There’s no escaping it. “Ghostbusters” remains one of the most inescapable songs each spooky season, and Billboard has just cemented that status, officially ranking Ray Parker Jr.’s 1984 anthem at #2 on their newly published list of the 25 Biggest Halloween Songs.
The roundup, which looks at songs that “loom largest” on the Billboard Hot 100, factors in overall chart achievements, peak positions, weeks spent at each ranking, and era-specific weighting. According to Billboard, only Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” managed to outperform Parker’s supernatural smash.
In somewhat of a surprise, Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own,” from the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II, landed just a few slots lower at #5. Billboard’s editors explained that the chart, covering data through the October 18, 2025–dated Hot 100, features “Halloween-themed hits or songs with a seasonal word in the title,” such as spooky, monster, or devil. The publication used an inverse point system that gives higher value to weeks spent at the top and adjusts for changes in chart methodology over the decades, ensuring a fair fight between classics and modern favorites.
Among the heavy hitters joining Parker and Brown are the Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein,” Eminem and Rihanna’s “The Monster,” Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me,” and Cher’s “Dark Lady.,” with a full breakdown below:
- Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers – Monster Mash
- Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters
- The Edgar Winter Group – Frankenstein
- Eminem feat. Rihanna – The Monster
- Bobby Brown – On Our Own (From ‘Ghostbusters II’)
- Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me
- Cher – Dark Lady
- Janet Jackson – Black Cat
- Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels – Devil With a Blue Dress On / Good Golly Miss Molly
- INXS – Devil Inside
- Imagine Dragons – Demons
- Classics IV – Spooky
- Cliff Richard – Devil Woman
- Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising
- Santana – Black Magic Woman
- Kodak Black – Super Gremlin
- The Charlie Daniels Band – The Devil Went Down to Georgia
- Justin Bieber – Ghost
- Bobby Vee – Devil or Angel
- Olivia Rodrigo – Vampire
- Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires – (You’re the) Devil in Disguise
- Michael Jackson – Thriller
- Golden Earring – Twilight Zone
- Blue Öyster Cult – (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
- Eagles – Witchy Woman
While the Hot 100 list celebrates historic achievements, Parker’s Ghostbusters continues to haunt modern playlists. Last Halloween, the song topped Spotify’s Top 50 charts in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., even re-entering the Billboard Hot 100 at #28 for the week of Halloween, over forty years after first hitting #1 in August 1984. We imagine the song will place similarly this year, and if so, we’ll be sure to report, so stay tuned.
