Going Mad in the Monster Mansion – Music Monday – October 5, 2026
It's October! Let's talk about some of my favorite VGM that has Halloween vibes! First up, Mad Monster Mansion from Banjo-Kazooie!
t’s October, and you know what that means? It’s time for Halloween season! This month, I want to highlight some video game songs that show off the season whether intentionally or not.
When I think of Halloween, I think of scary things, like skeletons, witches, ghosts, and the like. It helps that there is a song in my favorite game that has all of these and a world theme that fits the vibe perfectly. This week’s song is Mad Monster Mansion from Banjo-Kazooie.
When you enter Mad Monster Mansion from Grunty’s Lair, you spawn in and you are met with an organ playing some soft chords amidst the wind howling and owls hooting. The drums hit and as you realize that you’re standing in front of a giant, scary mansion, the melody hits. Wolves are howling, the vibes are immaculate. The composer of the piece, Grant Kirkhope, masterfully uses Banjo instruments and marimbas and strings to create a creepy vibe that shows that this mansion is no joke.
Mad Monster Mansion is probably one of my favorite themed levels. The level is confined into a main area with a lot of little rooms and it can get very easy to get turned around in the level. Going into the giant church and playing the organ was awesome (and did you notice that the sheet music in the church is the actual sheet music to the Mad Monster Mansion theme?)
Check out some of these amazing remixes of the song too!
Do you have a favorite video game song that reminds you of Halloween? Let me know in the comments or let’s talk about it on Discord!
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