Looking to set the mood this Halloween? Create your own creepy, scary soundtracks with these 5 plugins that are guaranteed to send shivers down your spine with each note.

It’s that time of year again – Halloween, when we rejoice to try and be the most ridiculously dressed, give children a year’s supply of sweets in one night, and drink far too much. These are staples of Halloween but what would the celebration of the dead be without some spooky, atmospheric music.

We’ve collected together 5 plugins that should give you enough fuel to inspire some dark moody pieces, whether it be for a Halloween party or just to scare away trick or treaters.


The Hands Of Darkness by NOVUZEIT

The Hands Of Darkness has one purpose – to create dark, unsettling organic/metallic ambient textures.

The Hands Of Darkness is a synthesizer with three layered oscillators using abstract mathematics to form waveforms that allow you to create “subtly warbly puddles of mercury, harsh abrasive fields of rust, or even robotic cascades of binary dementia; ghostly drones, or morphing dissonant calvacades”.

The Hands Of Darkness

Download here (Windows only)

Gargoyle by Krakli

“Inspired by a request for a VST that could be used for a horror film soundtrack. This synth is dedicated to it’s namesake.”

Gargoyle is a bizarre synth which can create a multitude of varying but always unsettling sounds. We featured the first Gargoyle in our Top 10 Weird and Wonderful plugins list. Whilst Krakli have come out with Gargoyle 2 we recommend giving them both a go and seeing which one you find easier to control/sounds better if not keeping them both for layered creepiness.

Download here (Windows only)

Emily the Strange Organ by Killapluggies

Emily the Strange Organ is a bizarre synth organ plugin that honestly sounds quite normally. But rest assured, play around with the parameters and slam down some discordant minor chords and you have your own house of horror theme.

Download here

Blood Bucket by Insert Piz Here

Blood Bucket is a unique noisemaking plugin that doesn’t really adhere to tonal norms or melodic standards. With it’s crazy glitched out, static-y weirdness Blood Bucket could easily make for some unsettling ambience.

It’s been described by it’s creators as “another pointless experiment in synthetic stupidity”.

Download here (Windows only)

VL-122 by AM Music Technology

What would Halloween be without a distinct organ playing in the background.

For a cost you can get incredible organ synths and simulators but when it comes to free synths the VL-122 is a treat. There are enough controls to create massively different organ sounds from the cheery, to the jazzy, and of course most importantly to the downright frightening.

Download here (Windows only)


 

We hope you enjoy the list and find something to help you create your own personalised soundtrack to Halloween this year.

If there are any creepy plugins that you love and we missed out share them below in the comments!

Check out more of our free plugin lists:

10 Weird and Wonderful VST Plugins

Top 10 Free Synth Plugins

Top 10 Free Piano & Organ Plugins

Top 10 Free Drum Plugins