15 Fun Halloween Songs for Kids and Parties
These fun Halloween songs for kids will set the mood for any spook-tacular occasion. They are perfect for costume parties, trick-or-treat events or just jamming to a great haunting tune.
The 15 Best Halloween Songs for Kids
Kids of all ages will love these spooky classics. They range from hip-hop to blues to rock music, and even the obligatory novelty song or two—a broad selection of kid-friendly music!
Play these Halloween songs at your next party or use them for creating the perfect eerie mood for handing out Halloween candy at your house. They will set the mood for a hauntingly good time.
Movie & TV theme spooky songs for kids
1. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker, Jr.
Ray Parker, Jr. recorded the hit song for the soundtrack to the fantasy comedy about a ghost-catching business. It quickly soared to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
One of the most fun Halloween songs for kids!
Key Lyrics
Ghostbusters
If there’s something strange in you neighborhood
Who you gonna call? (ghostbusters)
If there’s something weird
And it don’t look good
Who you gonna call? (ghostbusters)
I ain’t afraid of no ghost
I ain’t afraid of no ghost
If you’re seeing things running through your head
Who you gonna call? (ghostbusters)
An invisible man
Sleeping in your bed
Who you gonna call? (ghostbusters)
2. The Addams Family Theme by Vic Mizzy
Vic Mizzy wrote this theme song to the 1960s hit horror-comedy TV show, The Addams Family. The show starred John Astin and Carolyn Jones as Gomez and Morticia Addams and their family (Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester, Ted Cassidy as the butler Lurch, Blossom Rock as Grandmama, Lisa Loring as Wednesday Addams, Ken Weatherwax as Pugsley Addams, the hairy Cousin Itt and Thing—a disembodied hand.)
The simple but memorable song describes the oddball family using finger snaps and a harpsichord melody. Lurch, the character played by Ted Cassidy speaks accompanying words “neat, sweet, petite.”
Key Lyrics
They’re creepy and they’re kooky
Mysterious and spooky
They’re all together ooky
The Addams family
Their house is a museum
Where people come to see ’em
They really are a scream
The Addams family
Neat
Sweet
Petite
So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We’re gonna pay a call on
The Addams family
Pop and hip hop trick or treat songs for kids
3. Thriller by Michael Jackson
Thriller is the certified platinum song from Michael Jackson’s 1982 album of the same name. The album was produced by Quincy Jones and sold over seven million copies in the U.S.
The catchy dance hit features the evil laugh and voice of Vincent Price in a spoken word segment at the end of the song.
The official music video features Jackson wearing his signature red jacket and choreographed dancing with a troupe of zombies. The dance beat is sure to get kids up and moving!
One of the most popular Halloween songs for kids!
Key Lyrics
Ahahahahahahahaha
It’s close to midnight
Something evil’s lurking from the dark
Under the moonlight
You see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream
But terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze
As horror looks you right between your eyes
You’re paralyzed
‘Cause this is thriller
Thriller night
And no one’s gonna save you
From the beast about to strike
4. A Nightmare on My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Fans of the Fresh Prince of Belaire TV show will recognize a similarity in song structure to this Halloween romp. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince recorded the song for their 1988 second studio album He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.
The fun, Halloween-themed rap tune reached #15 on the Hot 100.
In the song, Will Smith (the Fresh Prince) tells a scary story about Freddy Krueger, a character from the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street, even though the song was ultimately not used in the film.
Key Lyrics
Now I have a story that I’d like to tell
About this guy you all know him, he had me scared as hell!
He comes to me at night after I crawl into bed
He’s burnt up like a weenie and his name is Fred!
He wears the same hat and sweater every single day
And even if it’s hot, outside he wears it anyway!
He’s gone when I’m awake but he shows up when I’m asleep
I can’t believe that there’s a nightmare – on my street!
5. Freaks Come Out at Night by Whodini
The dance favorite Freaks Come Out at Night was released on the 1984 album Escape by Whodini.
The old school hip-hop song with a rhythm and blues influence is about “freaks” and their party lifestyle. It became a favorite in dance clubs in the 1980s.
Key Lyrics
Discos don’t open ’till after dark
And it ain’t ’till twelve ’till the party really starts
And I always had to be home by ten
Right before the fun was about to begin
Crowds of people lined up inside and out
Just one reason, to rock the house
But in the day time, the streets was clear
You couldn’t find a good freak anywhere, ’cause
The freaks come out at night
6. Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell (featuring Michael Jackson)
Kennedy Gordy, aka Rockwell, performed Somebody’s Watching Me for the Mowtown label in 1984. He is the son of Berry Gordy, founder, and CEO of Motown Records.
Gordy convinced the King of Pop Michael Jackson to sing backup along with his brother Jermaine Jackson in the song.
The one-hit-wonder peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100.
The song’s accompanying video features Rockwell with haunted house props like floating heads, graveyards, and Psyco-like shower scenes.
Key Lyrics
Who’s watching?
Tell me who’s watching.
Who’s watching me?
I’m just an average man, with an average life.
I work from nine to five; hey hell, I pay the price.
All I want is to be left alone in my average home;
But why do I always feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone, and
I always feel like somebody’s watching me.
And I have no privacy.
Woh, I always feel like somebody’s watching me.
Tell me is it just a dream?
Novelty Halloween songs for kids
7. Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers
Bobby “Boris” Pickett wrote this Halloween classic in 1962 and it remains as popular today as ever. Pickett mimics a Boris Karloff voice while singing the Frankenstein-parody song.
The tale is narrated by a mad scientist who describes how his monster comes to life in the laboratory and comes to life doing a new dance called The Monster Mash.
The novelty tune made #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 before Halloween in 1962. Although the song is considered mild by today’s standards, it was originally banned by the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) for being “too morbid.”
Key Lyrics
I was working in the lab, late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab, began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise
He did the mash, he did the monster mash
The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash
He did the mash, it caught on in a flash
He did the mash, he did the monster mash
8. Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley
Kids love to sing along with the song Purple People Eater. The kitschy-novelty tune from 1958 tells the tale of a strange monster that wants to be in a rock ’n roll band.
Country-music star Sheb Wooley performed the song, his only Billboard Hot 100 hit.
The high-pitched voice of the monster in the song is accomplished by speeding up a voice recording similar to the voices in the cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Some Halloween songs for kids are too scary for youngsters. This one is not.
Key Lyrics
Well, I saw the thing comin’ out of the sky
It had the one long horn, one big eye
I commenced to shakin’ and I said “ooh-eee”
It looks like a purple eater to me
It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater
(One-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater)
A one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me (one eye?)
Classic rock party songs
9. Spooky by Atlanta Rhythm Section
This song was originally an instrumental by saxophonist Mike Shapiro in 1967. Then the band Classics IV took the song and added lyrics. But it took the Atlanta Rhythm Section (ARS) to make it a hit.
The ARS version of the song reached as high as #17 in the U.S. in 1979. Three members of the band were involved in the original Classics IV recording of the song.
The popular song has also been covered by Dusty Springfield, R.E.M., and Martha and the Vandellas, among others.
Key Lyrics
In the cool of the evening
When everything is getting kind of groovy
You call me up and ask me
Would I like to go with you and see a movie?
First, I say no, I’ve got some plans for tonight
And then I stop and say all right
Love is kind of crazy with a spooky little girl like you
10. Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon
Singer-songwriter extraordinaire Warren Zevon released Werewolves of London on his album Excitable Boy in 1978. The campy novelty song is now a Halloween standard.
The catchy lyrics include the best opening line in a song, according to BBC Radio 2: “I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand…”
Key Lyrics
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of SoHo in the rain
He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook’s
Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein
Aaoooooo
Werewolves of London
Aaoooooo
11. Season of the Witch by Donovan
This psychedelic jam from Donovan’s 1966 album Sunshine Superman features hauntingly-eerie guitar licks by Jimmy Page. Page was a session musician before he became famous with the rock band Led Zeppelin.
The tune was famously covered by Lana Del Ray for the 2019 soundtrack to the horror movie Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Key Lyrics
When I look over my shoulder
What do you think I see
Some old cat lookin’ over his shoulder at me
and he’s strange
Sure is strange strange
You’ve got to pick up every stitch
You’ve got to pick up every stitch, yeah
Beatniks are out to make it rich
Oh no
Must be the season of the witch
12. Little Ghost by The White Stripes
The rock duo of Jack White and Meg White, The White Stripes, included the catchy song Little Ghost on their 2005 album Get Behind Me Satan.
The low-fidelity presentation features Jack White’s vocals—reminiscent of a bluegrass twang—offering simple storytelling kids will enjoy.
Key Lyrics
One I’m scared of the most
Can you scare me up a little bit of love?
I’m the only one that sees you,
And I can’t do much to please you
And it’s not yet time to meet the lord above
The first moment that I met her
I did not expect a specter
When I shook her hand I really shook a glove
She looked into me so sweetly
And we left the room discreetly
No one else could know the secret of our love
Little ghost, little ghost
One I’m scared of the most
Can you scare me up a little bit of love?
I’m the only one that sees you,
And I can’t do much to please you
And it’s not yet time to meet the lord above
13. Black Magic Woman by Santana
Black Magic Woman first appeared as a single by the band Fleetwood Mac in 1968. But it wasn’t until Carlos Santana and his band covered the tune on their 1970 album Abraxas that it became famous.
The song is now a staple at Santana concerts and one of the band’s biggest hits. It reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 list.
Key Lyrics
Got a black magic woman
Got a black magic woman
I’ve got a black magic woman
Got me so blind I can’t see
That she’s a black magic woman
She’s trying to make a devil out of me
Don’t turn your back on me, baby
Don’t turn your back on me, baby
Yes, don’t turn your back on me, baby
Stop messing about with your tricks
Don’t turn your back on me, baby
You just might pick up my magic sticks
R&B and soul songs
14. Superstition by Stevie Wonder
The hit Superstition is from Stevie Wonder’s 1972 album Talking Book. It describes the dangers of superstitions like walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror and the evil power of number 13.
It was Wonder’s second #1 hit in the U.S. and ranked in Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All TIme. Many artists have covered the song, but one of the most popular is Stevie Ray Vaughan’s live version from 1986.
Wonder famously performed the hit on the children’s TV show Sesame Street in 1973.
Key Lyrics
Very superstitious, writings on the wall
Very superstitious, ladders bout’ to fall
Thirteen-month-old baby broke the lookin’ glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past
When you believe in things that you don’t understand
Then you suffer
Superstition ain’t the way
15. I Put a Spell on You by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
In 1956, blues singer Jalacy “Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins used a ghoulish, spooky voice and his signature screaming to create the hit song I Put a Spell on You.
The song is listed in Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
When Hawkins performed the song, he played up the horror story by wearing a long cape and rising out of a coffin. Flames and smoke filled the air around him. The eerie props and spooky atmosphere were intended to shock the audience.
Key Lyrics
I put a spell on you because you’re mine
You better stop the things that you do
I ain’t lyin’, no, I ain’t lyin’
I just can’t stand it babe
The way you’re always runnin’ ’round
I just can’t stand it, the way you always put me down
I put a spell on you because you’re mine
These Halloween songs for kids will set the perfect mood for parties and gatherings. Or just use them to create a soundtrack for Halloween night; create a chilling trick-or-treating experience for all the visiting monsters and goblins!
Etcetera
Thanks for checking out these Halloween songs for kids. You may also enjoy these song lists:
Great Quotes About Songs & Singing
By Greg Johnson | Published 8/23/2019
