It's Halloween – the time of year when the door to the spirit world is left slightly ajar and strange things like Jedward sneak in from the netherworld to drive us demented before slinking back into the shadows.
On that note, we've rounded up 7 of the best horror, ghost, spook and Halloween-themed songs, just for the time of year that's in it.
1) The Specials – 'Ghost Town'
True, these days it's known by many as the only record that the Spinmaster remembered to bring to the disco in Father Ted – but there's a certain eeriness to the verses of this ska staple, no? Whether it has to do with ghosts and ghouls or not...
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2) AC/DC – 'Highway to Hell'
Devil horns ahoy; you can't have a Halloween list without at least one track mentioning hell, which is where these lads come in. Angus Young and co's 1979 hit still gets a huge reaction and sure, it's even been said that Satan himself is an AC/DC fan.
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3) Ray Parker Jr. – 'Ghostbusters'
We're cheating a little here, because it's the theme to one of the greatest movie franchises ever – but it was also released as a standalone single by Detroit musician Ray Parker Jr., so it counts. Fun fact: this song was beaten to the 'Best Original Song' Oscar by Stevie Wonder's 'I Just Called to Say I Love You'. Robbed.
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4) Dusty Springfield – 'Spooky'
Okay, we're cheating a lot here. Dusty Springfield's slinky, sexy tune is far from spooky, but we love a bit of Dusty and it's our list and we can do what we like. This song was actually originally an instrumental and has been covered many times – but Dusty's 1970 version is the best.
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5) Blue Oyster Cult – 'Don't Fear the Reaper'
Apparently, Buck Dharma – lead singer of these American rockers – wrote this song in his late twenties about his own mortality; apparently, he was convinced that he was going to die young. At 72, he's still going strong, you'll be pleased to know.
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7) Mike Oldfield – 'Tubular Bells'
Okay, if you're not remotely freaked out by Tubular Bells, there's definitely something wrong with you. This is a song that is 100% guaranteed to give us goosebumps every time, thanks to its association with The Exorcist. We can't picture anything but projectile vomiting, spinning heads and wrong-sorts generally doing evil things with crucifixes when we hear it. MAKE IT STOP.
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7) Nick Cave – 'Red Right Hand'
This one is a bit of a curveball, but there's no denying that it’s an unnerving song - as many Nick Cave songs are. When he's singing about a mysterious, malevolent figure 'in a dusty black coat with a red right hand' that appears on the edge of town and will grant you anything you're after, however, it's extra-unsettling. "You'll see him in your nightmares, you'll see him in your dreams / He'll appear out of nowhere but he ain't what he seems". Just keep him away from us, Nick.
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Have we missed out on any Halloween classics? Be sure to let us know...
