Happy (almost) Halloween, y’all. Halloween time is in full swing, and that means many things. The weather’s getting colder, the leaves are turning color, football season is hitting its full stride, pumpkin spice lattes are back and most importantly, horror movie marathons are socially acceptable. If you’re like me and have a deep love for both the fall season and Halloween in general, it’s truly the most wonderful time of the year (sorry Christmas fans). Though some country artists this year have seemingly forgotten about the holiday and gone straight into Christmas (I’m looking at you, Zach Top and Willie Nelson), there are still plenty of killer (pun intended) country songs that are begging to be listened to this Friday on Halloween. From murder ballads to ghost stories to vampires, there have been plenty of terrifying accounts from artists of yesteryear and today throughout the genre’s history. Without further ado, let’s dive into 30 of the most horrific country songs of all time that would make a great addition to your Halloween playlist. “Kate McCannon” Starting off strong with the gold standard for modern murder ballads, Colter Wall’s “Kate McCannon” is one of the tracks of the 21st century so far, in my opinion. From his haunting, raspy vocals to the sparse production, the track lets the listener bask in the darkness of the lyrics of the song as Wall kills the titular woman after catching her cheating with another man. “Long Black Veil” Whether you take Lefty Frizzell’s original or Johnny Cash’s popular version, you can’t go wrong with “Long Black Veil.” A song centered around a man falsely accused of murder, he takes his secrets to the grave given he was having an affair with his friends wife at the time of the murder. As a punishment, he’s forced to watch her visit his grave wearing the titular long, black veil. Equally haunting as it is depressing, it’s a must-have on a Halloween playlist. “The Ride” David Allan Coe meets the ghost of Hank Williams Sr. on a drive back to Music City. That’s it; that’s all you need to know about the classic track. Simply put, “The Ride” is the quintessential country song for spooky season. “The Dead Don’t Die” Written for the 2019 Jim Jarmusch film of the same name, Sturgill Simpson delivers a classic-sounding ode to the undead here on “The Dead Don’t Die.” Oddly peaceful in both production and lyrical content, it’s a strangely beautiful song that ultimately could only be produced by Sturgill himself. “Knives of New Orleans” Though many point to “Lightning” as Church’s best murder ballad, “Knives of New Orleans” arguably does it better. What sets it apart from many other murder ballads is that Church never details what he did. He never explicitly states who he killed or how he did it; he simply leaves it up to the listeners’ imagination, making it even more terrifying as he wails, “I did what I did,” in the outro. “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” One of the most iconic country songs in history, Charlie Daniels crafts the iconic story of Johnny beating the devil in a fiddle battle over his soul. There’s not much that can be said that hasn’t already already, it’s one of the most iconic songs in the genre for a reason and ultimately one of the key tracks for any Halloween playlist. “Gravedigger” Another creepy classic from Willie Nelson, “Gravedigger” sees the living legend speaking from the perspective of a gravedigger recalling all the people he’s buried over the years before ultimately asking whoever buries him to lay him shallow in his grave to feel the rain. Undeniably haunting, Willie crafts a morbid tale here on “Gravedigger.” “Crooked Teeth” Love or hate everything Zach Bryan has gotten himself into the past year or so, there’s no denying that “Crooked Teeth” is a stellar track from the Oklahoman singer/songwriter. Instead of implying the violence like Church on “Knives of New Orleans,” here, Bryan goes into detail describing the brutality inflicted upon the man he caught his lover with, noting he blew his knees off with a presumed shotgun blast and even removed one of his eyes in the process. “Banded Clovis” One of Tyler Childers’ most narrative-driven songs to date comes in the form of “Banded Clovis,” a murder ballad centered around two men going out to mine valuables on a hillside. The track quickly dives into darkness as the narrator kills the man over the titular banded clovis after a night filled with moonshine (and presumably other, harder substances). “Martha Divine” In the severely underrated murder ballad from Ashley McBryde, the “Girl Going Nowhere” singer finds herself at odds with her father’s mistress. Taking revenge for her mother, McBryde kills her with a shovel. It’s the tangible anger in McBryde’s performance here on “Martha Divine” that really sets it apart from the pack. “River” Love or hate Jason Isbell’s politics and personality in general, there is no doubt that he’s one of the finest songwriters working in any genre over the past two decades. What immediately stands out while listening to “River” is how it is less about the murders the narrator committed and more about the consequences they have had on him, detailing how he regrets orphaning others’ children and stealing others’ fortunes. The way that Isbell refers to the river as his savior before eventually drowning himself in it in the final verse is nothing short of haunting. “White River” A severely underrated track from Kaitlin Butts, “White River,” tells the story of a daughter finally taking revenge on her father for years of abuse to both her and her mother, making the titular White River turn red with his blood. Simple yet incredibly effective imagery here. “The River Bed” Before the Twilight franchise all but ruined vampires for the general public, there was a time when they were a staple of horror. Though there aren’t too many vampire songs throughout country music history, Texas legend, Ray Wylie Hubbard, delivers one here with a haunting tale of falling in love with the undead. “Down the River” Closing out the set of four river-based murder ballads is none other than Chris Knight’s sprawling, 7-minute epic tells the harrowing journey of a man taking revenge for his brother’s murder. Easily one of the best and detailed narrative songs in the genre, “Down the River” is a must-listen. “Cranes of Potter” One of the greatest songs of the decade, Charles Wesley Godwin’s 2021 deep cut creates a post-Civil War world in which a promiscuous mayor’s daughter, Claire, finds herself caught up in a love triangle. Claire is preyed upon by the town’s lunatic, Jeremiah, who eventually kills Claire in a jealous rage and is hanged as punishment. However, her remains would not be found until over a century later, something that was actually inspired by real-world events as noted by Godwin. “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” You simply can’t have a Halloween playlist without Reba’s classic cover of Vicki Lawrence’s 1972 classic. Beautifully Southern Gothic in nature, the track is an all-timer for a reason and hardly needs any prelude. “Goodbye Earl” Another song that hardly needs an introduction, “Goodbye Earl” is another all-time murder ballad from The Chicks. Though it has a much more light-hearted tone compared to the rest of the ballads present on the list, it still has to be included. It also doesn’t hurt when fans have taken it upon themselves to decorate their lawns with “Goodbye Earl”-themed Halloween decor. “If It Hadn’t Been For Love” Before Chris Stapleton was the god-like figure in country music like he is today, he was creating some incredible music with the likes of The Steeldrivers. This beautifully haunting, bluegrass-inspired track follows the story of a man killing his lover for cheating on him with another man. Reflecting upon his action, Stapleton sits in a jail cell before blaming it all on being in love. “Devil, Devil (Prelude: Princess of Darkness)” Arguably the most unique song in Church’s deep discography, “Devil, Devil” is nothing short of haunting. Beginning with the spoken-word intro, “Prelude: Princess of Darkness,” which serves as a poem to darkness behind the Nashville machine, Church seamlessly transitions it into the rockin’ “Devil, Devil.” Over eight minutes in run time, the track’s moody vibe and biting criticism of Music City fit perfectly on a Halloween playlist. “Big Iron” Whether it’s the Marty Robbins original or Colter Wall’s popular 2020 cover, you can’t go wrong with either version of “Big Iron.” Immediately taking you back to the days of the wild west, the track is the perfect gunslinging murder ballad. “Werewolf” Released just last week, Koe Wetzel’s “Werewolf” is a new yet incredibly welcomed addition to this list. Making use of his patented grungy style, Wetzel likens himself to the half-wolf, half-man hybrid in the moody track. “Scarecrow in the Garden” One of the most underrated songs in Stapleton’s deep discography, “Scarecrow In the Garden” sees the “White Horse” singer battling with an unknown evil in the form of the titular scarecrow. There’s a tangible amount of darkness and dread throughout the track despite it being a mid-tempo song. The way Stapleton vaguely describes the titular scarecrow that “looks like Lucifer” really lets your mind wander and conjure up what it could possibly look like. Like any effective horror story, Stapleton leaves it up for interpretation, leaving you to wonder what horrors could possibly be hiding in the garden. He ends the song with a perfect, open-ended note, making you ponder the fate of the narrator. “Midnight In Montgomery” Similar to David Allan Coe’s “The Ride,” Alan Jackson’s “Midnight In Montgomery” is another iconic track about encountering Hank Williams Sr.’s ghost. Like “The Ride,” it’s another incredibly moody, atmospheric track that is a must-have on a Halloween playlist. “The Silver Ghost” If you thought the list was lacking some classic country tunes, look no further than Merle Haggard’s “The Silver Ghost.” The track centers around the legend of a ghostly train that took the lives of a hundred coal miners. Haunting in nature and unique in its concept, “The Silver Ghost” is an underrated and often overlooked piece of Haggard’s legendary discography. “The Legend of Wooley Swamp” We’ve seen stories of the undead, vampires, ghosts and murders. However, we haven’t seen any mention of sea creatures. In an incredibly fun, narrative-driven song, Charlie Daniels recalls the dangers present deep in the swampland, warning the listener to never go out to the titular swamp at night. “If I Were The Devil” A song that’s scarier as time goes on, Colby Acuff’s “If I Were The Devil” is more of a reflection on real-world horrors rather than supernatural hijinks of any ghosts or ghouls. With that being said, it’s arguably the most terrifying song of the bunch simply due to how close to reality the song has become since its release in 2021 — something Acuff himself agrees with. “Haunted House” Though it’s about a failed relationship rather than an actual supernatural encounter, Treaty Oak captures a moody vibe that’s perfect for Halloween here on “Haunted House.” “Red Headed Stranger” It wouldn’t be a Halloween/murder ballad list without Willie Nelson’s classic, “Red Headed Stranger.” Though the production itself is quite pleasant, capturing on a waltz-like sound throughout, the track slowly descends into darkness as the titular red headed stranger shoots a woman down in cold blood for touching his wife’s horse. An all-time country classic through and through. “Psycho” Like Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger,” Eddie Noack’s 1968 “Psycho” sounds like your standard country fair for the time. Framed as a conversation between Noack and his mother, the song quickly takes a turn to the macabre when he matter-of-factly states that he killed his ex and her lover at a dance hall. It only gets worse from there when he recounts murdering another man named Johnny and his dog with his bare hands, a little girl with a wrench and finally his own mother as the song ends. Nothing short of shocking, especially during its time of release in 1968. “(Ghost) Riders In The Sky” Rounding out the list is none other than the Johnny Cash classic, “(Ghost) Riders In the Sky.” In the brilliantly penned lyrics by Stan Jones, the track paints a haunting description of a mythical fleet of cattle carrying the souls of the damned who warn the narrator that he will meet the same fate if he doesn’t change his ways. Arguably the best supernatural country song of all time, the track is a must-listen. The post 30 Haunting Country Songs That Are Perfect For Your Halloween Playlist first appeared on Whiskey Riff.