Cinvibe
Still from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Soundtrack · by Callan Brooks

Halloween Soundtrack: Composers and Songs for Every Film

The Halloween soundtrack starts with John Carpenter's score for Halloween (1978), and across the series' 10 films plus 3 spin-offs six composers have been credited: Carpenter, Alan Howarth, John Ottman, Danny Lux, Tyler Bates and Daniel Davies. Licensed songs are rare, with Blue Öyster Cult in 1978, The Chordettes in 1981, Creed in H20 and a Nan Vernon cover in 2009 the ones that stand out.

Image: TMDB

Halloween Composers

Every Halloween Soundtrack and Score

Halloween (1978)

Halloween II (1981)

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Halloween (2007)

Halloween II (2009)

Halloween Kills (2021)

Halloween Kills: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album cover

Halloween Kills: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Score album · Sacred Bones Records · October 15, 2021 · 20 tracks

Cover art via Deezer

Full tracklist, 20 tracks

Halloween Ends (2022)

Halloween Ends: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album cover

Halloween Ends: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Score album · Sacred Bones Records · October 14, 2022 · 21 tracks

Cover art via Deezer

Full tracklist, 21 tracks

Songs in the Halloween Movies

  1. (Don't Fear) The Reaper

    Licensed song

    Blue Öyster Cult · Halloween

    The song plays on the car radio while Annie drives Laurie through Haddonfield as Michael Myers silently follows them.

  2. Silver Shamrock Jingle

    Written for the film

    Tommy Lee Wallace · Halloween III: Season of the Witch

    The Silver Shamrock commercial plays on television and through the factory's control room, counting down to the Halloween Big Giveaway broadcast that activates the masks in the finale.

  3. And Fools Shine On

    Licensed song

    Brother Cane · Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

    It plays as Kara, Tim and Beth arrive at school in their car, and it plays again over the closing credits.

  4. What's This Life For

    Licensed song

    Creed · Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

    It plays during the party sequence and again over the end credits.

  5. Hunter's Moon

    Written for the film

    Ghost · Halloween Kills

    Plays over the end credits, after John Carpenter's main theme.

  6. Could I Have This Dance

    Licensed song

    Anne Murray · Halloween Kills

    A record plays inside the Myers house as the bodies of Big John and Little John are found posed together.

  7. She Doesn't Want You Anymore

    Licensed song

    John Carpenter · Halloween Kills

    A trio of women perform it at Mick's Bar on Halloween 2018 while Vanessa talks with Marcus.

  8. Largo al factotum

    Licensed song

    Gioachino Rossini · Halloween Kills

    Michael plays the aria in his car as Tommy Doyle prepares to attack.

  9. Rock N' Roll Buddy

    Licensed song

    Jeffrey & Joy Pilots · Halloween Kills

    Plays as Tommy attacks Michael's vehicle.

  10. It's Halloween (Stop Look and Listen)

    Licensed song

    Pete Antell · Halloween Kills

    Big John dances to the record while Little John cuts meat in the kitchen.

  11. Shaving Cream

    Licensed song

    Benny Bell · Halloween Kills

    Brian the bartender talks about the family bar and his baseball bat, and patrons toast him as the song fades.

  12. (Don't Fear) The Reaper

    Licensed song

    Blue Oyster Cult · Halloween Ends

    It plays over the final moments of the film and carries into the end credits.

  13. Burn It Down

    Written for the film

    Boy Harsher · Halloween Ends

    Corey watches The Shape after a murder and rides his motorcycle, and the song continues as he and Allyson hang out on the WURG rooftop.

  14. Halloween

    Licensed song

    Dead Kennedys · Halloween Ends

    In the bar scene, Allyson drinks and dances with Corey.

  15. I Was a Teenage Werewolf

    Licensed song

    The Cramps · Halloween Ends

    Radio host Willie the Kid talks to a caller and plays the song, and then The Shape kills him.

  16. Come to Me

    Licensed song

    Johnny Goth · Halloween Ends

    Corey and Allyson talk, and the song continues over a road scene as they kiss after a motorcycle ride.

  17. License to Confuse

    Licensed song

    Sebadoh · Halloween Ends

    A bar scene begins, the camera pans past a dart board, and Corey talks to Allyson.

  18. Midnight Monsters Hop

    Licensed song

    Jack & Jim · Halloween Ends

    It plays on the WURG radio station through the opening credits, as a graphic sets the story in Haddonfield, Illinois.

  19. Tell Me with Your Eyes (Just Be You)

    Licensed song

    Rob Galbraith · Halloween Ends

    Dr. Mathis arrives home with a female guest, asks Alexa to play the song, and grabs a bottle of wine.

  20. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565

    Licensed song

    Johann Sebastian Bach · Halloween Ends

    Corey greets Mrs. Allen while Roger plays piano and Corey offers gardening advice.

More songs

Halloween Soundtracks: Who Scored Each Film?

Six composers are credited across the Halloween films: John Carpenter, Alan Howarth, John Ottman, Danny Lux, Tyler Bates and Daniel Davies. Carpenter scored the 1978 original and the 2018 trilogy's first two films, Howarth scored five films in between, and the other three composers each took one or two.

John Carpenter. Halloween (1978), directed by Carpenter, was scored by Carpenter himself. Its score album, "Halloween", came out in August 1979, and its track titles include "Halloween Theme / Main Title" and "Laurie's Theme", the two cues most people mean when they search for the music. He returned for Halloween (2018), directed by David Gordon Green, and Halloween Kills (2021). The Kills album, "Halloween Kills: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", was released by Sacred Bones Records on October 15, 2021, with cues such as "Halloween Kills (Main Title)" and "The Myers House".

Alan Howarth. Howarth scored Halloween II (1981), directed by Rick Rosenthal. Varèse Sarabande released its album in 1981, listing "Halloween Theme", "Laurie's Theme" and "He Knows Where She Is!". For Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, MCA Records issued the soundtrack that year, with "Main Title" and "Chariots of Pumpkins". Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) has a Varèse Sarabande album featuring "Jamie's Nightmare" and "Return of the Shape". Howarth also scored Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989). Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) has a Varèse Sarabande album from 1995, with "Jamie's Escape" and "Birth Ceremony".

John Ottman. Ottman scored Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), directed by Steve Miner.

Danny Lux. Lux scored Halloween: Resurrection (2002), directed by Rosenthal. Varèse Sarabande released the 24 track album on July 16, 2002, opening with "Main Titles" and "The Tunnel".

Tyler Bates. Bates scored both of Rob Zombie's films. Halloween (2007) has a soundtrack album on Hip-O Records, released August 21, 2007, with a cue titled "Halloween 2007". Halloween II (2009) has two albums released August 25, 2009: a soundtrack on Hip-O Records and a separate score on E1 Music, which includes "Halloween Theme 2009".

Daniel Davies. Davies is credited on Halloween Ends (2022), and TheWrap reports that Carpenter and Cody Carpenter also scored it. Sacred Bones Records released the album on October 14, 2022, with "Halloween Ends: Main Title" and "Laurie's Theme Ends".

In my opinion, the series sounds like two Carpenter eras with a long Howarth stretch between them. To see how the films connect, read the Halloween timeline or the Halloween movies in order guide.

Halloween Soundtrack Songs and the Halloween Theme SongSpoilers

The signature song of the Halloween films is "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult, which plays in the 1978 original, appears on the 2007 remake soundtrack and returns over the final moments of Halloween Ends. The Halloween theme song itself is John Carpenter's score cue, while the songs below are the ones that give individual films their own sound.

In Halloween (1978), "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" plays on the car radio while Annie drives Laurie through Haddonfield and Michael Myers silently follows them. Halloween II (1981) uses "Mr. Sandman" by The Chordettes. Halloween III: Season of the Witch is the odd one out, because its song was made for the film: the "Silver Shamrock Jingle", credited to director Tommy Lee Wallace. It plays on television and through the factory control room, counting down to the Halloween Big Giveaway broadcast that activates the masks in the finale.

The late 1980s and 1990s sequels lean on rock and pop tie-ins. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers credits "Romeo Romeo" by Becca, "Anything for Money" by DV8, "Second Time Around" by Rhythm Tribe and "Sporting Woman" by Diggy, Mark Chosak and Eileen Clark. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers features "And Fools Shine On", "Hung on a Rope", "20/20 Faith" and "Horses & Needles" by Brother Cane, plus "Disconnected" by I Found God. "And Fools Shine On" plays as Kara, Tim and Beth arrive at school, and again over the closing credits. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later uses "What's This Life For" by Creed during the party sequence and over the end credits.

Rob Zombie's two films are the most song heavy. Halloween (2007) draws on "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Mr. Sandman" (here by Nan Vernon), "Love Hurts" by Nazareth, "Tom Sawyer" by Rush, "God of Thunder" by KISS, "Only Women Bleed" by Alice Cooper and "Baby, I Love Your Way (live)" by Peter Frampton. Halloween II (2009) includes a Nan Vernon version of "Love Hurts", written for the film, alongside "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues, "The Things We Do for Love" by 10cc, "Kick Out the Jams" by MC5 and "(I Know) I'm Losing You" by Rod Stewart.

The 2018 to 2022 trilogy brought song placement back as a storytelling tool. In Halloween Kills, "Hunter's Moon" by Ghost was written for the film and plays over the end credits after Carpenter's main theme. "Could I Have This Dance" by Anne Murray plays on a record inside the Myers house as Big John and Little John are found posed together. Michael plays the aria "Largo al factotum" by Gioachino Rossini in his car as Tommy Doyle prepares to attack.

Halloween Ends has the longest song list. "Midnight Monsters Hop" by Jack & Jim plays on the WURG radio station through the opening credits. "Burn It Down" by Boy Harsher was written for the film and plays as Corey watches The Shape after a murder, then continues as he and Allyson sit on the WURG rooftop. "Halloween" by Dead Kennedys plays in a bar scene where Allyson drinks and dances with Corey. "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" by The Cramps is the song the radio host Willie the Kid plays before The Shape kills him. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" returns over the final moments and carries into the end credits.

Our picks: the best songs in the Halloween films (opinion)

  • "(Don't Fear) The Reaper": in my opinion, nothing else in the series makes a plain car ride feel so unsafe, because the radio keeps playing while Michael follows Annie and Laurie.
  • "Silver Shamrock Jingle": it could be argued that this is the best song written for the series, since a cheerful commercial counting down to the Big Giveaway is the whole threat of the film.
  • "Hunter's Moon": following Carpenter's main theme with it over the credits suits a film about a town turning on a monster.
  • "Largo al factotum": an opera aria in Michael's car is a strange choice, and perhaps that is exactly why it sticks.
  • "Burn It Down": it gives Corey's rooftop scenes with Allyson an unsettled mood.
  • "I Was a Teenage Werewolf": a horror themed rock song on the radio is a neat bit of dark humor before the scene turns.

If you want to hear how Carpenter's cues work against these songs, start with the Halloween movies in order and keep the Halloween hub open for every film in the series.

Facts

FAQs

Who composed the Halloween theme song?

John Carpenter, who directed and scored Halloween (1978). The track "Halloween Theme" by Carpenter is also the notable song listed for Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988).

Did John Carpenter score every Halloween movie?

No. Carpenter scored Halloween (1978), Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021), and TheWrap reports he also scored Halloween Ends (2022) alongside Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies. Alan Howarth, John Ottman, Danny Lux and Tyler Bates scored the others.

What songs are in the original Halloween (1978)?

The notable song is "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult. The rest of the music is John Carpenter's score.

Who scored the Rob Zombie Halloween movies?

Tyler Bates scored both Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009). The 2009 film lists a cover of "Love Hurts" by Nan Vernon as its notable song.

Who scored Halloween Ends?

Daniel Davies is the credited composer of Halloween Ends (2022). TheWrap reports that John Carpenter and Cody Carpenter also scored the film.

Which Halloween movie has a Creed song?

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), scored by John Ottman, lists "What's This Life For" by Creed as its notable song.