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Redefining the Halloween canon

Phoebe Bridgers
Olof Grind
Phoebe Bridgers

Who's the Mariah Carey of Halloween? Labels and artists are trying to capitalize on spooky season, but these are the songs that belong in the canon, from the truly terrifying to autumnal and nostalgic. We also bring you chilling, thrilling sounds from the haunted house in our Weekly Reset.

Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind are always welcome at allsongs@npr.org.


Featured songs

  • Phoebe Bridgers: "Killer" from Stranger in the Alps
  • Fever Ray: "If I Had A Heart," from Fever Ray
  • Sufjan Stevens: "John Wayne Gacy, Jr" from Illinois
  • Jack Lenz: "Goosebumps" (theme from the TV show)
  • Disneyland Records: Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House
  • Alice Cooper: "Welcome to My Nightmare," from Welcome to My Nightmare
  • Oksana Linde: "Horizontes lejanos," from Travesias
  • Florence + the Machine: "Everybody Scream," from Everybody Scream
  • Ethel Cain: "Housofpsychoticwomn," from Perverts
  • girl in red: "We Fell In Love In October" (single)
  • Mimicking Birds: "Bloodlines," from EONS
  • Van Morrison: "Moondance," from Moondance
  • The Cramps: "I Was A Teenage Werewolf," from Songs the Lord Taught Us
  • Dead Man's Bones: "My Bodies a Zombie for You," from Dead Man's Bones
  • Vince Guaraldi: "The Great Pumpkin Waltz," from The Great Pumpkin


Copyright 2025 NPR

Robin Hilton
Robin Hilton is a host and senior producer for the All Songs Considered podcast and Tiny Desk, a series he helped create -- and named -- in 2008.
Hazel Cills
Hazel Cills is an editor at NPR Music. Before coming to NPR in 2021, Cills was a culture reporter at Jezebel, where she wrote about music and popular culture. She was also a writer for MTV News and a founding staff writer for the teen publication Rookie magazine.
Stephen Thompson
Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.