Halloween’s annual streaming surge is extending beyond music in 2026, with Spotify data revealing renewed interest in classic horror soundtracks, spooky pop favorites and frightening audio stories. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is leading the platform’s most-streamed Halloween songs in the United States this October, while horror audiobook and podcast listening is also climbing sharply ahead of October 31.
According to Spotify, “Thriller” tops the ranking of the most-streamed Halloween songs in the U.S. between October 1 and October 28. The track’s seasonal resurgence has also pushed it to No. 18 on the platform’s Top Songs USA chart as of October 28.
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The rest of the top five highlights the staying power of familiar seasonal favorites. “This Is Halloween” by The Citizens of Halloween takes second place, followed by Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash,” Ray Parker Jr.‘s “Ghostbusters” and Andrew Gold’s “Spooky, Scary Skeletons – Undead Tombstone Remix.” Both “Ghostbusters” and “Monster Mash” have also entered Spotify’s U.S. chart, reaching No. 15 and No. 32, respectively, on October 28.
Listeners began embracing Halloween music as soon as the month started. On October 1, China Anne McClain’s “Calling All the Monsters” recorded a 233% increase in streams compared with its average, while Andrew Gold’s “The Addams Family” theme jumped 217%. “Ghostbusters” followed with an 183% increase.
The figures add another dimension to Halloween’s growing musical moment. TikTok has helped introduce older seasonal tracks to younger audiences, with “Calling All the Monsters” surpassing 805,000 creations on the platform. Meanwhile, “Dracula” by Tame Impala and JENNIE has benefited from the seasonal atmosphere while maintaining a strong chart presence, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Spotify’s data also points to a significant increase in horror listening beyond music. During the week of October 12, Richard Chizmar’s Chasing the Boogeyman experienced a 735% rise in streams, highlighting the seasonal appetite for unsettling stories. Globally, horror audiobook listening hours recorded more than twice the October-versus-September seasonal lift in 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
Podcast audiences are contributing to the trend as well. True crime listening hours have nearly quadrupled worldwide over the past six years, rising from more than 280 million hours in 2020 to over one billion in 2026. Scary-story podcast Full Body Chills also recorded a 1,475% increase in U.S. listeners during the week of October 5 compared with its average.
With Halloween still approaching, the latest figures suggest that October’s biggest listening moments are not limited to songs that return every year.
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