I think Danny Elfman (originally of Oingo Boingo) built a career around that riff. I believe that it or a variation figures heavily into the theme song from HBO’s Tales from the Crypt, which Elfman also composed.
I never thought of that as “spooky” music, but rather as “sneaky” music.
If you’ve ever seen the film Around The World In Eighty Days and watched the credits at the end, they have little cartoon avatars of each of the main characters, with individual theme music, and Detective Fix’s theme is this music we’re talking about.
Nevertheless, it has been co-opted in countless novelty songs about monsters and ghosts, especially in the 50s.
Because they sneak up on you.
Here’s an example of the “sneaky/villain” music. Spanky is playing the bad guy. Also listen for the familiar tear-inducing “Hearts and Flowers” at the end of this snippet.
ETA: Also, in the 1938 cartoon “Wholly Smoke,” the “smoke” character talks to Porky Pig using this tune, IIRC.
Look no further: it’s
Rio, by Duran Duran
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.
.
.
.
Come on, don’t tell me you didn’t see that coming from a mile away.
Most of Wholly Smoke is orchestrated to an old song entitled Mysterious Mose, which, playing it around in my head from what I remember from the cartoon, does have that melody in the third line of the chorus.
(I forget these lines as they appear in the cartoon)
doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo,
doo-doo-doo-doo-doo doo
(this next line uses the melody in question)
Chew and chew and (cut to an owl) chew-hoo
(old man)Little kids shouldn’t smoke tobaccy!