Add some Punk to your Halloween season this year, starting now!
Halloween season is just getting underway, you can practically feel it in the air. The months of September and October seem to have a subtle score playing in the background. A soundtrack that plays up through October 31st. As much as I love all the creepy, ethereal music that is associated with the holiday, there are some great punk/goth music that is either about or inspired by Halloween.
Punk music and Halloween seem to be made for each other.
Horror movie imagery, especially classic horror, has been a staple of some classic punk and goth bands since the very beginning of the genre. Bands like The Misfits, The Cramps and Siouxsie Sioux. They latched onto the underlying horror of the holiday and channeled it into their music.
There’s a ton out there, but these are some of the best!
The Misfits “Halloween”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChlW283_33s[/embedyt]
Undoubtedly the most famous of all punk Halloween songs, is this classic from the legendary Misfits. The lyrics capture the base elements of the season:
Brown leafed vertigo
Where skeletal life is known
I remember Halloween
You could easily take any of their songs as holiday listening, but “Halloween” is a no brainer. There’s even a sequel of the song. There have been some great covers of this song by artists such as Alakaline Trio and AFI, but accept no substitute. Glenn Danzig with the originals is the way to go.
Bauhaus “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKRJfIPiJGY[/embedyt]
This song was the first single from probably the first band in the “goth” genre, Bauhaus. Hailing from England, Bauhaus perfected the dark and atmospheric sound associated with goth music, and this song is a perfect callback to classic Hollywood horror films.
When this song was released, Bela Lugosi, who played Dracula in the film of the same name from 1931 had already been dead for over 20 years. This is another band whose entire library is perfect for this time of year.
You can’t go wrong with classic goth music.
Ramones “Pet Semetary”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3J0iwwsq-w[/embedyt]
Classic punk band The Ramones wrote this song for the Stephen King movie, Pet Semetary in 1989. King as it turns out was a huge Ramones fan. This song became one of their biggest hits and has a really cool video with Debbie Harry from Blondie.
The single is off the album Brain Drain, which is also home to a Ramones Christmas song. But lets save that one for December.
AFI “Fall Children”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7IdLlMX0dI[/embedyt]
Goth punk superstars AFI released a very themed EP in 1999; All Hallows EP. Fall Children is a very appropriate song for the season right off this EP. Also on the album is a great cover of The Misfits Halloween.
They’re no strangers to spooky imagery in their lyrics.
A lot of the older AFI fits in very well with Halloween. I’d recommend the albums Black Sails in the Sunset and The Art of Drowning. Modern classics.
Tiger Army “Power of Moonlite”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woEsPzdKGzM[/embedyt]
Psychobilly mainstays Tiger Army are also no strangers to using old school horror and sci fi as inspiration for their brand of punk rock.
What’s great about this band is that they use elements of the horror and science fiction genres without hitting listeners over the heads with it. Forming in 1996, they’ve shared early members with another band with similar stylings; AFI. Over 20 years and 5 albums, Tiger Army has delivered some great punk and rockabilly content.
Horrorpops “Where They Wander”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krv017YFKU0[/embedyt]
Danish punk group Horrorpops also formed in 1996. Singer Patricia Day and future husband, and singer for his own rockabilly band Nekromantix, formed over their love for all things rock and roll and horror culture.
Not as subtle as some other bands, with song titles like Ghouls and Psychobitches outta Hell, it’s definitely a little more than just tongue in cheek.
Samhain “All Murder All Guts All Fun”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioZrbbhR2Jo[/embedyt]
This is the mother of all horror rock bands. Forming after Danzig left The Misfits in 1983, it’s a much darker and grittier sound for the ex-Misfit member.
Taking it’s name directly from the old Pagan holiday, and precursor to the modern day Halloween, the lyrics would also follow a more serious tone. More occult themed versus movie monster and sci fi.
Danzig would eventually move onto his next and most current band, Danzig, which could also be on this list as well.
Marilyn Manson “This Is Halloween”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEbDXByF2EQ[/embedyt]
This man requires almost no introduction, but i’ll give him one anyway. One of the scariest artists out there today, Marilyn Manson has been crafting dark rock and roll and metal since just before I was in high school. You’d be hard pressed to find someone more inspired by the darker aspects of humanity, and has incorporated it incredibly into everything he touches.
Another Halloween staple is the now classic animated feature The Nightmare Before Christmas. Helping expand the Halloween season all the way through Christmas (seriously, just walk into any Hot Topic from October through December)the film had an amazing Halloween soundtrack. In Nightmare Revisited, Manson covers the classic “This Is Halloween”, and it is my preferred version of the track.
I’m seriously leaving out a whole bunch of others, dozens more could be on this list that are out there.
Crank them up while passing out candy or cruising the cemeteries this Halloween!
Mike Harris hails from the suburbs of Chicago and has been a fan for most of his life. Working as an industrial radiographer and raising a family with his wife take up most of his time, but there’s always room for Star Wars books and podcasts! Just looking to give back to Star Wars and the fan community, it’s been a source of fun and learning for him for so long.