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105 Halloween Songs for Karaoke and Spooky Playlists

DJ Wonder Sean · October 28, 2025

Updated October 20, 2026 for Halloween 2026. Originally published October 28, 2025.

Two more ways in: this guide is the hand-picked list with hosting tips. For every option, browse the complete DJWS Songs for Halloween theme (435 songs). For this year's performance tips and the karaoke nights around Covina on Halloween weekend, see Halloween Karaoke Songs: 18 Picks With Tips and Where to Sing Them.

A good Halloween playlist needs a few monsters, a few songs everyone recognizes, and at least one person who has been waiting all year to do “The Time Warp.” It does not need six consecutive versions of “Monster Mash.”

Here are 105 Halloween song ideas from the DJ Wonder Sean library, covering karaoke rounds, costume parties and spooky listening. Start with the quick set below, then browse the full list for ghosts, vampires, witches, hard rock and a few gloriously loose title connections.

This is a song-selection guide. Check your host’s karaoke catalog for the recording you want, and preview lyrics and arrangements for your audience.

12 Halloween songs to start with

  1. Monster Mash by Bobby “Boris” Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers. Open with a recognizable monster-party premise. The spoken delivery gives a performer plenty of room for character.
  2. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr., from Ghostbusters (1984) An obvious audience-response moment. Let the room handle the title while the singer keeps the verses moving.
  3. Thriller by Michael Jackson. Choose the version before you queue it. The song, the Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983) short film and extended edits do not all make the same stage commitment.
  4. Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo, performed by the band in Back to School (1986). A strong bridge from novelty songs into a livelier party set. Leave space for its instrumental passages.
  5. Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell. A paranoia pick with a familiar hook. A confident chorus partner can help with the contrasting vocal parts.
  6. This Is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), performed by the film’s ensemble (credited as The Citizens of Halloween). Treat it as an ensemble number with characters, rather than asking one person to impersonate an entire town.
  7. The Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), performed by Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell (Little Nell); originally from the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show. Save some floor space. This is as much a group participation moment as a solo vocal selection.
  8. Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon. A relaxed groove between bigger performances, with plenty of opportunity for the crowd to howl.
  9. Spooky, Scary Skeletons by Andrew Gold. A playful change of pace. Specify Andrew Gold’s recording if you do not want a remix.
  10. Disturbia by Rihanna. Use it when the room wants spooky pop with a dance pulse.
  11. Psycho Killer by Talking Heads. A rhythmic performance choice. Rehearse the phrasing and French section before the costume party.
  12. Season of the Witch by Donovan. Slow the pace and let the mood do some of the work. Useful when the night needs a little space.

The full 105-song Halloween list

These groups explain the connection, not a song’s entire meaning. A vampire can be a metaphor, a ghost can be a memory, and a devil can be a remarkably bad boyfriend. Title-wordplay picks belong in a flexible theme round; they are not all horror stories.

Halloween party anchors

Monsters, vampires and creatures

Ghosts, haunted places and nightmares

Witches, magic and devilish titles

Dark rock, theatrical atmosphere and title wordplay

The Zombies’ “Time of the Season” is an artist-name wildcard retained from the earlier DJWS list. Use it only in rounds that allow band names as well as song titles. “Candy Everybody Wants” makes a trick-or-treat word connection; it is not a song about Halloween.

Movie and recording credits: “From” identifies a film or stage source; “featured in” identifies a screen appearance without claiming the song originated there. The performer still identifies the recording to request. For “Cat People,” check whether you want the 1982 soundtrack recording or Bowie’s later Let’s Dance version. “People Are Strange” needs special care: the Doors recording listed here is not the Echo & the Bunnymen cover from The Lost Boys.

Build a night, not just a list

An eight-song karaoke round

Try “Monster Mash,” “Somebody’s Watching Me,” “Werewolves of London,” “Psycho Killer,” “This Is Halloween,” “Season of the Witch,” “Ghostbusters,” and “The Time Warp.” This suggested order moves from familiar hooks to character performances, gives the room a quieter stretch, then finishes with participation. Let singers switch songs or keys instead of turning the order into a trap.

A heavier costume-party stretch

Try “Bark at the Moon,” “Feed My Frankenstein,” “Dragula,” “Living Dead Girl,” “Enter Sandman,” and “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” That is a listening sequence to build around, not a promise that every singer or venue has those arrangements. “Dragula” and “Living Dead Girl” are Rob Zombie recordings, so look under his solo name.

Make the theme rule easy

For a strict round, require a Halloween subject, a supernatural creature, or a spooky film or stage connection. For a loose round, allow words such as witch, ghost, monster and magic in the title. Announce which version you mean before the first singer signs up. A useful rule fits in one sentence; its appeals process should not need a lawyer.

Keep unfamiliar tracks between familiar ones. Preview long introductions and spoken passages. Ask about clean edits when they matter, and confirm backing tracks before promising a song to a guest. For a party playlist, use instrumentals and extended arrangements during breaks rather than leaving a singer stranded at the microphone.

Halloween song questions

Which picks work for a children’s event?

Start by previewing “Monster Mash,” Andrew Gold’s “Spooky, Scary Skeletons,” and “This Is Halloween.” Then check the actual recording, visuals and age group. A playful title does not make every remix, video or song in this list suitable for every child.

Are all these songs actually about Halloween?

No. Some are explicit Halloween songs; others contribute monsters, unsettling atmosphere, stage associations or a title joke. Olivia Rodrigo’s “vampire,” for example, uses the creature as a relationship metaphor. It belongs in a loose vampire-themed round without needing to be recast as a Dracula story.

What if my karaoke system has a different version?

Check the performer, key, length and arrangement. The original and a famous cover can have very different delivery, and an instrumental is not a vocal backing track. Pick the version your singer knows.

Make your Halloween set yours

Turn the songs you choose into a DJWS song book, explore hosted song books for your event, or suggest a song we missed. For help building a themed night, contact DJ Wonder Sean.

Keep the music going

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How this list was selected

This edition combines DJWS’s earlier Halloween selections with additional songs from the current library and recognizable gaps found while reviewing public Halloween playlists. The running order and hosting suggestions are DJWS editorial recommendations.

Discovery references include Rolling Stone’s Spooky Songs for Halloween and Good Housekeeping’s Halloween song ideas. New recording credits were checked against artist, label and music-service listings, including Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, Rob Zombie’s official catalog, and The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack.