Halloween VGM: Super Mario 64
For a change, this one is a pretty spooky song from a pretty spooky level from a not very spooky game! Super Mario 64’s haunted house level, Big Boo's Haunt was one of my favorite levels in the game. It was such a weird place. You get there not by jumping into a painting like every other level, but by diving into a tiny house in a bird cage that’s inside a Boo! Once in there, it has great atmosphere, with towering trees in the background and this huge mansion in front of you. The level takes place almost exclusively in the mansion, with each room having some kind of unique challenge.
One of the most memorable parts in this level for me was this one room that had a piano sitting innocently in the corner. If you get too close to the piano however, it comes to life and tries to eat you! The top half of the piano opens up to reveal rows of sharp teeth, and every time its jaws clamp down it makes a sound like someone slamming their hands on all the piano keys! It gave me a pretty good scare the first time it happened. Then there’s the library, where some of the books flap out like bats and fly at you.
Then there was this creepy music it played throughout the house. Admittedly it’s not as catchy as the other stuff that’s up here, but it made for great atmosphere. The tune really picks up at around 1:40, where this other weird sound joins in and makes it much more listenable. Anyone else have any good spooky levels from games that weren’t actually scary games?