A 'Not-So-Friendly' Guide to Halloween Songs

The article contains elements of violence, murder and suicide. Reader discretion is advised.

Here’s a controversial take: forget about the classics like Monster Mash by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers or the generic pop songs you hear at Halloween parties because it’s time to make way for some genuinely terrifying tunes.

I know, one’s ideal Halloween song is subjective and even the creepiest songs that have ever existed may not be disturbing to some. However, the criteria for these song picks are based on how you’d first think of the most gut-wrenching film whenever somebody invites you for a horror movie night during the spooky season. Be it a personal playlist or for your themed party, may this guide spice up your Halloween like no other or keep you awake for the entire night.

1. ‘Lullaby’ by The Cure

Nothing lingers in our tiny heads long enough than scary tales adults tell us when we were naive children. Despite having many speculations about what could’ve inspired The Cure frontman Robert Smith to write Lullaby, from his childhood fears to a metaphorical interpretation of his past with drugs, the song fits Halloween like a glove. Smith uses whispers and gasps for air between every line of the lyrics to capture the fear while describing the man-eating ‘Spiderman’.

Robert Smith during the set of filming the music video for Lullaby.

(Source: Tim Pope)

For an elevated experience, in the Lullaby (Studio Guide Vocal Rough) version, Smith narrated Spiderman’s part with a much deeper voice and the song moves on to the unsettling jiggling sounds of the tambourine. Lullaby is the one song that would keep a child’s night light switched on during bedtime.

2. ‘Meat is Murder’ by The Smiths

The title track has struck a contrast when compared to the other songs in The Smiths’ 1985 album, although the rock band is known to write lyrics that are full of misery. Meat is Murder may be an unexpected choice in this guide but from the beginning until the end, the song has made my stomach churn as a non-vegan.

The tension building up to the vocals performed by frontman and lifelong vegan Morrissey includes the sounds of cows mooing in pain and industrial noise that’ll soon make you feel uneasy for the next six minutes. The graphic details in the lyrics make the listeners visualise the process of animal slaughtering. For those reasons, Meat is Murder has checked every box of being a disturbing song for the season.

3. ‘bury a friend’ by Billie Eilish

bury a friend is one of the very few modern pop songs that suit the dark nature of Halloween due to its eerie beats. Similar to The Cure’s Lullaby, singer Billie Eilish talks about the bedtime horrors in bury a friend, except the song is written from the perspective of the monster under her bed.

Billie Eilish in the ‘bury a friend’ music video.

(Source: Billie Eilish Official YouTube)

Eilish has successfully taken advantage of her soft-spoken singing voice for the song and she doesn’t have to whisper for the listeners to experience the uncanny feeling. The additional sound effects in the song have taken the creepiness to another level, making bury a friend as spine-chilling as it gets.

4. ‘Careful with That Axe, Eugene’ by Pink Floyd

Careful with That Axe, Eugene begins with a mysterious melody as the drum cymbals and organs slowly join in, which reminded me of how films would play Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor when introducing a haunted house.

The song gradually becomes louder, making the listeners feel like something is approaching. Unusual sounds appear in the background after the song hits the one-minute mark, followed by a whisper, almost inaudible, that says, “Careful with that axe, Eugene”. A few sharp screams performed by vocalist and bassist Roger Waters can then be heard in the song, depicting the singer being chopped with the axe.

5. ‘Frankie Teardrop’ by Suicide

How could I miss out on Frankie Teardrop? The unsettling synth-pop beats at the beginning may get the listener’s heart to pound at the same rate as vocalist Alan Vega tells the distressing story of the fictional character, Frankie.

In the song, twenty-year-old factory worker Frankie tries hard to provide for his family—his wife and kid, but he still can’t make enough money. Similar to Jack Torrance in The Shining (1980), Frankie turns into a homicidal parent and kills his wife and kid with his gun as he slowly goes insane, killing himself at the end. With a few abrupt and disturbingly loud screams throughout the song, Frankie Teardrop reflects the reality of those who can’t achieve the American Dream.