The ultimate K-pop Halloween playlist 2024
Written by Ana Goncalves and Gabii Rayner.
With so many different haunting hits from K-pop across the years, here’s the ultimate breakdown of our Halloween favourites!
Vampire Lee Chaeyeon for "Hush Rush". Image @official_LCY on Twitter/X.
“Hush rush” — CHAEYEON
Released in 2022, “Hush Rush” was CHAEYEON’s stellar debut after IZ*ONE’s split. Differing from many other K-pop releases, “Hush Rush” is a laid back song with a chill instrumental and a focus on synths and vocal chops; EDM-style.
It references many vampire tales and is the best song for those who enjoy calmer music.
“The Black Cat Nero” — ATEEZ
ATEEZ is known for their incredible performances, one being “The Black Cat Nero” in the Korean show Immortal Songs 2.
With “The Black Cat Nero”, which was originally released by ‘90s star Turbo, they gave the song a heavy metal twist. The visuals of the performance video have a dark, vampiric vibe that is perfect for the spooky season.
“Lucifer” — SHINee
Known as one of the most iconic K-pop songs ever, “Lucifer” by SHINee is the perfect song to add to your Halloween playlist.
This song tells the story of an addictive relationship in which the partner is compared to the titular “Lucifer”. Released back in 2010, this track has been covered by many idols throughout the years. Featuring synths in a fast-paced rhythm, “Lucifer” has garnered almost 20 million streams on Spotify, remaining legendary to this day.
“Up All Night” — Stray Kids
Staying true to their hip-hop style, Stray Kids’ producing members 3RACHA wrote “Up All Night” as a reflection on their hard work and the stress of their everyday lives.
In the video, the members dress as vampires as a metaphor for their nocturnal habits. The song features Bang Chan, Changbin, Felix, and Seungmin together and offers their audience a fresh, summery sound to warm things up for the Halloween season.
“BEcause” — Dreamcatcher
As a rock and metal influenced group, Dreamcatcher has always embraced the Halloween vibe. “BEcause” takes a turn throughout the song, going from a pop sound to hard rock and even utilising drum and bass pattern beats during the rap. The dark feelings portrayed in the track are the perfect addition to the playlist.
“Spider” — HOSHI
“Spider” was SEVENTEEN member HOSHI’s 2021 solo debut. The song’s vibe, alongside the choreography, helps enhance HOSHI’s description of an entangling love: “Being unable to escape an individual’s magnetic and deadly charms” he said to Teen Vogue. “Spider” is a contemporary RnB track quite complementary to a more sexy Halloween!
“Addicted” — PIXY
“Addicted” is the title song from PIXY’s album Fairyforest: Temptation. With a focus on spookier synths, the track was confidently released in 2021 during Halloween season, proving once again PIXY’s all-rounder abilities and their mastering of darker concepts.
“RING X RING” — BILLLIE
BILLLIE debuted in 2021 with the song “RING X RING” immediately grabbing attention with their horror lore that dives into the disappearance of a girl named Billlie.
Bringing storyline theorising back into K-pop, “RING X RING” builds a sense of urgency from the beginning. With siren-like chords, BILLLIE begin their journey in search of their missing friend. This song is brilliant at creating a spooky atmosphere needed for this season.
“Full Moon” — SUNMI
“Full Moon” was released in 2014 with as SUNMI’s solo debut album and return to K-pop after leaving Wonder Girls in 2010.
The song featured a collaboration from JYP and Brave Sound on production with vocals from SUNMI and rapping by Lena. The guitar combined with the hard-hitting drum enhances the sexiness and secrecy of the track.
“Voodoo Doll” — VIXX
Jumping back to 2013, ‘concept kings’ VIXX dropped the music video for their title track “Voodoo Doll”. Full of gore, complex choreography, and the synth-heavy EDM sound perfect for the early 2010s, the track has made its way into the Halloween hall of fame.
Viewer discretion is advised for the music video below.
“You In Me” — KARD
Only the co-ed group KARD could pull off a combination of tropical house and deathly spookiness, and that is exactly what they did with their 2017 track “You In Me”.
The song itself balances an Afro-beat/tropical sound typical of the four-piece, but “drapes it in a darker undertone”.
Poignant lyricism about a lost lover (“the room swallowed by the darkness”, “this story is a nightmare”, “my heartbeat is beyond my control, I can't breathe”) is coupled with a dark music video storyline. This clever eeriness makes for a great Halloween track.
“Monster” — EXO
A staple of any Halloween K-Pop party alongside their track “Wolf”, “Monster” has become one of the boy group EXO’s biggest releases. Racking up over 177 million streams on Spotify and almost half a billion views on YouTube since its 2016 release, “Monster” is nothing short of iconic.
Making a metaphor of passion by comparing it to the feeling of turning into a dangerous creature, EXO’s “creeping in your heart” earns them the right to sit on any Halloween playlist.
“Married to the Music” — SHINee
As one of the most fun tracks on this list, SHINee’s “Married to the Music” perhaps wouldn’t be such a Halloween classic without the help of its vibrant, campy music video. Nevertheless, the video exists and we are oh-so-grateful it does.
Combining retro 80s synths and Michael Jackson influences with a party music video featuring some clean gore in the form of dismemberment, “Married to the Music” continues to stand the test of time as a classic K-Pop choice for October.
“FEAR” — SEVENTEEN
For many SEVENTEEN fans, the scariest part of this release from September 2019 was the idea of a ‘dark’ concept. Whilst there had been touches of intensity around this time (i.e “Getting Closer”), “Fear” indicated a thorough shift in the 13-member group’s sound, moving away from their typical bright poppy sound for an eerier, more mature style.
The track sways between striking bass lines to quieter, creepier moments (including spots of silence), accompanied by an artistic music video that was described by MTV as “potent”, “intoxicating”, “haunting”, and “brutally honest”. The boys — via their complex choreography — drink poison that consumes them throughout the piece, perfect imagery for the spooky season.
“Black Swan” (Art Film ver.) — BTS
Though BTS’ track “Black Swan” has amassed over 400 million YouTube views on the official music video, it’s the Art Film version of the song, coupled with its unsettling choreography performed in the abandoned Hawthorne Mall, Los Angeles, that makes it an incredible Halloween choice.
Compared to the hip-hop foundations of the official version, the Art Film rendition of “Black Swan” utilises the grandeur of a classical orchestra to send chills down spines, worsened by the chilling movements of the incredible MN Dance Company as they replicate swan-like motions.
“Chase Me” — Dreamcatcher
Before moving into their ‘dystopia’ series, the girl group Dreamcatcher were known for their unique creepy concept, merging the distinct rock sound with scary imagery and stories.
Their debut track epitomises this, drawing on horror movies like The Shining for inspiration in the music video. Candlelight rituals, nosebleeds, nightmares and spooky ghost girls in hallways accompany the lyrics about chasing someone through their endless nightmares.
“Can’t You See Me” — TXT
4th Generation powerhouses Tomorrow X Together added to their incredible lore-building with their 2020 title track “Can’t You See Me”, with more creepiness. This time, the music video added visuals to an explicitly eerie song, filled with jarring distortions, echoing whispers, haunting whistles, and some subtly dark electric guitar riffs.
Garnering 67 million YouTube views, the boys are seen having a red food fight that seems to look a little too gory, amongst shots of a burning house, an apparent murder, and choreography that details sneaky fingers crossed behind backs and physical manipulation of one another. What could be more suited to Halloween than that?
“TT” — TWICE
Whilst maybe not the creepiest track of all, TWICE’s “TT” is a standout icon, released on 24 October, 2016. The music video features a ton of Halloween imagery whilst the lyrics themselves play on the Korean emoticon of ㅜㅜ or ㅠㅠ. In text messages these characters are used to represent two eyes with tears streaming down.
TWICE’s iconic choreography reflects this, and the lyrics tell the story of a girl suffering from an unrequited love that makes her feel like crying. Luckily, this sad story isn’t reflected in the upbeat, pop perfection of “TT”’s sound, and it can happily sit on any Halloween K-Pop playlist whilst building on its 640 million YouTube views.
“Peek-A-Boo” — Red Velvet
Ask any K-Pop fan for classic Halloween tracks and it would be surprising to find one that didn’t list Red Velvet’s “Peek-A-Boo” as one of them.
The music video adopts the style of a classic teen horror movie circa 1980’s/90’s; think Teen Wolf or Hocus Pocus. It tells the story of an unsuspecting pizza boy who is lured into the ritualistic actions of the Red Velvet cult, revealed to be hunting the boys who deliver their order.
The iconic cinematography, costumes, choreography, and bouncy yet creepy sound propelled the song straight to the Halloween K-Pop hall of fame after its release six years ago.
Which of these tracks is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below!
Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.
