Samhain! Party music and playlist ideas for Halloween 2023

Pumpkins aren't in season Down Under but that doesn't mean we can't scare up a thrill with Samhain.

Sometimes the spooky season calls for a costume party and the best parties deserve great playlists.

Halloween playlists have been dominated by the cheesiness of Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett and the know-it-by-heart pulsating beat of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Both deservedly well-loved songs.

But there's a whole world of spine-chilling hits from classic 1980s horror films.

The Return of the Living Dead is a 1985 American horror comedy movie that follows two medical supply workers who unintentionally unleash a zombie horde on a gang of punk-rockers.

This soundtrack is full-to-the-brim with cool horror-rock from The Flesh Eaters and SSQ.

Demons is a 1985 Italian horror film directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by Dario Argento that follows cinema-goers who are barricaded inside a theatre and set upon by oozing ghouls.

The soundtrack is packed with 1980s rock heavy hitters from Motley Crue to Billy Idol. It's metal but silly.

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The Lost Boys follows a gang of teen vampires, led by a fresh-faced Kiefer Sutherland, who terrorise a California town.

The soundtrack features spooky, atmospheric tracks from Roger Daltrey and Echo & the Bunnymen as well as brooding rock epics.

Fright Night, starring Roddy McDowell and Chris Sarandon, is a preppy vampire flick set in suburban America.

Fright Night's soundtrack is undeniably 1980s, featuring upbeat hits from Devo and Ian Hunter.

A compilation of 1980s horror soundtrack hits on Spotify is found here.