Halloween conjures up spooky imagery of the dark and demented, but it’s all in good fun and generally harmless, right? Not according to the North American Halloween Prevention Initiative (NAHPI), a motley crew made up of some of the biggest names in indie rock-Arcade Fire, Feist, Buck 65, members of Sonic Youth and Rilo Kiley, among others-who’re trying to spread the word that this seemingly innocuous holiday might not be what it seems.

NAHPI’s new single, “Do They Know It’s Halloween?” takes aim at the old Band Aid chestnut, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” with an affectionate send-up of the Bob Geldof-helmed all-star charity tune recorded 20 years ago.

“Latvia, Laos, Chad, Peru/We need their help or else we’re through/They don’t know the fear we endure once a year/Do they know it’s Halloween tonight?” the indie hipsterati sing as they trade off verses.

The pomposity of the original sparked the idea for the spoof (which is being sold as a CD single with proceeds going to UNICEF)-Nick Diamonds, frontman for recently disbanded indie group Unicorns (he’s now heading up a new band, Islands), and pal Adam Gollner (a former VICE magazine editor and current New York Times contributor who’s also in the band Dessert) wrote the lyrics and music and called on their industry connections to put together a star-studded roster to record the tune.

VICE’s record label loved the cheekiness of the idea, and got on board to release the single, while the artists-from electro-trash rapper Peaches to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark-lined up to record their segments at a studio in L.A., or sent in their tracks from the road.

The result? A delightful mix of campy and vampy. Kinda sounds like a certain holiday, doesn’t it?

Gollner took some time out from campaigning about the dangers of All Hallows’ Eve to answer some questions about “Do They Know It’s Halloween?”

The Varsity: How do you and Nick know each other, and had you worked together before on any projects?

Adam Gollner: Nick and I knew each other from our horseback riding classes and it just seemed like a perfect continuation of those hurdle-jumping and steeplechase events for us to try to surmount the obstacles involved in a benefit song.

V: There are some pretty amazing artists on the song-how did you get them to participate?

AG: All I can say, in hindsight, is that it was an elaborate process of deception and cajolery.

V: With so many artists on board, how did the recording process work?

AG: We did it all via carrier pigeon-very, very traditionally.

V: I was reading that Feist helped get Malcolm McLaren, and even almost… Sting?! How so?

AG: She has magical powers.

V: How much has the single raised for UNICEF so far?

AG: We’ll only know around Christmas-with online sales, hopefully $20,000.

V: Any reaction from Sir Bob or his camp?

AG: I heard a rumour that he really enjoyed it and that he even wants to collaborate with us on a new song: “Do They Know It’s My Birthday?”

V: What are you going to be doing this Halloween?

AG: Battling the forces of darkness.

You can listen to the song, read the lyrics, and buy a copy of the single at vicerecordings.com/halloween.