It’s that time of year again. Whilst we might not be able to go out and get frightened together, we can definitely make some spooky, scary, bigtime beats.

We’ve collected the best plugins you can download to add some chills into your music. There’s no trick or treating this year, so you’ll have to bring the festivities into your own home and lace some fresh tracks full of seasonal horror.

Darksichord (free)

If you can imagine a video recording of a skeleton dancing with a melancholy expression in black and white, grainy footage to the sound of an instrument then it is surely perfect for Halloween – right?

Well just take a listen at what this gorgeous sounding yet sufficiently unsettling instrument can do for you. Oh, and by the way: It’s free!

Horror Box XL (€24 + free trial)

This keyboard is packed with wacky and disturbing soundscapes that are sure to send shivers up your spine, even if you’re only pressing down one note on the keyboard!

Packed with more presets than you can shake a bone at and available to try it with a free trial there’s plenty here for filling your tracks with thrills.

Creepy Piano (free)

Turn the most delightful of piano melodies into the latest American Horror Story soundtrack with this petrifying piano. It manages to easily subvert the natural sound of a piano with slight changes that embolden it with terrifying vibes.

This one’s also free so go mad… but beware, listen to this piano play for too long and you may literally go mad.

Nightmares (free)

Nightmares is a little different to the others but still aptly titled. It comes with a bunch of presets all uniquely terrifying from ghoulish wails to creepy laughs and spine-tingling synth sounds.

Use this how you want and customise them within the plugin using reverb, glide, distortion and other built-in effects. Get creative and you’ll be surprised how much is really packed into this little plugin.

Miscellania (free)

This unique collection of sounds come from the rejects of professional sound design. Some say that each sound is haunted by its own lack of self esteem after being dumped from whatever film or game project they hoped to soundtrack.

Check out the not-so-spooky video below to hear the range of interesting percussion and sound effects which you can use creatively to turn into ambient horror.

Got any spooky favourites we missed? Let us know in the comments below and share the love. Happy halloween!