# Looking for spooky music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171 "2005-10-21T00:19:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/21 "2005-10-21T14:19:37Z")
“Being for the Benefit or Mr. Kite,” by the Beatles, sounds very spooky, even though the lyrics describe an event which is supposed to be happy. I’ve looped the end of the song (the instrumental part) to make a 20-minute long Hallowe’en background tape to good effect. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/22 "2005-10-21T14:23:41Z")
There is an new song out that was made to benifit UNICEF. It’s called _Do they know it’s Halloween?_ and it’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/23 "2005-10-21T14:33:17Z")
A band called Shape of Despair did an instrumental called Night’s Dew. Very, very creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/24 "2005-10-21T16:28:39Z")
> [@asrivkin](#): > > My wife and I are having some people over for a Halloween-themed dinner. She’s put me in charge of the music. She’s looking for spooky/scary music-- goth is ok but not silly/light-hearted stuff. For instance-- Bela Lugosi’s Dead is allowed, Monster Mash is not. > > I’m looking for suggestions for music to play. Classical/rock/whatever. Any good ones out there? In the “sinister songs” thread I [provided several (legal) links to mp3s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6675825&postcount=72) of songs that I considered sinister. Some of them are spooky too. You could do worse than to spend a half hour downloading and listening to them to see if any fit your playlist. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/25 "2005-10-21T17:21:41Z")
If the song “Choralone (live)” by Skinny Puppy doesn’t scare you, there’s something wrong with you. The scary strings, the choirs, the banging on metal, the incomprehensible gutteral vocals. Yikes. The clip right [here](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000005DC4/102-8851707-5370551?v=glance&s=music&n=507846&vi=samples#disc_1) (disc 1, track 13) is very representative of the entire album. Also, perhaps Coil’s “How to Destroy Angels” album? ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/26 "2005-10-21T17:22:47Z")
If the song “Choralone (live)” by Skinny Puppy doesn’t scare you, there’s something wrong with you. The scary strings, the choirs, the banging on metal, the incomprehensible gutteral vocals. Yikes. The clip right [here](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000005DC4/102-8851707-5370551?v=glance&s=music&n=507846&vi=samples#disc_1) (disc 1, track 13) is very representative of the entire song. Also, perhaps Coil’s “How to Destroy Angels” album? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/27 "2005-10-21T17:30:34Z")
For spooky choral/classical music try [John Tavener](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=pd_kk_sr_1/002-0165723-9300010?index=blended&field-keywords=john%20tavener) I like 3thunder Entered Her" but you’ll find “Song For Athene” more easily. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/28 "2005-10-21T17:51:28Z")
_Werewolves of London_ by Zevron? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/29 "2005-10-21T18:09:33Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Bach > Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky > Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas Mannheim Steamroller has great versions of these on their [Halloween](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000AOV3N/qid=1129918033/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-5102539-9755811?v=glance&s=music) CD. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/30 "2005-10-21T18:13:56Z")
I see Bach’s organ music has already been mentioned – in addition to being great compositions, some of it is downright spooky. If you can get a hold of the soundtrack to _Requiem For A Dream_, most of the songs from Winter are quite eerie, particularly the Lux Aeterna. Will probably leave your guests more depressed than spooked, though. Speaking of Lux Aeternas, check out the one composed by Ligeti, featured in the soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick’s [2001 : A Space Oddysey](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000033WB/qid%3D1129917365/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-1269591-7814545) . Very creepy, very atmospheric. I can’t ever talk about darkly-themed creepy-sounding music without mentioning one of my favorite artists of all time, though: [Dead Can Dance](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/102-1269591-7814545) . One album in particular comes to mind – [Within the Realm of a Dying Sun](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002MQ9/qid=1129917862/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/102-1269591-7814545?v=glance&s=music) , the last 4 tracks in particular. You can listen to samples at the link I just provided. Lisa Gerrard provides some of the most haunting vocals I’ve ever heard. Another work suffused with an eerie ambience would be Mike Oldfield’s [Tubular Bells](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000000WG4/qid=1129918082/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1269591-7814545?v=glance&s=music) (AKA Soundtrack for _The Exorcist_), and [Tubular Bells II](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002MFQ/qid=1129918134/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/102-1269591-7814545?v=glance&s=music) . He’s come out with a third Tubular Bells album, but I have not had the chance to listen to it yet, so I cannot give a recommendation on it. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/31 "2005-10-21T18:39:36Z")
“Intruder” by Van Halen’s \Diver Down\ album is sort of creepy. If you have any Nine Inch Nails in your collection I’m sure there are some suitable creepy songs there. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/32 "2005-10-21T19:12:43Z")
The soundtrack to [_Halloween_](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000153Q/002-8161488-0677610?v=glance) is great and incidentally was written and performed by John Carpenter himself. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/33 "2005-10-21T19:18:47Z")
I _highly_ recommend [Midnight Syndicate](http://www.midnightsyndicate.com/main.htm)–especially their first one, “Born of the Night” (though all of them are great and sound like they’re exactly what you’re looking for). I first heard MS at a local “Haunted House” type attraction in San Jose, and I immediately went out and bought their first CD. I’ve since bought all the rest too, as they come out. They have a booth at Gen Con and Origins every year, and I’ve gotten to know a couple of the guys involved (at least to the extent that they recognize me and say hi). They do _fantastic_ moody Halloween/scary/goth atmospheric music. ---
**Author:** ![asrivkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9d8465/32.png) [@asrivkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asrivkin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/34 "2005-10-22T16:00:38Z")
The party was last night. Thanks for all the suggestions-- the guests (and more importantly, my wife! 🙂 ) really enjoyed the music. I was able to use a lot of the Bach organ works and bought the soundtrack to Psycho, supplementing it with some Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd, Bauhaus, and VU (etc.). The Midnight Syndicate tracks they made available on their website went over well, too (thanks, **winterhawk11**!)… Again, thanks to all! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/35 "2005-10-22T19:12:38Z")
The middle section of Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” — the atonal section — sounds spooky as hell if you speed it up 2x. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/36 "2005-10-22T23:31:31Z")
Here are a few I like to cue up around Halloween: –“I Walk on Gilded Splinters” by Dr. John –“Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” by Jimi Hendrix –“Season of the Witch” by Donovan –“Superstition” by Stevie Wonder –“Creature with the Atom Brain” by Roky Erickson –“Voices Green and Purple” by The Bees –“Colma” by Buckethead –“Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/37 "2005-10-28T21:09:22Z")
The Suite from the “Hush” episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You can get it on Itunes. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/38 "2005-10-28T21:13:59Z")
Also, Kraanerg by Iannis Xenakis. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171/39 "2005-10-28T21:18:32Z")
> [@psycat90](#): > > Oh, and there’s also the scariest music in the WORLD. (OK, at least to me, since this place was one of my most favorite scary places growing up.) > > [Outside music of the Haunted Mansion in Long Branch, NJ.](http://www.darkinthepark.com/Haunted%20Mansion/Home/HMoutsidemusic.mp3) Okay, that’s going to drive me crazy. It’s from a movie sound track but I can’t be sure which one. Does someone else know? I’m thinking maybe Disney’s version of _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-spooky-music/327171.md?page=1)