Some of the scariest music videos to get you in the mood for Halloween

Be warned!

Rihanna 'Disturbia'
Author: Anna Sky MagliolaPublished 17th Oct 2024

Some of the best (and worst) music videos were rather scary, here are 10 of the scariest music videos around. From Rihanna's fantastic 'Disturbia', to Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' and of course the ultimate scary music video, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.

WARNING: As you would expect some of these videos have gory scenes or explicit lyrics!

Rihanna - 'Disturbia' (2009)

Set in a torture chamber Rihanna and her dancers perform a Thriller-esque dance routine. The popular music video has now had more than 190 million views on YouTube and the song remains popular today, having reached Number 3 in the UK at the time of release.
Watch the music video on YouTube

Katy Perry - 'Wide Awake' (2012)

Katy Perry's music video for 'Wide Awake' has a fairytale storyline with a giant labyrinth, a poisoned strawberry, a curious cat, prince charming and a little girl. What else do you need?
Watch the music video on YouTube

Lady Gaga - 'Born This Way' (2011)

Lady Gaga's Number 3 single sees Gaga 'giving birth' to a new race, followed by the 'birth of evil'. The song was inspired by the 1990s music which empowered women and the gay community, with the music video now being viewed more than 263 million times on YouTube.
Watch the music video on YouTube

Beyoncé - 'Haunted' (2014)

With a very apt name, this music video is set in a mansion, where Beyoncé comes across all types of scary characters as she walks through the corridors. Watch if you dare...
Watch the music video on YouTube

Rockwell - 'Somebody's Watching Me' (1984)

Set in a haunted house this video includes floating heads, ravens, graveyards, and shower scenes referencing Psycho. The song was covered in 2006 by Beatfreakz. The Beatfreakz version reached Number 3 in the UK and is still a popular Halloween song.
Watch the music video on YouTube

Basement Jaxx - 'Where's Your Head At?' (2001)

Swapping monkeys' brains for humans is the stuff of nightmares right? These monkeys' faces look awfully human though.
This Top 10 song samples Gary Numan's songs 'M.E.' and 'This Wreckage'.
Watch the music video on YouTube

Robbie Williams - 'Rock DJ' (2000)

This controversial video was often cut as it showed Robbie stripping and then pulling his skin off to attract the girls' attention.
Warning: This is the uncut version showing all the gory detail.
Watch the music video on YouTube

Michael Jackson - 'Thriller' (1983)

We end with everyone's favourite from 1982. The King of Pop turns into a zombie in the iconic music video for 'Thriller'. Although it isn't a song you'll hear often it's very popular around the end of October, we wonder why...
Watch the music video on YouTube

You can hear songs by some of these artists on Cool FM.

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How to listen to Cool FM:

Tune into Northern Ireland’s number 1 for music, Cool FM on 97.4FM, online, on our Rayo app, your DAB radio, or say ‘Play Cool FM’ on your Smart Speaker. We play you the biggest hits from the world’s hottest artists, from Pete Snodden in the morning to the NI Hit 40.