylights out of your neighbors. Haha. For one night, let’s forget the bubblegum pop, the K-pop cheesiness, and the generic songs.

Now, if you really want to put the fright into your night, you need songs with real teeth, for the spookiest time of the year. These are all the songs that you will ever need. In the past, I have had my Top 3s, then, lately, Top 5s, but I have never done a Top 10, so this would be the first time I would do one, because why limit it to only 3 or 5, right? When there are so many songs to choose from, depending on your mood, the occasion, and especially for any of them.

Here’s my no-nonsense, zombie-serious, and totally biased list of my Halloween-themed Top 10 songs.

1. ‘Poison‘ by Alice Cooper

Don’t come at me with your “it’s a little commercial” nonsense. He’s the OG shock rocker. The riff is simple, but so damn effective it drills into your skull. This isn’t just a song; it’s a horror movie in under three minutes. That high-pitched, wailing chorus? That’s the sound of your nightmares getting a soundtrack. Up to this day, I can’t stop listening to this song a few times a week. It’s a certified classic for a reason.

2. ‘More Human Than Human‘ by White Zombie

I included this in a list of mine many years ago, but this track is timeless for this time of the year. Nonetheless, it is a throwback to a time when Rob Zombie and his band were still a cohesive, functioning demonic unit. Haha. The blues-rock groove mixed with the industrial noise is simply incredible. That X-rated audio sample in the beginning got banned from being played here until the censored version was released soon after. Nonetheless, the music video was a masterpiece of black-and-white, grainy horror. It’s got that swampy, trash-metal sound that just screams “creepy.” This is a song that proves sometimes, the original recipe is the best. *Caution: For those with high blood pressure.

3. ‘Beginning of the End‘ by Spineshank

Remember when industrial metal was genuinely disturbing and not just a bunch of guys in black leather? This is it. The song title says it all. And it was used in the opening title of the “Freddy vs. Jason” movie, included in its OST, which I wrote about fairly recently. It’s got that grinding, mechanical sound that makes you feel like you’re in a terrifying, dystopian future. Electronic glitches mixed with crushing riffs? Pure, unadulterated menace. If the apocalypse had a theme song, this would be it.

4. ‘Dragula’ by Rob Zombie

The “post-apocalyptic man” himself. This song is a must-have, and if it’s not on your list, you’re doing it wrong. The pulsating beat, the iconic sample, and Zombie’s deranged vocals are a recipe for pure, head-banging chaos. You can’t listen to this without picturing a hot rod speeding through a haunted cemetery. This is where Rob Zombie embraces the theatrics of the macabre, the grotesque, and the horrific. Clearly, showing Alice Cooper’s artistic influences are displayed in the “Dragula” music video. It’s high-octane horror, and it gets the blood pumping.

5. ‘Down With The Sickness‘ by DisturbedLook, I get it. The “ooh-wah-ah-ah-ah” can be a little much. But you can’t deny the power of that visceral, primal scream. It’s the sound of a beast being unleashed. The driving rhythm and the seething anger in the lyrics perfectly capture that feeling of a mental breakdown. It’s not about ghosts and ghouls; it’s about the monster inside all of us. And that’s way more terrifying. *Caution: For those with high blood pressure.

6. ‘Halik Ni Hudas’ by Wolfgang

For the Pinoys in the house, you already know what this kick-a** song is all about. This isn’t just a song; it’s a punch to the gut. Basti Artadi’s one-of-a-kind-sounding voice in the local scene is a thing of raw power and pain. The heavy, melodic riff and the haunting lyrics about betrayal and damnation are just a chef’s kiss. “Halik Ni Hudas” was the lead single from Wolfgang’s major label debut album. It has become a dark, brooding classic rock track that crawls under your skin and stays there. Perfect for when you want to feel that Filipino rock angst.

7. ‘Dig Up Her Bones‘ by Misfits

Listen, Michale Graves is the king of Halloween punk rock, and this is his crown jewel. It’s got that B-movie horror vibe that makes you want to drive a hearse through a graveyard at midnight. The stripped-down production and sing-along chorus about exhuming a body is exactly the kind of demented energy you need. This song is Halloween in a nutshell, and it’s perfect.

8. ‘How Can I Live’ by Ill Nino

It’s nu-metal, it’s melodic goodness, and it is included in the OST for the “Freddy vs. Jason” OST. That Latin percussion mixed with the heavy-as-hell guitars gives it a unique, tribal vibe. The desperation in the lyrics and the combination of clean singing and guttural growls make it sound like a soul being torn apart. A perfect song for a very, very bad day, and that’s what Halloween is all about, right?

9. ‘White Wedding’ by Murderdolls

Man, I can still remember watching the music video for this back in the day. Let’s be honest, the original by Billy Idol is great, but the Murderdolls version is pure, gritty, graveyard dirt. It’s faster, punkier, and more unhinged. It takes the idea of a macabre celebration and cranks it up to 11. Wednesday 13’s vocals are gloriously unhinged. Billy Idol was reportedly amused and impressed by this cover of his classic song by Murderdolls. This is for the kids who think a white wedding should happen in a mortuary, not a church.

10. ‘Freak On A Leash’ by Korn

I would frequently get to watch this on rotation on music channels when I was in grade school. Haha. Yes, we all know this song if you are from my age group. And yes, it’s still effective. The slap bass intro is iconic. The “scat” part is still chilling. It’s a claustrophobic, angry, and genuinely unsettling track. It’s about feeling trapped and like a spectacle. What’s more Halloween than feeling like a monster that everyone stares at? This song will surely turn the night’s mood into a fever-pitched frenzy in the final hours of the night! Boo!

Source: inquirer.net