It's Halloween today, and if you've haven't already seen MusicRadar's Halloween Smashing Pumpkins video exclusive we suggest you do so immediately. Once that's whetted your appetite, feel free to enjoy some more videos with a ghastly and ghoulish theme...
Michael 'I Feel Like Death' Leonard's choices
The Cult - The Witch
Producer Rick Rubin not only redux'd The Cult into a 'dumb AC/DC' (think whether that's actually possible, for a minute) on their Electric album, he also returned to produce this one-off single from 1992. It's a guilty pleasure - with a crap video, but simply ace fuzzbass. Will Rubin work wonders for ZZ Top? ML
Billy Corgan's dark arts
OK, so the Halloween reference is purely 'Pumpkins', but this is interesting. It's Billy Corgan writing a song he'll play live later the same day. Oh, and he looks like a bit like Uncle Fester. So that's scary enough, yeah? ML
Chris 'Motorpsycho Nitemare' Vinnicombe's choices
Ennio Morricone - Magic And Ecstasy
It's fair to say that 1977's Exorcist II: The Heretic isn't quite as revered as the 1973 original. For the soundtrack, Ennio Morricone updated his 1967 Il Giardino Delle Delizie theme, for our money much creepier in its original form. All things considered, it's a long way from the majesty of The Ecstasy Of Gold. CV
Band Of Horses - Is There A Ghost
Continuing the Halloween theme, this is the most-played song in the history of my iTunes library. Because it's blindingly bloody brilliant. Almost as amazing is The Funeral. Finally, here's a nice video someone's made from old Super 8 footage for Monsters. CV
Ben 'Bitcrusher' Rogerson's choices
The kingdom of the MIDI skull
Tech-loving musicians aren't quite as scary as their rock counterparts (though their studio tans can make them look a little ghoulish), but this MIDI-controlled skull is suitable for 31 October. Here it is singing a tune. BR
Halloween: the synth soundtrack
This chap has filmed himself covering John Carpenter's Halloween theme on his microKORG keyboard. If that doesn't do it for you, try another version that was created using Korg's DS-10. BR
Mike 'I Will Kill Again' Goldsmith's choices
Dawn of the Dead: The Gonk
The full story of how Dario Argento chose De Wolfe library music to score George Romero's 1978 seminal zombie text (ahem) can be found here (as can the option to buy the lot via the wonderful Trunk Records) but best just wallow in Herbert Chappell's evergreen polka madness. Here's a tip: buy the CD, load up the iPod, take a trip to Asda and hit Play. When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth… MG
Five genuinely bloody scary videos
1. The Horrors: Sheena is A Parasite
Chris Cunningham reminds us The Horrors are a garage punk nightmare and not just playthings for Noel Fielding.
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Y Control
A Spike Jonze joint this. Axe-wielding children, mucho dismemberment, dead dogs… What's not to like?
3. TV On The Radio: Wolf Like Me
Caligari-style werewolf gore from the indie prog hipsters. There's a better version up here.
4. Interpol: Evil
The best song off Interpol's so-so second album gets a disturbing Chucky-goes-to-Casualty makeover. If you 'like' this, check out director Charlie White's promo for adidas.
5. The Fat Boys (feat. Freddy Kruger): Are You Ready For Freddy?
Just plain scary. MG
Howlin' Tom Porter's choices
Ryan Adams - Halloweenhead
This might seem like an obvious choice, but the music video is petrifying: a group of middle-aged men and woman doing horrible things in a room. I think it's called d, d, d, dancing… aaaaaarrrrrrrgggghhhhh. TP
Spooks - Things I've Seen
Spooks, remember them? The new Fugees, yeah? Maybe not, but Things I've Seen and Karma Hotel were/still are great. And Ming-Xia's voice is actually - appropriately - haunting. TP
Joe 'The Butcher' Bosso's choices
Black Sabbath - Zero The Hero
This clip always scared the bejesus out of me. Between the muddy sound and wretched film quality, along with a fucked-up combination of freaks, ghouls and some sort of nutty, re-animated Buddy Holly, about all that's missing is Ronnie James Dio. JB
Lullaby - Rosemary's Baby Theme
Who would've thought that something so dreamy, with the gentle "la-la-la" vocals of none other than Mia Farrow(!), could be so downright creepy? Krzysztof Komeda's score to Roman Polanski's '68 cult horror classic is a masterpiece of understated tension. Turn off the lights and watch this clip, which features unnerving stills from a dozen or so other fright flicks. JB
Chris 'Dead Rockstar' Wickett's choices
The Theremin isn't just for sci-fi and horror…
There's more to the Theremin than meets the ear. Most of us probably associate the instrument with sci-fi/horrors like The Day The Earth Stood Still - but if you're after something with a bit more zing, check out Randy George's rendition of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. And, of course, there's the obligatory Mario theme cover, too. CW
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace theme (featuring exploding ambulances, '80s synths and gothic choirs
Darkplace is the fictional hospital/action/horror TV series that Channel 4 deemed too 'radical' to air (which sits inside an entirely real comedy comprising interviews with the so-called cast and clips from the 'shows'). Darkplace follows Dr Rick Dagless MD as he fights struggles to close the Hellmouth - whilst simultaneously trying to cope with the burden of day-to-day admin. Check out the theme tune here. CW
