Song Ideas For Your Halloween Party

It’s October! Halloween is officially right around the corner, and you’re probably already in party planning mode (either hosting or attending). One essential part of any party is the music. It’s something people will definitely notice, and it can set the mood of the entire event.

Halloween Party Songs

When we think of Halloween music, there are several very obvious songs that come to mind (Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” “The Monster Mash,” etc). If you’re throwing a party, you definitely will want music to get everyone in the Halloween mood. Sure, you could just stick to the same songs everyone knows, or throw on Spotify or Pandora. But if you want some really memorable tunes to compliment your party, here are a few ideas!

Theme Songs

You’re already getting everyone to dress up, why not build a theme around it? Have a 1920s flapper bootleg party and use music from that era (bonus for making actual moonshine in your bathtub for guests). It doesn’t have to be “scary” and it will perfectly compliment the theme. Have a goth night and bust out your favorite albums from your high school goth days (don’t act like you didn’t have one). Or, you could reverse the idea. If you’ve got a bunch of classical music, make it a masquerade ball or some type of fancy-ass King James party (since he was highly involved with the historical witch hunt). The only downside here is that people may not have costumes that match your theme. That’s okay! Provide some cheap paper options to compliment what they do have. I’d love to see a sexy Big Bird goth girl, wouldn’t you? How about a pizza slice with a paper top hat? I’m sold!

Soundtracks

I’m not talking about those lame “scary background sounds” of totally fake screaming (although you could layer that over your music if you want). I mean actual movie soundtracks from scary films. Have you heard “Pig Juicer” from Saw? That shit is legitimately terrifying. Soundtracks are made by composers who know what elements to use to incite fear in people. If your goal is to have a scary party, try theme music from any of your favorite scary movies or TV shows. It will serve as nice background music with spine-chilling swells and unexpected auditory jabs.

You could also go the fun route with this and play some really cheesy horror movie scores. It will be more funny than scary. You can also make a game out of this, pick some classic movie songs and have people guess where they came from.

The Unexpected

If you want to create an uneasy, unsettling feeling, you could try music that no one would expect. Walking into a dark and creepy party with only the sound of a music box tinkling is enough to make someone pee their pants (provide a mop at the door so you don’t have to clean it). You could also try choral music, a children’s choir, or a simple violin. This is for someone having a party who wants to make people scared, and have everyone talk about how their host is a total weirdo genius. Celebrate your weird self!

Genre-Specific

I know I’ve been throwing a lot of YouTube links at you, but those are mostly for inspiration. You can definitely pick your favorite genre and find creepy-themed songs within it! Here are just a few:

Jazz Halloween, Country Halloween, Pop/Classic Halloween, or Rock Halloween. Find your faves, then find your favorite streaming method and get to work! (Note: Please buy or stream legally!)

Live Music

I’m not saying this because I’m a musician, but if you’ve got the space for it and can afford it, why not hire a band to dress up like your favorite artist and do some covers? Even if they only do originals, having Marilyn Monroe sing at your party is awesome. I’m sure that every city has an Elvis impersonator just dying to play out on Halloween, so see how much they would charge to hang out and make new friends and fans!

Nightmare Songs

If you know your guests well, find out their most hated song and play it repeatedly. Take classically terrible songs (Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” “MmmBop,” Whatever you hated in high school) and play it throughout the night. You can also “RickRoll” people until they beg you to stop. This ensures that everyone has a laugh, and your guests are slowly driven insane. What a perfect night!

Hopefully, these helped you or at least inspired you for your Halloween party music. Remember, music is an essential part of any party, and can make your party more memorable if you put some time into it! Happy Halloween!

This post was made for #31DaysOfHalloween, hosted by andthekitchensink.net, which you can check out here! http://www.andthekitchensink.net/31-days-of-halloween/