Now That's What I Call Halloween!

And now for something a little different. Are you a Halloween newbie? Are you just starting your cadaverous collection of spooky songs and horrifying hits? Does the daunting task of making your own playlist fill you with... dread?

If the answer to these questions is, "yes", then we have a great way to prime the pump. Of course, I'm speaking of 2015's glorious release: NOW, That's What I Call Halloween!, from the fun fiends behind the NOW, That's What I Call Music series by Universal and Sony (often referrred to as NOW).

NOW, That's What I Call Halloween! (or as it will be hither referred to as NTWICH! in order to appease my carpal tunnel) is NOW's first foray into fright. Yes, they brought us such classics as NOW, That's What I Call Country!, NOW, That's What I Call Motown!, NOW, That's What I Call Music Volume 61!, NOW, That's What I Call Mum!, and the immortal NOW, That's What I Call Christmas! In spite of all these instant classics, they had yet to provide a Halloween compilation, until... wait for it.... NOW!

Anyway, I think it was worth the wait, as this is an excellent primer into the world of All Hallow's atmospheric songs. I think you'll agree that the track list is pretty impressive, so let's go over it, shall we?

	Halloween Theme (Main Title) by John Carpenter
	Dragula by Rob Zombie
	Carmina burana: O Fortuna by Leonard Slatkin
	Tubular Bells (Theme from 'The Exorcist') by Mike Oldfield
	(Don't Fear) The Reaper (Single Version) by Blue Oyster Cult
	Devil Inside by Inxs
	Bad Things by Jace Everett
	Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon
	Ghost Town by The Specials
	Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo
	Monster Mash by Bobby Boris Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers
	This Is Halloween by the Citizens of Halloween
	Season of the Witch by Donovan
	I Put a Spell On You by Nina Simone
	Beetlejuice: Main Title / End Title by Danny Elfman
	Ghostbusters by RUN-DMC
	A Nightmare On My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
	Somebody's Watching Me (Single Version) by Rockwell

Now, that's what I call a Halloween playlist! We've got the creme de la creme of Samhain themes, the immortal Halloween Main Title. We have Werewolves of London, now with more fur. We have the crashing chains of The Monster Mash, more cowbell with Don't Fear the Reaper, and Rob Zombie's ode to yesterday's article about The Munsters; Dragula.

While these staples are absolutely fantastic, it's the off-the-wall oddities that I'm really excited about. Why go for the boring old original Ghostbusters by Mr. Charles, Jr, when you can blast the Run-DMC, remix?  Plus you have Bad Things, which just might be the dirtiest Halloween song that will appear on this blog. Seriously, that song is full of filthy intent and smutty subtext.

We will be going through all of these songs eventually, but in the meantime, you owe it to yourself to pick up NTWICH! and start plowing through the tunes. You can find it here: NOW, That's What I Call Halloween!

NOW, I can't finish an article without providing a video, or two. Wanna see a commercial for the disc? Of course you do. Here it is.

  
And HERE is a link to a youtube playlist so you can sample all of the songs before you get the album. 

Lastly, I am going to post a direct video of my favorite track, the grandaddy of them all, and absolutely essential for any night of trick or treating. What's your favorite? Sound off below.