by No.6 “Spiderbaby” – White Zombie
Some might think that Rob Zombie’s solo material would make a more suitable entry on our list of Halloween party songs, but I would argue that White Zombie was infinitely better than Zombie’s solo stuff (although I love that too). Again, “Spiderbaby” features church bells, chanting, a slow and sinister groove, and closing with some spiritual chanting that may or may not come from The Exorcist.
No.5 “The Rowing Song” – Marilyn Manson
Originally appearing in the children’s movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory and sung by Gene Wilder, “The Rowing Song” was creepy enough as it was with the psychedelic scene in the film. Add Marilyn Manson and the song becomes infinitely more frightening. It’s a tough one to describe, so you’ll have to have a listen for yourself and decide if you want to induce mass heart attacks at your Halloween party.
No.4 “Vimpira” – Misfits
We’d be remiss if we didn’t include perhaps the first horror punk band on our list of Halloween party songs, and we like “Vimpira.” After some of the heavier stuff you’ve just heard, it’ll be time for an uptempo track to get your ghouls bouncing. Besides, Glenn Danzig needs to be on a Halloween list — it’s the law.
No.3 “Halloween” – Helloween
It’s also the law that a band calling themselves Helloween has to be on a Halloween party songs list. And when that song by Helloween is called “Halloween,” it most certainly has to be on a Halloween party song list. German power metal possibly at its finest is presented here.
No.2 “Graverobbing U.S.A.” – Murderdolls
With an intro in which we hear the band members digging up a fresh grave to perform acts of necrophilia, “I’m first,” there’s no doubt we’re going to include it on the list. The necrophilia is acceptable here because the lyrics describe the band as necrophiliac creatures from another planet. FYI, Murderdolls is a “supergroup” with ties to Slipknot, Dope, and Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 among others.
No.1 “This Is Halloween” – Marilyn Manson
OK, maybe Marilyn Manson can’t write their own music. I jest. While you could play either version of “This Is Halloween” (the song was originally composed by Danny Elfman for The Nightmare Before Christmas), Manson’s is again, infinitely more horrific, while remaining fairly true to the original, which is much more Broadway-esque. It’s Halloween and there’s no better way to celebrate than changing with friends: “This is Halloween, this is Halloween…”
Honorable mention: “Toccata & Fugue in D minor” – Bach
Weird, right? Maybe not. Most metal, or music for that matter, can be traced back to classical. Imagine this Bach composition on a huge organ in a huge cathedral, at night, during a thunderstorm, and a full moon… Yeah, so this piece has long been associated with horrors and monsters, more specifically, Dracula.
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