Blogg → Mix Tape (CD): I Remember Halloween

Every October, I set out to make a new Halloween playlist, and each year, I manage to convince myself that I've concocted the best yet, an unstoppable juggernaut of horrifying songs, so let's put it to rest and not try to top it next year. And each year, just as surely as candy corn will taste like shit, I try to reinvent the wheel 12 months later. It's my favorite vicious cycle.

This year, however...I think I may have outdone myself. What you're about to read is the scariest, heaviest, and downright ghouliest All Hallow's Eve mix I've ever made, and I couldn't be happier with it. I'll go ahead and toot my own horn on this one: this playlist kinda kicks ass. Originally crafted as a gift for a heavy metal brother in arms, also named John, I thought this might be of some use to other horror junkies out there. At the very least, I'm going to tug on my proverbial dick and bother posting it for your musical enjoyment.

Before we jump headfirst into the pillowcase of goodies and sort out the Snickers from the Now n Laters, a word of caution. This mix is a casualty of cliché and repetition. Like I said before, this Halloween-themed mix has become a perennial event for me, like wasting my time on an awesome (but totally obscure) costume, or refusing to hand out candy to lazy-ass kids who can't be bothered to spend more than five minutes making theirs. “Another Wal-Mart vampire, are you fucking kidding me?”. And, like every year's mix, this one could not escape the reach of the following mandatory selections:

1.) One cut from the first Black Sabbath album, easily the spookiest in all the Sabbath discography
2.) At least three Misfits songs (the fact that it is MERELY three is frighteningly conservative)
3.) A song I associate more with the first Halloween movie than with a bearded Will Ferrell pounding away on his cowbell

...and that's just in the first three tracks. Hey, at least I didn't include the fuckin' Monster Mash*. And to wit, I did try to mix it up with a few non-traditional selections, too. These songs were included for sheer 'shit your pants in terror' effect, and would almost certainly NOT be described as 'extreme' music. Unless you're left with extremely shitty drawers, in which case, adjective well-earned. ANYWAY, the tracks to which I'm referring include the likes of Scott '31st Century Wolfman' Walker, the noise-metal-plays-nice duo Jucifer, and The Motherfucking Beatles. Consider these songs the Rosemary's Babies of the mix: they may not be as viscerally scary as Jason or Freddy, but give em a chance to sink in, and they'll keep you up at night. Bonus points to anyone who caught the back-to-back Roman Polanski references in this paragraph. Talk about scaring the kids.

Anyway, enough of my yakking. Let's boogie!

1.) (Don't Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
2.) The Wizard – Black Sabbath
3.) Last Caress – Misfits
4.) They – Entombed
5.) The Number of the Beast – Iron Fucking Maiden
6.) Harvest– Opeth**
7.) Bouncer See Bouncer...- Scott Walker
8.) L'autrichienne – Jucifer
9.) Gravedancer– Pig Destroyer
10.) Clients – The Red Chord
11.) Halloween – Misfits
12.) Chapter I - Shut Up and Play Something Evil – Corn On Macabre
13.) Black Magic – Slayer
14.) Am I Evil? - Metallica (bitching Diamond Head cover)
15.) Helter Skelter– The Beatles
16.) Braineaters – Misfits
17.) The Return Of Darkness And Evil – Bathory
18.) No Angel Or Demon – Witchcraft
19.) Dissident Aggressor – Judas Priest
20.) Halloween – Wraith of the Ropes (John Carpenter cover)

* in fairness, that song IS a goddamned graveyard smash.
** besides the obvious link in the title, I included this because of my subconscious need to include at least one potential 'makeout' song on every mix tape I make. And if you're into sweet makeout sessions AND wearing corpsepaint, Opeth is probably your go-to band.