Top 10 songs to carve pumpkins to (with an extra that’ll really scoop your gourd)
By Nicky Houseman on October 27, 2025
Ah, the yearly Halloween tradition of pumpkin carving. Love it or hate it (EW, GUTS!), we can all agree that the image of the Jack-o-Lantern is so unique to the holiday – it simply wouldn’t be Halloween without porches lit and lined with mutilated vegetables. That’s why I’ve collected the Top Ten Halloween songs to Carve Pumpkins to.
You can listen to the playlist HERE, and CLICK ONWARD if you dare…
NUMBER 10 – CAMEO OF THE CENTURY
A Nightmare on My Street – Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Freddy Kreuger
We all love that goofy guy Will Smith, from his Fresh Prince years all the way to going blue for Aladdin. What if I told you that in the 90’s, him and his buddy DJ Jazzy Jeff made a collab with horror icon, Freddy Krueger? You’d be like “Whaaaaat!” and I’d be like “Uh-huh! Uh-huh!!!”
NUMBER 9 – EAT YOUR HEART OUT, NIGHTMARE
Remains of the Day – Danny Elfman
There’s always a toss-up between those who love Nightmare Before Christmas and Tim Burton’s later stop-motion classic, Corpse Bride. Me, I was a Corpse Bride girlie all the way, and there’s one song by Danny Elfman that really gets me in the mood for grim celebrations (that also gives you a complete experience of the whole movie) – it’s Remains of the Day, all the way!
NUMBER 8 – A JOYOUS DANSE MACABRE
Jump in the Line – Harry Belafonte
You wanna keep moving while you’re scraping gourds, and what a song to sing with your goulish cohorts! Arguably the most fun song from Beetlejuice. Fight me.
NUMBER 7 – EVERY HALLOWEEN SONG EVER
Monster Mashup – Pomplamoose, Tessa Violet
Pomplamoose and Tessa Violet have delivered the tricks and treats with a cover of all your favourite Halloween songs, so sing along and feel that moonlit magic! Cuz this is Thrillerrr, Thriller night…
NUMBER 6 – NEW TRICKS FOR OLD BONES
Season Of The Witch – Lana Del Rey
From the soundtrack of the movie adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark, this cover has become one of my favourite holiday songs to put on when Autumn rolls around. Donavan’s classic song has been smooth-mc-groove-ified by one miss Lana Del Rey, to make a sweet and chilling rendition of your favourite Season of the Witch.
NUMBER 5 – THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN’S ANTHEM
Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I’ve yet to meet a remix of this song that’s better than the original. Aren’t pumpkins like Heads to Roll? Yeah Yeah Yeah!!!
NUMBER 4 – BOY BANDS ARE COOL AGAIN
I Love You So Much (It’s Scary) – Bob’s Burgers
A new Halloween classic has entered the fray… a boy-band song by Bob’s Burgers??? Yes, each year they put on a holiday special and recently the show starred their boy band Boyz4Now in a Halloween love song… I Love This Song So Much (it’s Scary)!!!
NUMBER 3 – LIFE CAN BE A DRAG
Dragula – Bad Custer
Yes, this is a folk ballad version of Rob Zombie’s hardcore Halloween song Dragula. You’re gonna wanna keep a beat when scraping innards from that big gourd hole, so count on this song to put seeds in your bowl and a smile on your face. Sing along if you know the words – the best times are spent with friends. Doin it baybay, doin it baybay…!
NUMBER 2 – A KILLER TRACK
bury a friend – Billie Eilish
I have been called a 14-year-old Tumblr user for requesting Billie at the pumpkin party. But I DON’T CARE, MOM!!!!!!!!! Billie is my idollllllll, and this is her spookiest song. It’s creepy! It’s fun! I don’t need to defend my tastes – this is MY list. I WILL bury a friend to defend this song.
NUMBER ONE
Curse of the Jack-o-Lantern – Twiztid, The R.O.C., Boondox, H.O.K.
There’s a need, a carnal DESIRE that Halloweenies have for a holiday bloodbath. Isn’t that why we carve pumpkins? To defy nature and carve out our own image in honour of bedevilled joy, a light in the ever-earlier sunset, casting gruesome grins out from the porch to greet the ghouls and goblins that cry out for tricks and treats. Why do we scoop guts with our family and besties, if not to cast out the terror of winter looming over us, reaching ever nearer as we cry, “no, NO, we WILL have one last BOUNTIFUL HARVEST before the crisp, chilled fingers of Old Man Winter snatch away our warmth and pleasure, and BY GOD we will honour this time spent together, before the icy hands of DEATH and ROT take it away from us once more.” Yes, brothers and sisters, we will scoop, and cut, and carve, and mash, and twist, we’ll do the mash, we’ll do the Monster Mash, it was a Graveyard Smash, I was working in the Lab late one night –
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Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett, The Crypt-Kickers
Oh – what??? Well, I suppose you can’t TRUELY have a Halloween music fest without including an instance of Monster Mash-ing. I suppose all we can do is ask ourselves, “whatever DID happen to that Transylvania Twist?”
THERE YOU HAVE IT! If you’re in dire need of MORE ghoulish delights, tune in this Friday at 6 to hear the Fantastic Fridays FANG-TASTIC HALLOWEEN SHOW!!! I’m DJ Nicky, saying – if you can’t spook ’em, join ’em!
Cover art and music videos created by their respective artists. Pumpkin by Chris Robert on Unsplash. Blog image captured by Nicky Houseman – find me @happilynicky on Instagram.