I Put a Spell on You, by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Most folks familiar with this song know the version by Creedence Clearwater Revival (or perhaps Nina Simone's), but Screamin' Jay Hawkins wrote it and his otherworldly howling and almost cartoony arrangement make it the better Halloween song. This recording was actually the result of a drunken session that Hawkins couldn't remember afterward, but it inspired the rest of his career, going from traditional blues shouter to campy gothic showman.
Jack the Ripper, by Link Wray
Best known for Rumble, Link Wray basically invented rock guitar as we know it today-- he popularized the use of power chords and experimented with feedback and distortion before just about anyone. At the time, his guitar instrumentals were downright scary, and the titles of his tunes reflected that.
Bela Lugosi's Dead, by Bauhaus
Bauhaus is considered the first Goth Rock band, and this is the song that broke them. It's a long song, as far as singles go, but it has a haunting drone that will lull you into a dreadful paralysis. If you have a Halloween party, just put this one on repeat and you have your background music.
Funeral Home, Daniel Johnston
I've been meaning to write an blog post on my love of sloppy music, and Daniel Johnston would be an eminent figure in that one. Johnston has struggled with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder his whole life, and music has been one of his coping mechanisms throughout it all. Lucky for us, his music is wickedly crazy, inventive, and thoroughly entertaining.
Bloodletting (The Vampire Song), by Concrete Blonde
I can't find confirmation for this, but I swear I read that this song was inspired by Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. It was released back when Rice's books were all the rage, and the New Orleans setting certainly supports that view.
...a psychopath, by Lisa Germano
From one of my very favorite singer-songwriters, this is the only song on this list that I consider genuinely scary. It was written about Germano's experiences with a deranged fan and samples a recording of an allegedly real 911 call made by a woman facing a home invasion.
Vampire, by Antsy Pants
I know this from the Juno soundtrack, and it's a rather silly, but strangely moving, song. Of course, that's Kimya Dawson's specialty...
The Boogie Monster, by Gnarls Barkley
From the gloriously twisted collaboration, St. Elsewhere, by Ceelo Green and Danger Mouse, this is just one of many songs that could work well at a Halloween party. If you have to pick one fairly modern album this may be the best one to go with.
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