Your Essential '90s Halloween Playlist

Oct. 31 is just around the corner! Whether you're throwing a big Halloween party or just looking for a way to get into the "Halloween spirit," finding the perfect playlist is essential. A spooky Halloween playlist made up of modern pop songs might be a good option for you, but for many people, Halloween is all about nostalgia. I'm not much for getting dressed up anymore, but growing up in the '90s, I spent months searching for the right costume, and always looked forward to trick or treating with my friends after school. Ah, those were the good old days, right? Hey, why not relive the good old days with a scary '90s Halloween playlist?

After all, when you think about it, the '90s was a pretty unnerving decade. It's the decade that brought us the first two movies in Wes Craven's legendary Scream trilogy (plus a slew of other copycat slasher flicks). It's also the decade that many of us read the terrifying Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books for the first time. (Seriously, what was the deal with those books? Who approved the illustrations?? They were way too gruesome for kids!) And finally, it's the decade that launched the Furby craze — and it doesn't get much scarier than that! There were bone-chilling frights around just about every turn back then. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised so many of us made it out alive.

Check out your essential '90s Halloween playlist via Spotify below:

And here's a brief track-by-track breakdown:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — "Red Right Hand"

This track is what nightmares are made of.

Imogen Heap — "Getting Scared"

"Yeah, you're getting scared now, piggy / Go ahead and squeal / It sounds so nice from where I'm standing," Imogen Heap sings in this creepy tale of revenge. I wouldn't want to get on the "Hide and Seek" artist's bad side, that's for sure.

Sugar Ray — "Abracadabra"

If you owned the Sabrina the Teenage Witch soundtrack (which is a real thing that exists), you may already be familiar with Sugar Ray's cover of the 1982 Steve Miller band classic. Song lyrics don't get much scarier than "Abracadabra, I wanna reach out and grab ya!"

Marilyn Manson — "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)"

The Eurythmics' 1983 hit is a little creepy on its own, but ghoulish rocker Marilyn Manson really takes the creep-factor to the next level.

Metallica — "Enter Sandman"

There's only one word to describe this tune: terrifying.

Mandy Moore — "Candy"

Mandy Moore is here to give us all a brief respite from the musical terror. (Also, eating loads and loads of candy is one of the best parts of Halloween, right?)

The Cranberries — "Zombie"

"Zombie" is so catchy, you might not notice how disturbing its lyrics are at first. (But trust me, they're pretty disturbing.)

Michael Jackson — "Ghosts"

Every party needs a little MJ, tbh.

Hocus Pocus — "I Put A Spell On You"

C'mon, how could I resist?

Aqua — "Halloween"

OK, I almost didn't include this one because its spoken interludes are so intense, but then I thought, "What's more '90s than German eurodance band Aqua?" Exactly. At that point, I had no choice.

Rob Zombie — "Dragula"

Imagine my disappointment to discover that "Dragula" has nothing to do with drag queens or Ursula! Apparently, the track was named after Grandpa Munster's car from the '60s TV series The Munsters. How... lame? Still, it's a pretty eerie tune.

The X-Files Theme Song

So spooky.

Backstreet Boys — "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"

The song itself isn't very scary, but its Halloween-themed music video sure is! Eighteen years later, "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" is still a jam.

Happy Halloween, everybody!

Images: BackstreetBoysVEVO/YouTube; Giphy (12)