When people think of oldies Halloween songs, the first one that comes to mind is the classic "Monster Mash" by Bobby 'Boris' Pickett. Besides this song, there are many others that will put you in a ghoolish mood.
Below is our list of Halloween songs through the years about devils, witches, monsters, hobgoblins, ghosts, aliens, the supernatural, and other eerie and ooky themes for kids and adults alike. Our collection of tunes, which range in mood from silly to sinister, is a mixture of zany novelty tunes and more serious songs with darker themes.
Many of the songs featured on this page are included on the following albums:
Halloween: Best of 50 Halloween Favorites - Various Artists
Monster Halloween Hits (3CD) - Various Artists
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1943
- That Old Black Magic - Glenn Miller And His Orchestra
(This pop standard topped the charts for Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in 1943 and became a hit for numerous other artists that included Charlie Barnet And His Orchestra (1943), Horace Heidt And His Orchestra (1943), Freddie Slack And His Orchestra (1943), Sammy Davis Jr. (1955), Louis Prima And Keely Smith (1958), and Bobby Rydell (1961).)
1947
- Old Devil Moon - Margaret Whiting
(This song also became a hit for Gene Krupa in the same year.)
1948
- Haunted Heart - Perry Como
(This song also became a hit for Jo Stafford in the same year.)
1949
- (Ghost) Riders In The Sky - Vaughn Monroe
(This song topped the charts (as "Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend)") and later also became a hit for the Ramrods (1961), Lawrence Welk (1961), Baja Marimba Band (1966), and Outlaws (1981).)
1956
- Flying Saucer - Dickie Goodman
- Ghost Town - Don Cherry
- Race With The Devil - Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps
- Rockin' Ghost - Archie Bleyer Orchestra And Chorus
1957
- Flying Saucer The 2nd - Dickie Goodman
- The Creature (From A Science Fiction Movie) - Buchanan And Ancell
1958
- Dinner With Drac Part 1 - John Zacherle, "The Cool Ghoul"
- Flip Top Box - Dicky Doo And The Don'ts
- The Blob - The Five Blobs
(Title song from the 1958 movie starring Steve McQueen.) - The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley
(This song topped the charts.) - The Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor - Joe South
- Witch Doctor - David Seville/The Chipmunks
(This song topped the charts.) - Witchcraft - Frank Sinatra
1959
- The Mummy - Bob McFadden And Dor
1960
- Lucky Devil - Carl Dobkins Jr.
- Time Machine - Dante And The Evergreens
- Werewolf - The Frantics
1961
- Little Devil - Neil Sedaka
- The Girl's A Devil - The Dukays
1962
- Devil Woman - Marty Robbins
- Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
(This classic Halloween tune topped the charts in 1962 and also recharted in 1970 and 1973.)
1963
- (You're The) Devil In Disguise - Elvis Presley
- Martian Hop - The Ran-Dells
- Monsters' Holiday - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
- Out Of Limits - The Marketts
- Witchcraft - Elvis Presley
1964
- Haunted House - Jumpin' Gene Simmons
1965
- Laurie (Strange Things Happen) - Dickey Lee
- Voodoo Woman - Bobby Goldsboro
1966
- Devil With A Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels
("Devil With A Blue Dress" later also became a hit for Pratt & McClain in 1976.) - The Eggplant That Ate Chicago - Dr. West's Medicine Show And Junk Band
- They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV
(This song recharted in 1973.)
1967
- Devil's Angels - Davie Allan And The Arrows
(Instrumental title song for the 1967 movie starring John Cassavetes.) - Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead - The Fifth Estate
(Pop version of the song from the 1939 movie, "Wizard of Oz," starring Judy Garland.) - Spooky - Classics IV
(An instrumental version also charted in the same year for Mike Sharpe, and this song later also became a hit for Atlanta Rhythm Section in 1979.)
1968
- Season Of The Witch, Pt. 1 - Vanilla Fudge
(This song was written and originally recorded by Donovan.) - Sympathy For The Devil - The Rolling Stones
(This song was first recorded in 1968 by the Rolling Stones on their "Beggars Banquet" album. This long-familiar song was not released as a single and did not officially chart for the Stones until 2003. Guns N' Roses also had a hit with this song in 1995.) - The Snake - Al Wilson
1969
- The Prophecy Of Daniel And John The Devine (Six-Six-Six) - The Cowsills
- Time Machine - Grand Funk Railroad
- Voodoo Woman - Simon Stokes And The Nighthawks
- Witchi Tai To - Everything Is Everything
1970
- Evil Ways - Santana
(This song later recharted in 1972 (Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles).) - Evil Woman Don't Play Your Games With Me - Crow
- Lucretia Mac Evil - Blood, Sweat And Tears
- Monster - Steppenwolf
- The Witch - The Rattles
1971
- Black Magic Woman - Santana
- D.O.A. - Bloodrock
- Devil You - Stampeders
- That Evil Child - B.B. King
- Where Evil Grows - The Poppy Family
1972
- Outa-Space - Billy Preston
- The Witch Queen Of New Orleans - Redbone
- Witchy Woman - Eagles
1973
- Dead Skunk - Loudon Wainwright III
- Evil - Earth, Wind And Fire
- Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group
(This instrumental song topped the charts.) - Swamp Witch - Jim Stafford
1974
- Clap For The Wolfman - The Guess Who
(This song pays tribute to the famous raspy-voiced DJ Wolfman Jack who provides brief spoken interjections throughout.) - Dance With The Devil - Cozy Powell
- Dark Lady - Cher
(This song topped the charts.) - Evil Boll-Weevil - Grand Canyon
- Spiders & Snakes - Jim Stafford
- Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
(Instrumental theme song from the 1973 movie, "The Exorcist." This song also became a hit for the Champs' Boys Orchestra in 1976.) - Werewolf - Five Man Electrical Band
1975
- Devil In The Bottle - T.G. Sheppard
- Easy Evil - Travis Wammack
- Evil Woman - Electric Light Orchestra
- Main Title (Theme From "Jaws") - John Williams
(Title song for the 1975 movie starring Roy Scheider.)
1976
- (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
- Devil Woman - Cliff Richard
- Strange Magic - Electric Light Orchestra
1977
- Devil's Gun - C.J. And Co.
- Martian Boogie - Brownsville Station
- Theme From "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind) - John Williams
(Title song for the 1977 movie starring Richard Dreyfuss. This song also became a hit for Meco in the same year.)
1978
- Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
- Runnin' With The Devil - Van Halen
- Werewolves Of London - Warren Zevon
1979
- Ghost Dancer - The Addrisi Brothers
- The Devil Went Down To Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band
(This song topped the Country charts.)
1980
- Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone - The Manhattan Transfer
(Disco version of the title theme from the "Twilight Zone" TV series.)
1981
- Pay The Devil (Ooo, Baby, Ooo) - The Knack
1982
- Cat People (Putting Out Fire) - David Bowie
(Title song for the 1982 film, "Cat People," starring Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell and John Heard. It was also part of the songtrack for the 2009 film, "Inglourious Basterds.") - Twilight Zone - Golden Earring
1983
- Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive - Men At Work
- Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
(The final verse features wolf-like howling.) - I Eat Cannibals - Total Coelo
- The Devil Made Me Do It - Golden Earring
1984
- Devil In A Fast Car - Sheena Easton
- Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
(This mostly-spoken tune topped both the R&B and Pop/Rock charts and was the title song for the 1984 movie starring Bill Murray.) - The Ghost In You - Psychedelic Furs
1985
- Fright Night - J. Geils Band
1988
- Devil Inside - INXS
- Ghost Town - Cheap Trick
1990
- Black Cat - Janet Jackson
(This song topped the charts.)
