Slaylist is a spooky playlist of 13 songs chosen by one of our contributors to get people in the proper mood as Halloween approaches. The full YouTube Playlist can be found at the end of the post if you wish to add it to your daily aural rotation.
The honor of creating a Slaylist on the day of Halloween itself is one I don’t take lightly. This, ladies and gents, is a playlist that underwent hours of creating, adjusting, and refining. Blood, sweat, and tears went into each and every one of these handpicked tracks—and not just because I had a paper cut and bad allergies. I thought of you the whole time, dear reader.
Anyways, this list took me a lot longer than expected because I listen to music that fits the Halloween mood year-round. I even have a standalone Halloween mix that’s well over 550 songs (and growing), so choosing just 13 of these babies was akin to choosing my favorite arm (for the record, it’s the left).
Nevertheless, I completed this arduous task and opted to go with a few that aren’t typically found on your everyday Spotify playlist (a lot don’t even exist on the platform—the absolute nerve!) but that fit the bill to a T. It was very hard to leave off some of my natural go-to’s (like Ministry, NIN, Type O, and Bauhaus) but overall I feel pretty satisfied with the end result.
This mix is for the die-hard Halloween king and queen in you all, but not for the faint of heart. Are you ready yet?
Without further ado, I present to you, a 13-song Slaylist (with a bonus set of tritones).
…Oh.
And these should all be played loudly.
I. “Shocker” — Dudes Of Wrath (from the SHOCKER soundtrack)
The title song to one of Wes Craven’s underrated, mean-spirited little gems, SHOCKER, is nothing short of an ’80s hair metal masterpiece. Voice sound familiar? That’s because it is. The song was recorded by the Dudes of Wrath, i.e. a one-off supergroup that was comprised of the best of the best: Paul Stanley (KISS), Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), Alice Cooper, Desmond Child, Guy Shiffman (aka Guy Mann-Dude), Rudy Sarzo, and Vivian Campbell. Supergroup, indeed. Anyways, the entire soundtrack rules, but the title song really dresses the scene for what’s to come on my Slaylist. (I still demand that the uncut x-rated version of this film be released! I hope this tiny little plea speaks it into existence)
II. “Black” — The Soft Moon (from Deeper)
I stumbled upon The Soft Moon during my last few months living in New York and haven’t been able to let them go since. Picture this: it’s 1am, you just got out of a movie, and you’re walking home alone in the damp rain in the middle of Brooklyn. This song comes on your Spotify Discover Weekly playlist. How do you feel? Pretty spooked, but also maybe a little horny? Yeah. I feel as if this song perfectly encapsulates that unsettling feeling of being alone on a dangerous street—or something you’d want to add to your Sexy Time playlist. In other words, it was love at first listen. Get your Halloween guests really in the mood.
III. “Cry Little Sister” — Marilyn Manson (from the Cry Little Sister single, 2018)
Manson’s covers are always top-notch killers, leveling up already great songs to something straight out of a latex industrial daydream. His cover of Gerard McMann’s “Cry Little Sister” is no exception. Who would have ever thought a song so untouchable and perma-etched in all of our little LOST BOYS-shaped hearts would somehow become a hauntingly sexy goth power ballad? Manson forever.
IV. “Flesh to Flesh” — Joe Lamont (from the Return of the Living Dead: Part II soundtrack)
When people think of THE RETURN OF THE LIVNG DEAD, “Partytime” usually comes to mind. And though I love it, I can’t help but want to spare some of that affection to one of its (only slightly inferior) sequels. “Flesh to Flesh” is a catchy, fun little banger from Joe Lamont, a singer whose work can also be found on the equally amazing FRIGHT NIGHT soundtrack. Honestly, how can you not include a song with the lyrics “flesh to flesh, bite to bite” on your Slaylist? Uh, you can’t. Hold on to your zombie butts, it’s gonna be wild tonight.
V. “Halloween Theme Rework” — Perturbator (from B-Sides And Remixes, Vol. II)
One of my favorite recent bands, Perturbator notoriously creates some of the best synthwave dark tunes alongside the likes of Carpenter Brut. The one man band fronted by James Kent has its roots in black metal, producing synthy electronic beats inspired by the ’80s, cyberpunk, and videogames: my three constants. So imagine my delight when I found out that one of his b-sides included a HALLOWEEN theme rework—and it’s fucking stellar. Listen, love, and lurk.
VI. “Creatures of the Night” — The Creepshow (from Sell Your Soul)
There’s not much to say about this cool, short little psychobilly song other than I’ve had it on all my Halloween playlists for the past ten years and it is extremely Halloween-y and worth a mention.
VII. “Haunter of the Dark” — Cough (from Still They Pray)
I thought I’d add a little depth to this spooky mix by including a bit of doom and sludge. Cough’s “Haunter of the Dark” in particular instantly transports you into a mesmerizing, hallucinogenic soundscape with gloriously stretched out solos—impenetrable walls of sludge that sound like something straight out of Dopethrone (of course, it’s no coincidence since Jus Oborn produced it). Like the best kinds of horror movies, I plan on taking you on quite the trip, dear reader.
VIII. “His Eyes” — Pseudo Echo (from the FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART V: A NEW BEGINNING soundtrack)
Gonna speed things up a bit with one of the catchiest songs in the entire FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise (and I say this while including yet another one at the end of this list). Look me in the eyes and tell me this song doesn’t make you want to jump on the couch, crimp your hair, and do the pop, lock, and robot like Violet does in the movie. I may or may not know this entire dance. RIP baby girl.
IX. “Poison Heart” — Ramones (from the PET SEMATARY 2 soundtrack)
Though the title song from the first PET SEMATARY is a stone-cold classic, I can’t help but find myself gravitating towards the sequel’s own Ramones tune time and again. It’s a bit like the movie as compared to its predecessor: wacky, a lot more fun, high energy, and weirdly addicting. “Poison Heart,” to me, was an even bigger earworm than the aforementioned track. It just makes you feel alive. Or, alive…again.
X. “Dream Warriors” — Dokken (from the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: DREAM WARRIORS soundtrack)
Anybody who hates this song is a cop and that’s an indisputable fact. It’s “Dream Warriors” from DREAM WARRIORS: two very, very good things that both happen to be my favorite. Also, the music video is an empowering work of ’80s chest hair delight.
XI. “Bump in the Night” — Steel Breeze (from the WITCHBOARD soundtrack)
I’m going to continue with the cool ’80s rock songs with a fun one featured in WITCHBOARD. Besides Tawny Kitean, this was easily one of the best moments of the entire film. And that intro…*chef’s kiss*.
XII. “Funeralopolis” — Electric Wizard (from Dopethrone)
I couldn’t let a Halloween Slaylist feel complete without including another delicious fuzzy doom band (and one of the very best). I opted for a classic here with “Funeralopolis,” as the song consistently evokes haunting apocalyptic images of winged beasts and dark, impending death. A truly unbeatable monolith of sound and volume that will be sure to please your party guests, if they’re game for it.
XIII. “I’m Your Boogieman” — White Zombie (from Past, Present & Future)
Choosing a favorite Rob (or White) Zombie song was just as hard as choosing only 13 songs for this playlist, but alas, I did it, and went hardcore basic. It’s a crowd pleaser, and basic for a reason—because it rules. Zombie will always be zaddy, and we do indeed want him as the boogieman. Because that’s what he is. And he’ll do whatever he can.
XIV. “Nightmare” — Tuesday Knight (from the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER soundtrack)
Did you ask for an emotionally-charged power ballad about nightmares for a NIGHTMARE from a Nightmarian*? I hope the answer is yes, because I’m about to deliver the goods. Tuesday Knight recorded this song specifically for THE DREAM MASTER, and has become somewhat of a cult hit nowadays—in fact, the song was finally released officially as a single in 2016. I’ve always personally loved it and thought it was a cool departure from the song that made DREAM WARRIORS so famous.
*A word I made up for those who star in a NOES entry. Work with me here.
XV. “Halloween” — Misfits (from the HALLOWEEN single, 1981)
No Halloween mix is complete without one basic spooky song. This is mine. No apologies.
XVI. “He’s Back” — Alice Cooper (from the FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART VI: JASON LIVES soundtrack)
I’m ending this list with the ultimate Alice Cooper banger, which needs no formal introduction nor follow up inclusion argument. And with that, unlike Jason, this Slaylist dies now.
Happy Halloween from your Hallowqueen.
Melissa’s Halloween Slaylist In Full Via YouTube:
Tags: Alice Cooper, Cough, Dokken, Dudes Of Wrath, Electric Wizard, halloween, Halloween Mixtape, Halloween Playlist, Joe Lamont, Marilyn Manson, Misfits, Perturbator, Pseudo Echo, Ramones, Steel Breeze, The Creepshow, The Soft Moon, Tuesday Knight, White Zombie
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