Halloween: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

John Carpenter's nail-biting original score is of course the ultimate soundtrack to the October holiday. Piano and synthesizer nightmares which are forever locked in my mind still hold up today. From the opening title theme to "Shape Stalks" it never lets up. It is repetitious in some areas but let's face it you never really get tired of hearing the same parts. Guaranteed to keep everyone periodically looking out the window for "the boogie man".

Goblin: Suspiria, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Italy's prog-rock band meet Italy's premiere horror director and create the scariest music since "Night on Bald Mountain". Goblin and Argento collaborated on what is their best score (Dawn of the Dead blew!). Weird sitar, hushed whispering voices, and choral voices that sound like tortured souls all come togther to scare the hell out of anyone. Sure, there are some prog-rock jazz segments but I dare anyone to listen to this alone on a rainy night.

Freddy's Favorites: The Best Of A Nightmare On Elm Street

Ah, what more could any Nightmare on Elm Street fan desire than the entire series' score on one CD. The cream of the crop is Charles Bernstein's score for the original film and Christopher Young's for Part 2: Freddy's Revenge. Angelo Baldamenti's score for Dream Warriors is a little lacking, Brian May shames himself by lending is talent to an empty score to the equally empty final film Freddy's Dead. Ferguson's score for Part 5: Dream Child leaves something to be desired, but longtime soundtrack buffs will be impressed by the score for part 4: Dream Master by the prolific Craig Safan. Now all you need to complete this is the soundtrack to Wes Craven's New Nightmare.

All that aside if you wanted to go the pop music route for Halloween, look no further than the picks below.

Various Artists: New Wave Halloween

Here's the way to rock it indie-style on the old Hallows Eve. From Ministry's "Everyday is Halloween", to the Ramones "Pet Semetary" this thing kicks major Halloween ass. It also has five, count 'em five versions of "Halloween" including ones by Sonic Youth and Mudhoney.

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult: Confessions Of A Knife

Creepy industrial instrumentals highlight the Kult's second album. This one will put fear in your Dave Matthews Band-loving-friend and definitely help you score with the vampire chick in the corner. Also interesting side note, the Kult's first album was originally a soundtrack to a low-budget horror movie until it was scrapped and the guys decided to turn into a band. The film, by the way, was called "My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult". No duh!

Screamin' Jay Hawkins: Voodoo Jive-best of

For a little humor and a little creepy blues to spice up the party try no further than the king of spooky camp and the first ever shock rocker. Hawkin's favorite stage antic was to pop out of a coffin and suprise an unsuspecting audience. He also used to have a skull on his microphone that he affectionately called Henry the Skull. All the 50's classics are here "I Put A Spell On You", "Feast of the Mau Mau", plus some of his songs from the sixties like "I Hear Voices". For a Munsters-kinda Halloween.

Hope this list helps any future Halloween parties or just any dark and morbid person like myself that may have been looking for some mood music. Just in case we start to suffer from post-Halloween come-down.