14 Best Spooky Audiobooks for October
There is nothing like getting into the Halloween spirit like a spooky audiobook. And if you’d like a printable copy of this spooky audiobook list, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
This is a fun time of year for family outings – whether it’s a road trip for fall break or a drive to a local pumpkin patch or the busyness of fall sports – which can mean a lot of time on the road!
One simple way to make October a little more festive is with a spooky audiobook that the whole family can enjoy!
Or you can listen at home as you do Halloween activities like carving pumpkins or working on a Halloween puzzle as a family.
Here are some of my favorite suggestions for spooky audiobooks for kids and families!
14 Best Spooky Audiobooks for October
15 minutes
I was delighted to see this new release because we LOVE Narwhal & Jelly at our house. This Halloween one is an absolute delight and the audio is terrific with a full cast, original music and sound effects (and it’s under $4!)
I was delighted to see this new release because we LOVE Narwhal & Jelly at our house. This Halloween one is an absolute delight and the audio is terrific with a full cast, original music and sound effects (and it’s under $4!)
28 minutes
Ghoulia is a zombie living with her aunt in a house on the edge of town and they never leave the house for fear of being run out of town. But on Halloween, with everyone dressing up, it seems like the perfect chance to sneak out and pretend to be a normal little girl dressed up as a zombie. Will it work? This one is really fun on audio (lots of sound effects!) but also delightful as a book with terrific illustrations.
Ghoulia is a zombie living with her aunt in a house on the edge of town and they never leave the house for fear of being run out of town. But on Halloween, with everyone dressing up, it seems like the perfect chance to sneak out and pretend to be a normal little girl dressed up as a zombie. Will it work? This one is really fun on audio (lots of sound effects!) but also delightful as a book with terrific illustrations.
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise by Kate DiCamillo 20 minutes
I mean, how can you not love this delightful pig? When the Watsons decide that their beloved Mercy must be a princess for Halloween, Mercy goes along with it only because of the promise of treats. But as usually happens when Mercy is around, there are some tricks that happen too!
I mean, how can you not love this delightful pig? When the Watsons decide that their beloved Mercy must be a princess for Halloween, Mercy goes along with it only because of the promise of treats. But as usually happens when Mercy is around, there are some tricks that happen too!
The Skull by Jon Klassen22 minutes
This is based on a folktale about a little girl who stumbles upon a large house inhabited by a skull. When Skull is scared of something that comes every night, the little girl is ready to help. The audio of this one isn’t too long and perfectly creepy! (I loved the author’s note at the end too!).
This is based on a folktale about a little girl who stumbles upon a large house inhabited by a skull. When Skull is scared of something that comes every night, the little girl is ready to help. The audio of this one isn’t too long and perfectly creepy! (I loved the author’s note at the end too!).
Bunnicula (Books 1-3) by Victor Barber6 hrs 43 minutes
This is such a perfect Halloween listen because each individual book is not too long, and it’s not overly scary, just the right amount spooky. Bunnicula is a rabbit that’s found by a family when they go to see a Dracula movie. They bring the little bunny home, but the other pets in the house are convinced that Bunnicula is a vampire rabbit and out to get every other member of the family. Ella has listened to this a million times over the years.
This is such a perfect Halloween listen because each individual book is not too long, and it’s not overly scary, just the right amount spooky. Bunnicula is a rabbit that’s found by a family when they go to see a Dracula movie. They bring the little bunny home, but the other pets in the house are convinced that Bunnicula is a vampire rabbit and out to get every other member of the family. Ella has listened to this a million times over the years.
The Witches4 hrs 28 minutes
You can’t have a Halloween book list without The Witches! This movie version of this scared me to DEATH as a child, but my girls have loved this audiobook and pull it out to listen to every Halloween (there is a Yoto card of it with lots of sound effects too!).
You can’t have a Halloween book list without The Witches! This movie version of this scared me to DEATH as a child, but my girls have loved this audiobook and pull it out to listen to every Halloween (there is a Yoto card of it with lots of sound effects too!).
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke8 hrs 30 minutes
My girls love Cornelia Funke, but I won’t let them listen to this one without me. The narration is so good that we might listen to this one rather than have me read it aloud – Bart and I listened to it together when we were in grad school and Bart loved it so much, he suggested the name Prosper ever time we were trying to name a baby.
My girls love Cornelia Funke, but I won’t let them listen to this one without me. The narration is so good that we might listen to this one rather than have me read it aloud – Bart and I listened to it together when we were in grad school and Bart loved it so much, he suggested the name Prosper ever time we were trying to name a baby.
Coraline3 hrs 35 minutes
This book is definitely creepy! Coraline steps through a door into a world that looks almost identical to her. But there are some key differences too, including versions of her parents who want her to stay on this side of the door. If your child can handle something fairly creepy, this is a fun pick for older elementary readers. (Also, check out his Newbery winning book, also narrated by him, The Graveyard Book).
This book is definitely creepy! Coraline steps through a door into a world that looks almost identical to her. But there are some key differences too, including versions of her parents who want her to stay on this side of the door. If your child can handle something fairly creepy, this is a fun pick for older elementary readers. (Also, check out his Newbery winning book, also narrated by him, The Graveyard Book).
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling8 hrs 18 minutes
Doesn’t October just make you want to re-read Harry Potter? Just me? They are basically the perfect Halloween read alouds. And there isn’t a better audiobook around than Jim Dale’s Harry Potter versions. I read Harry Potter to my girls every October and it was just so magical to go back to Hogwarts. I wrote about the right age to introduce your child to Harry Potter in this post (and the comments are fantastic!).
Doesn’t October just make you want to re-read Harry Potter? Just me? They are basically the perfect Halloween read alouds. And there isn’t a better audiobook around than Jim Dale’s Harry Potter versions. I read Harry Potter to my girls every October and it was just so magical to go back to Hogwarts. I wrote about the right age to introduce your child to Harry Potter in this post (and the comments are fantastic!).
7 hrs 15 minutes
This book about a young girl detective and her skeleton sidekick is laugh-out-loud funny and if you love this one, you’re in luck, because there are ten books in the series. Ella read the whole series last year and loved it, but it was a bit much for my then-third grader. Note that the series gets older and darker as it goes on, like Harry Potter. (Full review here!)
This book about a young girl detective and her skeleton sidekick is laugh-out-loud funny and if you love this one, you’re in luck, because there are ten books in the series. Ella read the whole series last year and loved it, but it was a bit much for my then-third grader. Note that the series gets older and darker as it goes on, like Harry Potter. (Full review here!)
10 hrs 10 minutes
This is the perfect spooky listen for October. In this one, some young people with psychic abilities run a small London agency to eradicate the supernatural foes that are popping up all over the city. The audio is so well done and there are five books in the series, for your holiday reading! (Also, check out the Bartimeus series by the same author if you are a fan of this one.)
This is the perfect spooky listen for October. In this one, some young people with psychic abilities run a small London agency to eradicate the supernatural foes that are popping up all over the city. The audio is so well done and there are five books in the series, for your holiday reading! (Also, check out the Bartimeus series by the same author if you are a fan of this one.)
Dead City by James Ponti5 hrs 46 min
Ella is a HUGE James Ponti fan, and she picked up this book despite her usual disinterest in zombies. And then she LOVED it. Molly Bigelow attends the Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology but at night, she’s a zombie hunter, like her mom who she’s just discovered is the most famous zombie hunter in the history of New York City.
Nightmares! by 
Potion Masters by Frank L. Cole7 hrs 19 min
This magical story is all about a hidden potion community known as B.R.E.W.–the Board of Ruling Elixirists Worldwide. B.R.E.W is secretly responsible for pretty much every advancement over the last several hundred year. Gordy is an apprentice potion master since his mother is the Director of BREW and he spends hours in the secret lab hidden in their basement. But things start to get less secret when the world’s most powerful potion goes missing and then ends up in Gordy’s possession.
And if you’d like a printable copy of this spooky audiobook list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
Such a fantastic list! Thank you!
You’ve probably covered this many times, but how do I get audio books?
Library, audible from Amazon, I need a wee bit of guidance, please.
Any of the above! You can check Libby or Hoopla at your library, buy them on Audible or LibroFM or Chirp or see if a subscription service like Scribd includes them.