Approaching Halloween season is like my super bowl. I’ve spent all year patiently waiting for October, and spooky season. Eagerly planning, costumes, movies, and of course, my playlist. The weather has become perfect, the leaves are gold and the air finally smells like fall. Everything about October has been begging for a new playlist.
Halloween season is a time that feels incredibly nostalgic for me, and this is my first Halloween away from home. It’s remained my favorite holiday since I was little, and I associate everything about it with my family and being home. Halloween has always allowed me to embrace my weirdness. Growing up, I always wore different costumes; I was always in some kind of character. Halloween always felt like a comfort blanket for me. Now I’m away from home and trying to still enjoy all the things about Halloween that I love so much. One of those things is creating the perfect Halloween playlist.
The perfect Halloween playlist is probably the most important part about October. Even if you do other things, like watch movies, hang out with friends and dress up; all of these things also rely on music. We can’t have a good film without a good soundtrack, Halloween is the same way. For me the perfect Halloween playlist is a delicate mix of camp, danceability, spook, and fall coziness. Each song acts like a different piece in a big handful of candy.
The first piece is coziness. Certain songs on my playlist feel like they were hand pulled from a fire pit. I want a perfect selection of songs that feel like the smell of dry leaves and logs under the stars. Half of Halloween is the feeling of a nice blanket on a chilly fall night, and certain songs feel like that. To me this is whatever feels like home.
Then there’s the nostalgia, all the weird campiness that makes Halloween so special. Songs that remind me of my kindergarten Halloween parties: listening to the “Monster Mash” and waiting for the room parents to bring the cupcakes and crafts. Part of Halloween is being a kid again, so I want my playlist to embody that. I love feeling like I’m on those old school trips to the pumpkin patch, munching on “Frankenberry.” I can relive that feeling of coming home from school on Halloween, smelling my parents’ fall candles as they decorate, and watching a seasonal movie before getting into costume to go trick or treating.
Then, of course, there is the ‘dark and stormy night’ vibe. Songs that are dark or weird, maybe a reference to my favorite horror soundtrack or a dark song with dreary words. Good songs in this category can make you fear the dark and embrace it. This category tends to make me want to dance around with friends like a vampire dance party. I tend to gravitate towards gothic synth and spooky lyrics. These songs almost always end up being super danceable and super fun.
What makes Halloween special is always so personal, and we often associate it with growing up. It’s a time of overcoming fears, exploring, and finding identity. The playlist I find myself making every year feels like growing up again, and I love sharing that. I am a full believer in embracing your inner child on Halloween, letting yourself have fun, and enjoying being able to be whatever you want. Be a film nerd or a little afraid of the dark, eat too much candy, and enjoy your favorite songs. Halloween is judgment-free; let your music free you this Halloween, and enjoy being a kid again.
