Beetlejuice (1988) - Soundtrack

As big as a hit as this horror adjacent fantasy-comedy was, I just could not muster the interest or energy to go and see it on the big screen. I had not seen Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), either. So I was unaware of Tim Burton's rather unique blending of gothic and whimsy.

At time of release there were two things about Beetlejuice that got me interested enough to give it a watch on home video. First was that author Michael McDowell was credited as a screenwriter. I had devoured McDowell's novels The Amulet, Cold Moon Over Babylon, Gilded Needles, and The Elementals, back in the day. That alone was enough to get me interested in giving Beetlejuice a watch.

But then there was the fact that Danny Elfman had done the film's music score. Not only was I an Oingo Boingo fan, I also had Elfman's electronic score for Wisdom (1986) in my collection. What would he be doing here?

Crafting what many consider to be his signature orchestral sound, it seems. Elfman's music for Beetlejuice is a jaunty and jarring carnival ride of a score for a cartoonish nightmare of a film. One that's is impossible not to bounce along to whenever giving it a listen.