Trick or Treat! Here’s 10 Halloween-inspired K-Pop tracks to get you in the mood this Spooky Season.

*Red Velvet showcase their scary sides in the ‘Peek-A-Boo’ music video. Image:* *Red Velvet Official Twitter*

1. VIXX - ‘Voodoo Doll’

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 (TW: Blood, gore, cutting flesh).

2. KARD - ‘You In Me’

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.

3. EXO - ‘Monster’

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.

4. SHINee - ‘Married to the Music’

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.

5. SEVENTEEN - ‘FEAR’

For many Seventeen fans, the scariest part of this release from September 2019 was the idea of a ‘dark’ Seventeen 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 poppiness 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.

6. BTS - ‘Black Swan’ (Art Film ver.)

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. Unfortunately this version of the song is yet to be released on streaming platforms, so the official version will have to make do for party playlists!

7. Dreamcatcher - ‘Chase Me’

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.

8. TXT - ‘Can’t You See Me’

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?

9. TWICE - ‘TT’

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.

10. Red Velvet - ‘Peek-A-Boo’

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 5 years ago.