If you grew up in the 80s or early 90s, something quite magical happened in the horror movie genre, particularly with the slasher icons such as Freddy, Jason, and Pinhead. They had become so mainstream and embraced by the curious youth of horror heads and loathed by their parents. It was an incredible time when it was not only perfectly acceptable to wear an image of a child killer (Freddy) on your back, but hell, was totally encouraged by our comrades at school! Although in some areas of the country, we could totally get in trouble for it. Did we give any fucks? No. No, we didn’t.

It’s almost comparable to the way kids would rebel with music back in the day. Heavy Metal, Rap, and Rock and Roll, are all things that yuppie parents of the 80s were not so crazy about. So when the horror genre exploded and hit its golden era of the 80s, it seemed that a lot of these films had at least ONE memorable kick-ass song… Sometimes even a music video; remember the days when MTV was actually a music channel? And when us little horror heads saw a music video related to a kick ass horror movie, it was pure bliss. I, myself, am I complete sucker for Horror Movie soundtracks and always have been. Hell, I fall asleep to John Carpenter’s “Lost Themes” and Danny Elfman scores on the regular.

That being said, I compiled a little list of horror movie-associated songs and videos from the best of the 80s and 90s era. Some of these tunes were made for the actual movie, and some of these weren’t directly written for the flick it was laid out with, but are consistently associated with the film it was in. Note that they aren’t in any particular order, but just a nice list for your ear and eyeholes to enjoy.

“The Ballad of Henry Warden“- My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Artist: Paul Zaza and John Mcdermitt

I can dig that it’s a folk song and it sets the tone well for the movie. One can also appreciate it’s not the typical song you may hear associated with a slasher film. But hey, it works!

“Goodbye Horses”- The Silence of the Lambs

Artist: Q Lazzarus

One cannot deny anytime you hear this song, you think of that Buffalo Bill dance. I’m also willing to bet a lot of you have tried to imitate that creepy ass dance. I’m not even going to pretend I haven’t. I’m also not going to pretend that I didn’t even know until last year that Q. Lazzarus is a POC woman. Mind. Fuck.

“A Good Man, In a Bad Time”- Fright Night (1985)

Artist: Ian Hunter

Jerry Dandridge was about as flawless an 80s-era Dracula as one could imagine…and this is his theme music. Don’t try to tell me any different.

“Hellraiser”- Hellraiser 3: Hell On Earth

Artist: Motorhead

Motörhead’s recording of the song was used in the 1992 film Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, and was released as the A-side of the single and as the sixth track on their tenth studio album, March ör Die. When Lemmy shaves, he uses “Hells Razor”. Remember that.

“Killer Klown From Outer Space”- Killer Klowns From Outer Space

Artist: The Dickies

Yeah, well. We all knew this one was going to be on here no matter what! Fun fact: The Dickies had never seen the movie but put together a song that fit perfectly with the movie.

“He’s Back (Man Behind The Mask“- Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives

Artist: Alice Cooper

A time that brought two major horror icons together for a magic musical moment: Cooper and the Camp Blood killer himself. The music video alone is just pure awesomeness and sets the tone for an amazing soundtrack for this installment of the Friday franchise. Good stuff.

“Pet Sematary”- Pet Sematary (1989)

Artist: The Ramones

Never mind that these guys are legends, this song just kicks all the ass and paired with such a classic with the same name- it’s such a win all around. Even though they say, “Sometimes… Dead is better.” Not so much in this case. RIP Ramones.

“Dream Warriors”- A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors

Artist: Dokken

“We’re the Dream Warriooorrrrs!” Besides it just being a great song in itself, the music video blends a great performance from the band meshed with scenes from the movie with dear ol’ Freddy adding a bit of flair to the video. I like to think that “Dream Warriors” got the ball rolling for the following songs that were written for the franchise, as dozens were written directly specifically for the Nightmare films after this.

“Are You Ready For Freddy?“– A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master

Artist: The Fat Boys

Personally, I like the video a whole lot more than the song, But then again, who doesn’t like to hear Robert Englund bust a rap?

“Partytime”- The Return of the Living Dead

Artist: 45 Grave

And my personal all-time favorite, PARTYTIME. While this song was out before the movie ever came on to the scene, it fits so damn beautifully. Well, ALMOST. This is the original lyrics by 45 Grave about a 5 girl, Sabine, who was abused and tortured by her family. The song on RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD was shortened and sped up and re-written with (zombie version) lyrics.

Since I’ve said my piece, drop your favorite in the comments below!