With Halloween just a few days away, please join me in some music to fit the mood. This next song is a classic and Halloween staple.

John Zacherle spent a lifetime combining silliness, horror, and the macabre. He had a long career as a television horror host. In his New York Times obituary, writer William Grimes points out while John Zacherle “was not the first horror host… [he] was the most famous, inspiring a host of imitators at local stations around the country.”

In 1958, four years before Bobby Pickett’s “Monster Mash”, John Zacherly released “Dinner with Drac”. When a man dedicated to all things spooky and camp wrote a song, it was no surprise that it became an instant hit. The song begins with the catchy opening limerick:

“A dinner was served for three

At Dracula’s house by the sea

The Hors d’oeuvres were fine

But I choked on my wine

When I learned that the main course was me!”

Now Playing: Dinner with Drac – John Zacherle

The song is equal parts charming, silly, campy, and macabre. For these reasons Dinner with Drac has become a permanent place in my Halloween playlist.

There is an additional version of the song with alternate lyrics if you want to take a listen: