The much-anticipated (and long-coming) sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice has finally hit theaters, with many moviegoers calling it as spooky and eclectic as the original film. As Winona Ryder’s Lydia contends with her own rebellious teenage daughter (Jenna Ortega) in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, audiences are pulled back into a comfortingly familiar world. Many key creatives have returned from the original, including Burton as director, Michael Keaton in his titular role, and – maybe most importantly – Danny Elfman as composer.

Elfman and Burton’s longtime creative partnership has spawned several iconic films in the kooky goth genre, including Batman and Edward Scissorhands. The appeal of their aesthetic comes from their combination of mid-century suburban sensibilities with a morbid edge. Elfman’s scores are stylistically recognizable, but never one-note.

If you’re looking to score a spooky, multilayered world in your next project, Universal Production Music’s licensing offerings give you access to an affordable range of high-quality film music.

Before you register to find your next sound, dive deeper into the hauntingly fun soundtrack of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

 

Elfman’s eerie ear for cinema

Alfie Davis’s cover of the Jamaican song “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” accompanies the trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a blend of whimsy and thrills-and-chills produced by Elfman. The track recalls the iconic Beetlejuice scene in which Beetlejuice possesses a family and forces them to perform an elaborate dance to the festive Harry Belafonte tune. Other calypso songs from Belafonte are woven into all of Beetlejuice, the only music in the film that isn’t part of Elfman’s original score.

Davis’s modern version of “Day-O” includes eerie accompaniment from the Sylvia Young Theatre School Choir, altering the tone and showcasing Elfman’s range as a music composer and producer.

Though Elfman has been working with Burton since Burton’s first mainstream hit, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and is most known for this partnership, he has composed for all kinds of films over his decades in the industry. The reason he’s been able to work on everything from Good Will Hunting to Avengers: Age of Ultron is his versatility. Discover our catalog of production syncs to see how a diversity of music enhances a film score.

The Beetlejuice scores required energetic tone-switching. Keaton’s kinetic onscreen presence inspired Elfman to change up the film’s score relatively far into the process, as he explained in an interview with GQ about the making of the original film. As a trickster demon, Beetlejuice was both whimsical and menacing, sometimes at the same time. Elfman’s orchestral score rode the waves.

“Michael Keaton brought this energy, and that's what I'm latching onto, that it's really intense, but it changes, changes, changes, changes on a dime because that's what he is,” Elfman said.

Many of Elfman’s scores for Burton movies dip between eerie atmosphere and adventure set pieces. Discover the right song for your thrilling scenes with Universal Production Music’s library.

Spooktacular nostalgia

Halloween is many people’s favorite holiday because of the wonder and fun of costumes and parties, but also the haunting nostalgia for ghosts, ghouls, and childhood days gone by. Light-goth films like Beetlejuice remain classics because audiences rewatch them whenever they start to feel that autumnal bite in the air.

The sounds of Halloween are classic and instantly transport viewers to a different time and place. Bubbling cauldrons, ominous owl hoots, and bouncy, energetic rhythms can all be found on our different fun Halloween themed playlists to create a throwback party atmosphere.

Halloween can tap into our fondest childhood memories, but also our most unsettling childhood nightmares. Beetlejuice wouldn’t be honored and imitated each October if his antics didn’t strike some fear into our hearts. While both the original film and the new sequel have heartwarming themes of everlasting love and families coming together, some of their scenes are spine-tingling.

Giant sandworms and shrunken heads are no joke. Check out our catalog of suspenseful background music if your next project is inspired by the scarier sequences of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.