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.

Batman Returns (1992) - Soundtrack

For those potential visitors that might be wondering why there is a hole punched in the upper righthand corner of this CD booklet. This was a promotional copy of the soundtrack the store I was working at received and I was allowed to keep.

Like the soundtrack that precedes it in this catalogue sequence, there was a expanded re-issue released that I passed on getting. Again, I am satisfied with this album presentation and do not feel compelled to get an upgrade of it. That might change, but it also might not.

Batman (1989) - Soundtrack

While there have been expanded re-issues and special editions of Danny Elfman's iconic score for Tim Burton's Batman, I have passed on every opportunity to purchase an upgraded variation of this original soundtrack, which I purchased way back in 1989. I am quite satisfied with what I have, thank you very much.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - Soundtrack

Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman joined forces to score the mega-sequel to the mega-hit that was The Avengers. The results were a serviceable, albeit unmemorable, film score. So it goes.

While I liked certain aspects and moments in Age of Ultron, it fell short of providing the first film's eye popping sugar rush of fun. But that kind of lightning in a bottle is oft times more the result of dumb luck and serendipitous timing, not corporate planning and oversight by production committee.

Nonetheless, Avengers: Age of Ultron would be better than some of the dire mediocrities to come.

Army of Darkness (1992) - Soundtrack

Depressing as it is to admit, it was a struggle for me to make it through the one time I watched Army of Darkness. Which seems odd, because, on paper, this love letter to Ray Harryhausen movies, sword and sorcery fantasy, and Three Stooges slapstick should have worked.

I expected and wanted Army of Darkness to work, because I loved The Evil Dead, Crimewave, Evil Dead II, and Darkman. With a track record like that, how could I have any doubt abut it working?

Two things, though. First, the version of Army of Darkness I watched was a bootleg of the Director's Cut, the one with the Rip Van Winkle ending, and it just felt slow to me. The entire movie just seemed to sit there. Which felt off-putting and wrong.

Second, and this was the real deal breaker for me, is that I grew to dislike the character of Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell). How could the hapless everyman character from the first two films turn into such an unlikeable dunderhead? It got so bad that I began to root for the bad guys!

The version of the soundtrack I have is Varèse Sarabande's 2020 reissue, which is a presentation of the score as it heard in the theatrical release prints that screened in the United States.

While I might not have liked the movie all that much, Joseph LoDuca's score for it is incredible. As is the single track composed by Danny Elfman, March of the Dead. I've had so much fun listening to it, I might try giving Army of Darkness a second viewing.