Spooky season is here. Check out these creepy songs to learn on guitar to get you in the Halloween spirit! 

“Monster Mash”

You can either learn the original 1962 version of this Halloween novelty song by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, or The Misfits’ 1997 cover!

“Creep” – Radiohead 

Radiohead’s debut single “Creep” – and one of their most successful songs – wasn’t supposed to be released at all. The band recorded the song at the request of their producers and released it as a single in 1992. It didn’t become a hit until it was re-released in 1993. 

“Werewolves of London” – Warren Zevon 

Singer-songwriter Warren Zevon’s comedy rock hit “Werewolves of London” features some big names on the track – Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood and John McVie played drums and bass on the song. 

“Hell’s Bells” – AC/DC

The creepy bell featured at the start of this 1980 track is an actual 2,000 lbs. bronze bell. It was recorded using a mobile studio inside of the bell’s foundry in England.

“Psycho Killer” – Talking Heads

Talking Heads frontman David Byrne said their 1977 hit was written with the idea of “Alice Cooper writing a Randy Newman-type ballad”. Although the song’s inspiration was purely creative, it was released around the same time as the Son of Sam killings – an eerie coincidence. 

“Poison” – Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper (aka Vincent Furnier’s) co-writer on “Poison”, Desmond Child, worked with another theatrical act. Child also produced Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell III”. “It’s a fine line between somebody telling the true story of their life in a song and also what their character type calls for,” Child told Songfacts. 

Ozzy Osbourne – “Crazy Train”

It wouldn’t be right to make a list of Halloween songs and not include the “Prince of Darkness”! “Crazy Train” was Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne’s debut solo single. With a maniacal laugh at the start of the track, an iconic riff, and lyrics dealing with the fear of annihilation during the Cold War, it’s a great song to get you in the mood for Halloween. 

“Them Bones” –  Alice in Chains

“Them Bones”, off of Alice in Chains’ 1992 album “Dirt”, deals with themes of death and mortality. Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, who wrote the song, told R.I.P. Magazine in 1993, “Death freaks me out. I think it freaks a lot of people out. It’s the end of life, depending on your views. It’s a pretty scary thing. ‘Them Bones’ is trying to put that thought to rest. Use what you have left, and use it well.”

“Am I Evil” – Metallica/Diamond Head 

Metallica’ 1984 version of “Am I Evil” popularized the song, but it was originally released by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. The song evolved over the course of 18 months with different parts being added on, Diamond Head’s co-founder/ guitarist Brian Tatler told Louder. 

Fall is here! Here are all of the songs the Fret Zealot team is listening to this season – and songs that remind us of autumn.

What are you listening to this season? Let us know in the comments.

If you love watching movies about music, check out these titles on your next movie night! From biopics to comedies, each of these movies also have great soundtracks. 

Walk The Line (2005) 

Drama/biopic 

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon star in this biopic about Johnny Cash’s early life and his evolution into being the “Man in Black”. The film’s actors perform the songs in the movie, including “Folsom Prison Blues”. 

Folsom Prison Blues

This is Spinal Tap (1984) 

Comedy

“Spinal Tap – The Majesty of Rock” by kevin dooley is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

This mockumentary follows the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap on their tour of America. The film parodies the excesses of rock bands of the time, as well as documentaries about rock bands like The Song Remains the Same. The film also spawned the term “up to eleven”. 

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) 

Biopic 

Bohemian Rhapsody follows the life of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, from the band’s inception to their iconic 1985 Live Aid performance. The soundtrack includes many of the band’s songs and previously unreleased recordings. Including “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, and “We Will Rock You”. 

Wayne’s World (1992) 

Comedy   

“Wayn’s World” by Ned Vizzini is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Based on an SNL sketch, Wayne’s World follows a pair of metalheads who run a public cable access show in Aurora, Ill. The film features cameos from Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper, and the soundtrack famously features “Bohemian Rhapsody” in a driving scene. 

Purple Rain (1984) 

Drama 

Purple Rain features Prince in his acting debut. The musician had told his manager after the release of his album 1999 that he wouldn’t renew his contract with him unless he was able to star in a studio film. He also scored the film, including the title track, “Purple Rain”. 

Straight Outta Compton (2015) 

Biopic 

This biopic details the history of hip-hop group N.W.A. Original members of the group Dr. Dre and Ice Cube served as producers on the film, as well as Eazy-E’s widow, Tomica Woods-Wright. MC Ren and DJ Yella were creative consultants on the project. 

A Star is Born (2018) 

Romantic drama

The 2018 version of this movie, starting Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, is actually the fourth American adaptation. The 1937 original starred Janet Gaynor, 1954’s starred Judy Garland, and 1976’s starred Barbara Streisand. The lead song off of the 2018 soundtrack, “Shallow”, won an Oscar for “Best Original Song”. 

The Wall (1982) 

Musical drama 

The 1982 film The Wall was based on Pink Floyd’s 1979 album of the same name, and Pink Floyd bassist and vocalist Roger Waters wrote the screenplay. The film is metaphorical and features little dialogue, driven instead by music from the album, including “Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2”. 

La Bamba (1987) 

Biopic 

La Bamba followed the life of Chicano rock and roll star Ritchie Valens. The title comes from a Mexican folk song, famously recorded by Valens in 1958. Los Lobos covered the song for the soundtrack. 

What are your favorite music movies? Let us know in the comments!

Need to fall back in love with playing guitar?

Check out these song lessons we added in September 2023.

“Daydreamer” – Adele

“Daydreamer” is the first track off of British singer Adele’s first album, 19. She played guitar on the studio version of the track.

“Demons” – Imagine Dragons 

The music video for Imagine Dragons song “Demons” was dedicated to Tyler Robinson, a fan of the band who died at the age of 17 in March 2013 following a battle with cancer.

“Hey Joe” – Jimi Hendrix 

This lesson is a three-parter – learn the intro, solo and chord progression for this song!

“The Trooper” – Iron Maiden 

“The Trooper” is one of the English heavy metal band’s best-performing songs in the United States. The song is about a battle in the Crimean War called the “Charge of the Light Brigade at the Brigade of Balaclava 1854. Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote a poem of the same name in 1854.

“Give a Little Bit” – Super Tramp 

Supertramp co-frontman Roger Hodgson wrote “Give a Little Bit” years before the band recorded the track – when he was 19 or 20. Hodgson said that the song was inspired by The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love”. He told PROG in 2023, “Even at an unwizened young age when I wrote this song, I saw that the world needed love. I believed in love – it was always for love – and I just felt that was the most important thing in life.”

“All Out of Love” – Air Supply 

Australian soft rock duo Air Supply had a huge hit on their hands with 1980’s “All Out of Love”. The song had already been a hit in Australia after coming out in 1978 – but the original version had some different lyrics, including “I’m all out of love, I want to arrest you” – meaning to “get your attention. American record producer Clive Davis knew the line wouldn’t fly in America, so he suggested changing it to “so lost without you”.

We also dropped a new course!

Jack White Player Study 

Learn Jack White’s blues-inspired signature style with this course.