Forget the Monster Mash. For the ultimate Halloween playlist, reach for horror soundtracks, 1940s kids’ music and Russian darkwave – all chosen by Sunn O))), Creeper, Diamanda Galás and more

Bernard Herrmann – The Murder (1960)
Scary music actually excites me, but the piece that most sends shivers down my spine is the music in the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Psycho. I’ve seen it numerous times and even though I know what’s coming, the stabbing knife synched with Bernard Herrmann’s score always freaks me out.