Halloween 2K25 – My Horror Playlist
A few years ago, I put together a Horror playlist that I listen to year-round. It features a variety of songs from movies and TV shows, and other spooky adjacent tunes. It’s not a perfect playlist, but I’m always tinkering with it and holding out hope that Apple Music will add some more music that is not streaming like the Fright Night score, The Beast Inside from Night of the Demons or Rock Until You Drop from The Monster Squad soundtrack.
You can find the playlist here if you have Apple Music and are curious about what songs I’ve selected. I thought it might be fun to look at a handful of the songs that get the most play from this playlist and their spooky roots.
Killer by Crazy Lixx
This banger of a song is performed by Swedish hard rock group Crazy Lixx, who is heavily inspired by 80s hair bands, which is fitting because the song sounds like it could have came off a horror movie soundtrack in 1986. But no, this song was actually used in a trailer for 2017’s Friday the 13th game. Crazy Lixx has some great songs, but Killer is my favorite.
Anything, Anything by Dramarama
At first glance this song seems out of place. It’s a catchy song that doesn’t seem to fit the theme, but I always associate Anything, Anything with my favorite Nightmare on Elm Street movie, Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master where it shows up twice. Fangoria did a nice little write up on the song last year with Andras Jones from NOES 4 and John Easdale from Dramarama.
The Shape Hunts All by John and Cody Carpenter
This entirely too short of piece of music was featured in 2018’s Halloween. I remember sitting in the theater when the music began and I was blown away by how terrifying it is. It truly outshined everything else on the score, and I still get chills when I hear it.
Trouble in Woodsboro by Marco Beltrami
If you’ve watched Scream, you’ll know this tune. This soft, haunting piece of music is the perfect backdrop for Sidney Prescott as the people around her begin dying. The moment I hear it, I’m taken back to the mid-90s and that sense of uneasiness that Scream so perfectly captured.
