Pop Culture Happy Hour: Halloween Songs

Date: October 28, 2025
Host: NPR
Guests: Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton, Hazel Sills

Overview

In this spirited episode, the Pop Culture Happy Hour team (via a crossover with NPR’s All Songs Considered) explores the ever-evolving canon of Halloween music. Steering away from obvious novelty tracks like "Monster Mash" and "Thriller," the hosts aim to broaden the playlist for spooky season. They break the conversation into categories—truly terrifying songs, childhood nostalgia, promising new releases, and Mount Rushmore-worthy Halloween classics. Expect lively camaraderie, personal memories, and several passionate cases for music that should define Halloween.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Creating a New Halloween Music Canon

• Stephen Thompson’s Pitch (01:16): Stephen proposes expanding the familiar Halloween playlist beyond the usual suspects. He notes how certain songs and albums spike on the Billboard charts every October and suggests it’s time for a more inventive, atmospherically "true" canon.

  “Let’s agree on a more expansive Halloween music canon, what songs do we want to see pop up around spooky season that are true to the season but also are not just novelty songs... but like actually spooky songs that rule.” — Stephen Thompson (01:16)

Category 1: Songs That Are Truly Terrifying

• "Killer" by Phoebe Bridgers

  • Chosen by Stephen. Noted for its gloomy, autumnal vibe and intimate yet unnerving narrative of potential violence.

    “It has this intimacy, but it's like a whisper about murder.” — Stephen Thompson (03:03)

  • The group discusses the disturbing power of reflecting on dark internal thoughts.

    “Sometimes the most terrifying thing in the world is your own thoughts.” — Robin Hilton (03:39)

• "If I Had A Heart" by Fever Ray

  • Picked by Hazel. Praised for its chilling lyricism, foreboding instrumentation, and a sense of monstrous inhumanity.

    “It's this kind of, almost like creature is singing about how much they want more and more. And it's like... Well, more of what?” — Hazel Sills (04:50)

  • Robin comments on the haunting visual and thematic identity of Fever Ray.

    “Everything Fever Ray does is terrifying to me. The videos, too.” — Robin Hilton (05:25)

  • The trio riffs on the commercialization of Halloween.

    “Halloween's gotten too commercial, man. It's just too commercial.” — Stephen Thompson (06:33)

Category 2: Nostalgic (Childhood) Ghosts

• "Goosebumps" TV Show Theme

  • Hazel’s pick conjures 90s childhood memories and childhood frights.

    “This song just... It lives so large in my brain.” — Hazel Sills (07:07) “It was like the Twilight Zone for being a child in the 90s.” (08:04)

• "Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of a Haunted House" (1964 Disneyland Records)

  • Robin shares this iconic sound effects album, which ZM_ was omnipresent in 70s and 80s Halloween culture.

    “For people of a certain age, this was inescapable. It was a Halloween tradition. Any haunted house you went to, it was playing.” — Robin Hilton (09:25) “I feel inspired, honestly, to just start playing this in my home at all times.” — Hazel Sills (10:23)

Category 3: New Additions to the Halloween Canon

• "Horizontes Lejanos" by Oksana Linde

  • Hazel introduces this otherworldly, atmospheric track by the Venezuelan composer, likened to John Carpenter soundtracks.

    “It just feels so ethereal and weird and like twisted. And I feel like you could play this music on the porch when the trick or treaters are coming up...” — Hazel Sills (14:20)

• "Everybody Scream" by Florence + the Machine

  • Stephen spotlights this overtly Halloween-themed, theatrical new single.

    “She gives a committed vocal ... and it's spooky and it's a little silly.” — Stephen Thompson (15:52) “This is clearly a bid for [being] the Mariah Carey of Halloween.” (16:50)

  • Lady Gaga’s "Dead Dance" (directed by Tim Burton) also gets a brief nod for its Halloween credentials.

• "House of Psychotic Women" by Ethel Cain

  • Robin brings forward this minimalist, deeply unsettling track.

    “The music is so unnerving, and she's saying I love you over and over again. So creepy. And all the words are kind of buried, like they're kind of coming up from underground or something.” — Robin Hilton (17:53) “She is just so good at creating these desolate, like, haunted houses of songs.” — Hazel Sills (18:10)

Category 4: Mount Rushmore of Halloween Songs

• "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" by The Cramps

  • Hazel’s essential: punk rockabilly with a dose of dark camp.

    “It's not Monster Mash. It's not Thriller. It's, like, dialed down enough in that, like, campy vampiric energy that it's cool.” — Hazel Sills (20:12)

• "My Body's a Zombie for You" by Dead Man’s Bones

  • Stephen’s underappreciated gem, partly for Ryan Gosling’s surprising involvement.

    “These two friends, one of whom happened to be Ryan Gosling ... made a bunch of Halloween themed music...” — Stephen Thompson (21:32) “You look at the play count on Spotify and that song has been played like 8 million times.” (22:39)

• "Great Pumpkin Waltz" by Vince Guaraldi

  • Robin’s classic pick from the beloved Peanuts special.

    “Classic. Absolute classic ... no less a classic.” — Robin Hilton (23:17) “I got a rock.” — Robin Hilton (referencing Peanuts, 23:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It used to be about the fear, man.” — Stephen Thompson, satirizing the commercialization of Halloween (06:39)
• “This song just... It lives so large in my brain.” — Hazel Sills, on the Goosebumps theme (07:07)
• "I feel inspired, honestly, to just start playing this in my home at all times." — Hazel Sills, about 'Chilling, Thrilling Sounds' (10:23)
• "This is clearly a bid for [being] the Mariah Carey of Halloween." — Stephen Thompson, on Florence + the Machine (16:50)
• "She is just so good at creating these desolate, like, haunted houses of songs." — Hazel Sills, on Ethel Cain (18:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:16 — Stephen outlines a new Halloween music canon.
• 02:32–06:44 — "Truly terrifying" song choices; Phoebe Bridgers & Fever Ray discussed.
• 06:44–11:01 — Nostalgic picks: Goosebumps theme and the famous Disneyland sound effects album.
• 12:58–18:46 — New Halloween songs introduced: Oksana Linde, Florence + the Machine, Ethel Cain.
• 19:15–24:06 — Mount Rushmore of Halloween music: The Cramps, Dead Man’s Bones, Vince Guaraldi.

Episode Tone

Cheerful, nostalgic, slightly irreverent, and deeply knowledgeable about both pop culture and music history. The group’s chemistry sparks lively banter, as personal experiences are woven into broader cultural trends.

Summary Useful for Listeners

This episode is both a primer and a deep dive into the world of Halloween music—perfect for anyone looking to expand their seasonal playlist beyond the expected hits. You'll come away with new recommendations, fun anecdotes, and—if you're a child of the 90s or a Halloween obsessive—plenty of moments to make you nod in recognition. Whether you crave chilling soundscapes or ironic, campy classics, the Pop Culture Happy Hour crew has just the track for you.