MARISSA BURR
Opinion Editor
October is in full swing, which means it’s officially “Spooky Season.”
Store shelves are lined with costumes, candy, pumpkins, skulls and more.
As Halloween approaches the number of parties will increase, and, as always, safe practices are encouraged.
Have a designated driver, keep track of your friends, don’t consume anything from strangers and most of all respect the choices of people around you — “no” means no my readers.
Now, if you want to be extra cool this year and add a little something special to your party, I highly recommend the theme “Murder Mystery.”
You can go as gory as “Saw” or as chill as “Clue” and still ensure your guests have a great time.
The key detail: a playlist that fully encapsulates the dark mystery that you’re going for.
It’s easy to find a pre-made playlist on Spotify that has classic Halloween songs like “Monster Mash,” but that could make your party seem childish.
The best way to scare your guests is to take songs they could hear on the radio and group them together in just the right way so they’ll truly feel haunted.
“Panic Room” by Au/Ru
It’s only fitting that this song is the opening to your Murder Mystery Party playlist; I mean the opening is literally a warped voice welcoming you to the panic room.
Its lyrics, depending on the context you’re listening to them in, ring similar to both thoughts from a haunted house or psychiatric ward.
I believe the scariest songs are those that remind us that these scary thoughts we have are common, but not necessarily normal.
In an artistic sense, this song builds your adrenaline as you listen to it.
The verses have minimal background noise, forcing you to listen to the words.
They end with “the monster’s much bigger than I can control now” before rushing into the chorus with a heavy bass and layered voices. It signifies how the monster has taken over momentarily and that’s why there’s such a panic.
The song ends with the repeated line “I’m ready for the worst,” which perfectly leads listeners into the rest of the playlist full of horrors.
“Breakfast” by Dove Cameron
At first listen, this song seems more subtle about its dark undertones than others on the list, but its chorus ensured its spot: “I eat boys like you for breakfast.”
Cameron isn’t discussing an actual crime or even something inherently terrifying but rather it toes the line of creepiness.
If you grew up with Dove Cameron, you think of the bubbly blonde from Disney Channel, but she’s done a complete 180 with both her look and this 2022 song.
It’s almost as if our favorite childhood character has gone to the dark side (while she’s still an amazing person), and the death of her prior persona deserves to be on a tombstone at your party.
The D minor key, creepy dolls on the album cover and of course talking about how they’re “one by one hung on my necklace,” lets this song stand on its own merits at your Murder Mystery Party.
“No Body No Crime” by Taylor Swift feat. HAIM
It starts with sirens.
Whispers saying “he did it.”
Then country instrumentals.
Now we’ve got the perfect platform for an old-western murder story.
As each minute ticks by, the plot thickens from a cheating husband to the wife’s disappearance and murder. Suspicion grows as the chorus repeats, and now it’s the husband who lies six feet under.
Our vocalist takes her revenge for the murder of her best friend, without ever admitting to it.
Old country lovers are reminded of “Goodbye Earl” by The Chicks, but in a more mysterious tone.
The diversity of sounds between HAIM’s backup vocals, the harmonica, guitars and the slow consistent drum beat take us on a journey we’d see on Criminal Minds.
There’s nothing like a good murder narrative to remind your party guests where they are.
“Two Black Cadillacs” by Carrie Underwood
I couldn’t mention Swift’s song without also recognizing a similar tale released eight years before by country star Carrie Underwood.
She tells her own story, this time two women taking revenge on their cheating lover.
What makes the two songs so unnerving is that neither ever admit what they did, but we all know.
The best line is “they shared a crimson smile and just walked away and left the secret at the grave.”
The imagery that both the wife and the mistress showed up to the funeral, both in black veils and black cadillacs, portrays their bond.
Neither will ever rat the other one out, and they both were given justice.
They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and any man walking into your Murder Mystery Party better be sure they’ve been faithful or they might just be caught being the night’s corpse.
“Zombie” by The Cranberries
I’ll start off by saying there are two versions of this song, and I debated back and forth about which one I should include.
In the end, the original won because Dolores O’Riordan’s voice fits perfectly into this playlist.
The cover is by Bad Wolves, and it’s definitely worth a listen to, especially because they were supposed to work with the band on the song, but O’Riordan unfortunately passed away before they could do so.
To honor her they changed the lyric from “since 1916” to “since 2018.”
No matter which version you favor, everything from the title to the drums to every lyric makes this the perfect addition to your Murder Mystery Party. It’s eclectic and raw while also being an awesome song to blast through your speakers.
This is the theme song for the apocalypse, especially with it not ending with vocals. Instead, there’s a section of pure instrumentals that is reminiscent of the fact that life has been eradicated and there’s no one left to sing.
“If Looks Could Kill” by Jeremy Shada
If you’ve read prior editions of this column, you’ll know I’m obsessed with Jeremy Shada, so I listened to this song the night it was released and watched the hauntingly beautiful video with his wife Carolynn starring as a ballerina.
It was one of the singles for his album Vintage, and the black-and-white elegance of it all is wrapped up perfectly by this song.
Each line is its own poem, and his smooth vocals quietly lead the listener through the song and ultimately to their death.
The bridge is perfection; it keeps you right on the edge of your seat.
It goes “you could kill me right now, take your shot and take a bow,” followed by many more phrases that are just as encapsulating.
I won’t spoil every one though, because it’s worth a million listens.
The sound effects throughout the song also add to the mystery.
With every glass shatter and open guitar chords, you’re never quite sure what comes next.
This is actually the song that inspired this entire playlist, and if there was one I would suggest listening to, it would be this one.
I listen to these songs on repeat when writing their descriptions and this one took me the longest because I had to stop so many times just to sing along.
This could be the soundtrack for a Clue scene with Miss Scarlet and no one would know it was produced in 2021 as opposed to the original game released in 1949.
But beware: if you see little clues in a trail of blood, you might just be the next victim.
“Start A War” by Klergy
If this song sounds familiar, you may have heard it in a season one episode of “Riverdale.”
That’s where I discovered it at least, and I’ve been listening to it ever since.
Similar to “Panic Room,” the verses are calmer with less instrumentals backing up the lyrics, only to build up to the chorus.
The contrast between the still utterance of the lyrics, as opposed to what they’re actually saying, “bang, shots fired,” is eerie in its calmness.
The beat drop in this song is so heavy it might just pop your sound system if you have an older car. This contributes to its intensity and keeps listeners on edge.
Each repetition of the chorus builds on the last, making it feel as though something is chasing you and it’s only getting closer.
By the end, it all seems to calm down, but it makes you wonder, is that because you escaped, or you were killed?
“I Warned Myself” by Charlie Puth
This song serves a dual purpose for this playlist, and like every other song its position is no accident.
The idea is that he’s warned himself but he’ll “do it one more time” when it comes to having an affair with this married woman, and despite the fear he has about getting caught and being killed for it, he’s going to continue.
This reminded me of why people love going to these haunted houses that scare them so much that they throw up or pee or have nightmares.
They just keep coming back year after year. We’re attracted to what incites a strong reaction, whether it’s positive or negative.
Our nerves love to stand on end and be stimulated.
This song does that in a more “pop” genre than many others on this list, but Puth’s careful consideration for the deep static bass beat being the only instrumental in his verses prevents listeners from getting comfortable. One particularly “creepy” aspect is towards the beginning when he says “‘cause if you do I’ll be the first to put my hands around your throat’” and on that last word he chokes himself out to simulate the actual action.
Watch out for reaching hands at these Murder Mystery Parties, you never know when someone will grab you!
For a full list of the songs that inspired the series “A Playlist for Every Mood” follow @gummymnb’s playlist of the same name on Spotify!