A happy Halloween to all!  Considering this is the time to celebrate thrills and chills, I decided to compose a list of some of the creepiest prog rock songs and albums ever created.  As an avid fan of the horror genre, I have always enjoyed reading the novels of Stephen King and watching the movies of John Carpenter, but I had never thought about what could be classified as “horror prog.”  Here’s my list (albums first, in no particular order):

Premiata Forneria Marconi- Dracula Opera Rock (Italy’s greatest prog band released this creepy gem back in 2005)

Alan Parsons Project- Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Any album based upon the works of Edgar Allan Poe deserves a spot on this list)

Pink Floyd- The Wall (Think this isn’t scary? Check out the movie)

Aphrodite’s Child- 666 (It’s a concept album based upon the Book of Revelation; listen to The Four Horsemen and you’ll get the idea)

Mike Oldfield- Tubular Bells (It was used as the theme for The Exorcist. Enough said)

Goblin- Suspiria (The scariest prog album of all time. Sighs may be the creepiest song ever composed: just listen to it with headphones on before you go to bed)

Now the songs (in no particular order):

Jethro Tull- Sweet Dream (The music video features Ian Anderson dressed as a vampire.  If that’s not scary, then I don’t know what is)

Blue Oyster Cult- Don’t Fear the Reaper (A Halloween staple, but the song could use more cowbell)

Peter Gabriel- Intruder (Check out the Youtube video someone made to this song featuring Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th fame)

Van der Graaf Generator- Darkness (An eerie song by an eerie band; whispered vocals add to the overall creepiness)

Atomic Rooster- Death Walks Behind You (A dark opening to an album featuring a crazed Nebuchadnezzar on the cover)

King Crimson- The Devil’s Triangle (Not only should the band’s name inspire some feeling of fear, but this song reminds me of a march into a deadly battle)

Talking Heads- Psycho Killer (This may not be prog, but Adrian Belew did play with them for a time; David Byrne sounds as paranoid as ever on this piece)

John Carpenter- Halloween Theme (Most recognizable horror theme of all time? Check. 5/4 time signature? Check.  How could I leave this off the list?)

Well there’s my list.  It is by no means exhaustive.  If you feel I am missing some songs, feel free to yell at me in the comment section.  I only had so much time to compile all of these songs; most of them just popped into my head yesterday.  If you haven’t listened to all of them, then today is the perfect day to spend some time with this list.  Have a terrifying (but fun) Halloween! (And to our Protestant friends, a happy Reformation Day!)