The car will not start, the phone line has been cut and, against all better judgement, someone has decided to investigate the strange noise coming from the basement. Old horror films are brimming with cliches, but no ominous trip into the woods or poorly timed power outage would be complete without the right song playing in the background. Oftentimes, all a scene needs is a chilling riff or unsettling vocal to turn an otherwise mundane moment into a sign that something sinister may be lurking around the corner.
From psychedelic rock to post-punk, these four throwbacks sound as though they could have been pulled straight from a cult classic horror film, bringing that same sense of suspense to the season without relying on traditional Halloween hits.
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult
Appearing in John Carpenter’s 1978 horror masterpiece, “Halloween,” “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” proves itself more than a rock classic, carrying the film's suspense far beyond the screen. Driven by an instantly recognizable guitar riff, the track pairs soft, almost ghostly vocals with lyrics centered around death and its inevitability. Yet, for such a grim topic, the song never sounds particularly afraid. Lead vocalist Donald Roeser, known professionally as Buck Dharma, delivers the famous line, “Don’t fear the Reaper” with ease, while steady percussion and the track’s now-iconic cowbell give the song a strangely alluring touch.
The juxtaposition between what the song’s lyrics state and the mellow ‘70s rock sound is precisely what makes it so unsettling. Much like how Michael Myers hides behind his infamous mask, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” disguises its darker theme beneath its deceptively inviting sound.
“Time of the Season” by The Zombies
Perhaps The Zombies were more aptly named than one might expect considering how well their 1968 hit “Time of the Season,” lends itself to the Halloween season. With its creepy bassline, sharp percussion and frontman Colin Blunstone’s breathy vocals, the track takes on a sound that feels both seductive and slightly sinister. Its slow deliberate pace draws listeners in, while the emptiness between each beat leaves enough room for the mind to wander toward what might be lurking in the silence.
As the track progresses, its psychedelic side begins to take over, with a swirling organ making the song feel increasingly hazy and disorienting. Lyrically, however, the song hardly has the makings of a horror movie. Blunstone sings about attraction, love and the arrival of a new season, yet against the uneasy instrumental, even the seemingly innocent questions posed throughout the song, such as “What’s your name?” begin to sound suspicious. Horror films have mastered this trick for decades, where the right music can make something as ordinary as brushing one's teeth in the bathroom mirror feel like a reason to not look up. “Time of the Season” channels that same anticipation, creating suspense not from what is there, but from what could be.
“A Forest” by The Cure
Getting lost in the woods is rarely a promising start to a horror movie, and The Cure does very little to make that idea any more appealing. Containing elements true to its 1980 release, “A Forest” opens with distant synths before a haunting guitar riff slowly creeps its way into the track. As a steady bassline and skeletal percussion join in, the song becomes all the more consuming, drawing its listeners further into the sound with every repetition. The Cure’s lead singer, Robert Smith, adds to that eerie intrigue with his hollow vocals as he sings of following a mysterious girl deeper into the forest, convinced he can hear her calling his name.
As his search continues, however, Smith arrives at the realization that there was never anyone to find. “The girl was never there” he admits, before finding himself lost and alone among the trees. The track's repetition becomes especially effective here, with its circling bass and guitar creating the feeling of retracing the same path, unable to find one’s way out. In classic horror movie fashion, “A Forest” leaves listeners lost somewhere within its repeating riffs and lyrics, where every familiar sound seems to lead them further in rather than back out.
“White Wedding” by Billy Idol
Despite what the title may suggest, Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” is not exactly the song one would expect to hear walking down the aisle. Released in 1982, the track combines a raging guitar riff, relentless rhythm and Idol’s jagged vocals, creating a sound far more suited for a slasher than a first dance. His taunting tone when repeatedly declaring “it’s a nice day” continues to build on that unease, making a seemingly harmless phrase sound oddly threatening.
It's only natural that decades later, the track found its way into “American Horror Story: 1984,” a season rooted in summer camp slashers and bloody twists. Played over the madness that is Camp Redwood, the track’s pounding beat and Idol’s theatrics only heighten the chaos, matching the fast-paced — and frankly, slightly ridiculous — nature of an ‘80s slasher.
Whether nervously pulling back the shower curtain, avoiding any suspiciously identical twins at the end of a dorm hallway or simply looking to get back into the chilling spirit of autumn, the right playlist can make all the difference. These four throwbacks may not be accompanied by the typical ghosts and graveyards, but with haunting riffs, strange lyrics and cinematic sound, they certainly can make a convincing case for leaving your typical Halloween hits behind.
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