It’s time for hot nights and chilling frights with this Summerween Spooks playlist! Whether you are spending the day carving watermelon jack-o-lanterns on the beach or howling at the moon at night, this playlist has you covered. It has a fun mix of classic beach vibes and modern alternative rock for spooky summer atmosphere.
Halloween and horror are year-round passions for many people. I have been thrilled in the recent rise of “Summerween” celebrations, bringing spooky fun to the summer season. The term “Summerween” comes from a 2012 episode in the Disney cartoon series Gravity Falls. In the show, Summerween was a summertime celebration of Halloween with costumes, parties, and “jack-o-melons”. A year later, ScareLA brought summertime Halloween fun to SoCal. Now, many conventions and fan events continue its legacy.
Every season has its own unique spooky vibes. For this playlist I wanted to find songs that evoke feelings of sunny days, lounging, and bonfire nights with friends – all with a spooky or creepy twist, of course. So, grab some ice scream and enjoy a hot ghoul summer with this Summerween Spooks playlist.
You square brains out there better beware! Let’s start this playlist with a piece that has both summer beach vibes and thematically appropriate lyrics. Originally recorded as a one-off track for the film The Return of the Living Dead (1985), Surfin’ Dead is zombie-themed punk rockabilly at its best.
The Cramps are known for their horror-themed songs. I first discovered them as a child via my Elvira’s Haunted Hits CD, which included their song, I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Recently, a new generation has come to know them as their song, Goo Goo Muck, was used in the iconic dance scene from Netflix’s hit series, Wednesday.
Our boo-tiful day at the beach continues with this silly song from Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers. Pickett is best known for his Halloween classic, The Monster Mash, but his other parody monster songs are also quite fun. After a few bars of this tune, you will want to join the vampires, zombies, and werewolves in their quicky Skully Gully dance.
This song makes me think of 1950’s & 60’s B-horror movies at the drive-in. Teenagers were always the target of some horrific fate in these campy classics. The song’s upbeat melody is a perfect background for your barbeque or beach party. I especially love the operatic “aah-ah-ah-ah-ah-aaah” of the female vocals when they mention the teenage angel.
“I was a teenage monster
Until I met a teenage angle
She took her lips and mixed them with mine
And up in smoke went old Frankenstein”
While most people are a little more familiar with the version of this song from Jumpin’ Gene Simmons (released in the same year – 1964), I think that this version from Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs is best for this playlist. With a slightly longer runtime, this song has a brief guitar rift section that gives it a more surf vibe. I also enjoy the ghostly laughter and campy nature.
1961’s Jekyll and Hyde by Jim Burgett continues the jukebox rock sound of this playlist. I like that it focuses on the underutilized horror figure(s) of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I can certainly relate to a duality of personality! I may seem sweet, but I am a horror at heart.
“Oh, I’m going steady with Mary Lou
She’s so sweet and our love is true
But every night when we kiss goodnight
The minute I get out of her sight…
Suddenly the devil in me starts to rage
And it’s the wild kind of lovin’ is what I crave!”
Grab your sweetheart and boogie to this modern rendition of a classic song. I love that this one is subtle enough with its lyrics to appeal to both normal individuals and those who need a dash of spookiness to everything.
“Oo-ma-la-baby, you give me goose bumps
‘Cause you thrill me baby, goose bumps
How you chill me honey, goose bumps
When we kiss, I never had nobody make me feel like this”
Kim Lenz is a modern rockabilly queen, updating a classic rock n’ roll sound for audiences of the late 20th/early 21st centuries. (You can learn more about her from this article from The Rockabilly Chronicle).
This song fits perfectly with the other upbeat tunes on this list. While it is not specifically a Halloween-inspired song, the “Devil on my Shoulder” lyrics make it another song that can appeal to both horror fans and general audiences. I love to cast a wide net with these playlists to include music not typically heard on strict horror/Halloween playlists. Sometimes lyrics with the appropriate iconography are enough.
The House is Haunted was originally written in 1934 by Billy Rose with lyrics by Basil Adlam. It was first released by Paul Whiteman with the Park Avenue Boys that same year. Over the years it has been covered by a multitude of artists, but one of my favorite versions is this one by The Phantom Chords, a 1990’s British rock band.
This version takes the melancholy big band sound of the original and adds a swinging twist. While the lyrics are sorrowful, you can’t help but want to dance to the beat.
The sun has set on our Summerween Spooks playlist and things are about to get a little darker. “With Monsters and Gods” by The Hillbilly Moon Explosion provides a sultry backdrop to your evening. I love the poetic lyrics at the end of the chorus:
“So here I am
A ghost in your dreams
While the moon rises
I’m your Halloween”
“We are the weirdos, mister.”
Sometimes a song becomes forever intertwined with a certain movie. That is the case for this classic. “Dark Secret” by Matthew Sweet was released in 1996 as part of the soundtrack for The Craft. It is hard to listen to this without thinking of the four young witches on the beach, casting their spells. You gotta love that theremin in the background as well.
Time for a little hometown pride with this one. The Quakes formed in the fall of 1986 in Buffalo, New York. “Dark Shadows” comes from their 2012 album, “Planet Obscure”. Dubbed “psychobilly”, this musical style is a little more punk and aggressive than the standard rockabilly style found earlier in the playlist.
“Graveyard’s Full” by The Growlers not only fits perfectly with this playlist due to its beachy vibes and mentioning of an iconic horror locale (graveyard), but it also carries an eco-friendly message – which should be important to us all. Summer is all about spending time outdoors and enjoying nature. This song reminds us that humans are constantly overusing Earth’s resources and taking more than we give. Maybe we should all be a little more mindful of our overconsumption before we end up starring in a horror movie of our own making.
Let’s end this playlist strong with a rocking psychobilly hit from the Canadian punk rock band The Creepshow. This song makes me think of hot rods and summer night street races down in SoCal. Let this song’s electrifying energy and pulsing beat empower you to continue your Summerween revelries all night long!
Did you like it? What songs are on your Summerween playlist? Let me know on Instagram @EmilyIsHorror
Want more Summerween tunes? Listen to my Summer Screams playlist.
It’s time for hot nights and chilling frights with this Summerween Spooks playlist! Whether you are spending the day carving watermelon jack-o-lanterns on the beach or howling at the moon
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