Halloween is almost here, and listeners are getting into the spooky spirit with some familiar favorites. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is climbing the charts, horror audiobooks are gaining listeners, and one scary-story podcast has seen a particularly frightening jump in popularity.
According to Spotify data shared on Oct. 28, “Thriller” had climbed to No. 18 on the streaming platform’s Top Songs USA chart. The 1982 classic is also the most-streamed Halloween song in the United States so far in October 2026, joining several other seasonal staples near the top of the chart.
“Thriller” remains such an enduring Halloween favorite, but the song almost had a very different name. Songwriter Rod Temperton originally called it “Starlight,” and the early demo featured different lyrics before producer Quincy Jones and Jackson encouraged him to give it a darker feel.
Temperton eventually landed on “Thriller” after considering hundreds of possible titles, including “Midnight Man.”
Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” and Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” are also making their presence felt on Spotify’s U.S. chart, landing at No. 15 and No. 32, respectively, on Oct. 28.
The Halloween Songs Everyone Is Streaming
Spotify’s most-streamed Halloween songs in the U.S. this October include:
“Thriller” by Michael Jackson “This Is Halloween” by The Citizens of Halloween “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. “Spooky, Scary Skeletons (Undead Tombstone Remix)” by Andrew GoldThe spooky-season surge started early this year. On Oct. 1, China Anne McClain’s “Calling All the Monsters” saw streams increase by 233% compared with its average, while Andrew Gold’s “The Addams Family” jumped 217%. “Ghostbusters” also got an early boost, with streams rising 183%.
Horror Audiobooks and Scary Podcasts Are Surging, Too
Music isn’t the only entertainment getting a Halloween boost. Spotify reported that global listening hours for horror audiobooks saw more than twice the seasonal lift in October 2026 compared with the year-over-year increase recorded in October 2025. The platform recently highlighted the genre’s appeal, noting how immersive narration and sound design can make horror particularly effective in audio form.
One title seeing a major jump is Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar, which experienced a 735% increase in streams during the week of Oct. 12, according to Spotify data.
Meanwhile, the scary-story podcast Full Body Chills saw its U.S. listenership increase by 1,475% compared with its average during the week of Oct. 5.
True crime podcasts are also enjoying long-term growth. Spotify data shows global listening hours for the genre have nearly quadrupled over the past six years, rising from more than 280 million in 2020 to over 1 billion in 2026.
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