All Songs Considered

Redefining the Halloween canon

October 21, 2025

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  • The central goal of the episode of "All Songs Considered," "Redefining the Halloween canon," is to establish an expansive, non-novelty-based canon of Halloween music that goes beyond established staples like "Monster Mash." 
  • The discussion categorizes potential canon songs into themes including the truly terrifying, autumnal/nostalgic, seasonal, and undeniable classics worthy of a 'Mount Rushmore' status. 
  • The hosts suggest that successful Halloween music often balances sinister or unsettling elements with intimacy, beauty, or theatrical melodrama, rather than relying solely on overt goofiness. 

Segments

Defining Halloween Canon
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(00:00:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode aims to establish an expansive Halloween music canon beyond novelty songs like “Monster Mash.”
  • Summary: The hosts establish the premise of “Redefining the Halloween canon” by noting the commercial rise of holiday music on charts like Billboard. They seek to define a canon of songs that are genuinely spooky or autumnal, moving past purely novelty tracks. Stephen Thompson initiated the discussion based on observing seasonal chart fluctuations.
Truly Terrifying Songs
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(00:03:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Phoebe Bridgers’ “Killer” is proposed as a canon entry due to its intimate, human-centric horror and autumnal feel.
  • Summary: The first category focused on songs that are genuinely terrifying, not goofy. Phoebe Bridgers’ “Killer” was selected for its gloomy atmosphere and exploration of internal capacity for darkness, suggesting she could be the ‘Mariah Carey of Halloween.’ Fever Ray’s “If I Had a Heart” was added for its unsettling, foreboding sound and monstrous visual identity.
Sufjan Stevens’ Disturbing Beauty
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(00:11:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Sufjan Stevens’ “John Wayne Gacy, Jr” is included for its unsettling contrast between beautiful, delicate music and its horrifying subject matter.
  • Summary: Sufjan Stevens’ “John Wayne Gacy, Jr” was deemed a truly terrifying entry because its beauty clashes with the lyrical content about the serial killer. The contrast makes the song profoundly creepy, functioning as the ‘silent night of Halloween songs’—a quieter, deeper piece for the season. The hosts noted Stevens’ existing affinity for spiritual and liminal themes makes him a natural fit for the canon.
Childhood Nostalgia Picks
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(00:17:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Childhood nostalgia is represented by the theme from the TV show “Goosebumps” and the sound effects album “Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House.”
  • Summary: Hazel Sills selected the “Goosebumps” theme as a millennial touchstone, noting the show was the ‘Twilight Zone for being a child in the 90s.’ Stephen Thompson contributed the 1964 Disneyland Records album, which was an inescapable fixture at haunted houses and Halloween parties for decades. The latter album features both narrated scenarios and pure sound effects.
Theatrical Halloween Classics
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(00:23:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Alice Cooper’s “Welcome to My Nightmare” is considered a canon classic due to its theatricality, despite its G-rated underlying persona.
  • Summary: Alice Cooper’s “Welcome to My Nightmare” was nominated for the Mount Rushmore category, stemming from Stephen Thompson’s childhood costume choice. The song possesses a theatrical melodrama that, while spooky, is less cartoonish than “Monster Mash.” The hosts agreed that Alice Cooper maintains a wholesome energy despite his macabre stage presence.
New Additions to Canon
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(00:26:01)
  • Key Takeaway: New music, like Oksana Linde’s “Horizontes lejanos” and Florence + the Machine’s “Everybody Scream,” are being evaluated for their intentional spooky season appeal.
  • Summary: Oksana Linde’s “Horizontes lejanos” was added for its ethereal, John Carpenter-esque analog synths that evoke a sense of dread. Florence + the Machine’s “Everybody Scream” is seen as a clear, committed bid for the Halloween market, utilizing classic spooky instrumentation like the organ. Lady Gaga’s Tim Burton-directed video for “The Dead Dance” was also mentioned as a contemporary bid for the canon.
Gothic Love and Paranoia
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(00:31:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Ethel Cain’s “House of Psychotic Women” represents horror derived from corrupted intimacy and paranoia within love.
  • Summary: Ethel Cain’s track was highlighted for its American Gothic sound, creating desolate, haunted songs. The horror in this track stems from the contrast between the repeated, buried phrase “I love you” and the dysfunctional, paranoid context of the lyrics. This exemplifies how music that distorts trust can be deeply unnerving.
Seasonal Coziness and Romance
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(00:35:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Seasonal songs like girl in red’s “We Fell in Love in October” capture the cozy, romantic aspect of moving indoors during autumn.
  • Summary: The seasonal category included girl in red’s “We Fell in Love in October,” which evokes the intimacy and romance associated with ‘cuffing season.’ Mimicking Birds’ “Bloodlines” was added for its unsettling yet beautiful sound that evokes a chill wind and nature’s darker side. Van Morrison’s “Moondance” was included for its explicit lyrical references to October and the ease of the season, also noting its inclusion in the An American Werewolf in London soundtrack.
Mount Rushmore Finalists
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(00:44:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The Cramps’ “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” and Dead Man’s Bones’ “My Body’s a Zombie for You” are strong contenders for the Halloween Mount Rushmore.
  • Summary: The Cramps’ track was nominated for its cool, punk-rockabilly energy that balances camp with genuine haunting potential. Dead Man’s Bones, featuring Ryan Gosling, was nominated for its 2009 album of dedicated Halloween music, which utilizes the stomp-clap style popular around that era. Vince Guaraldi’s “The Great Pumpkin Waltz” was ultimately chosen as the fourth head, representing classic, non-scary seasonal tradition.