In its cabinet of kooky sounds, Danny Elfman’s elastic score for Beetlejuice references the horror exotica soundtracks of the ’50s, but also brings a sense of classic Hollywood grandeur to Tim Burton’s gothic screwball comedy. Like the rhythms of a toy factory, the tempo hurtles forward: “The Fly” is industrious and exhilarating, while “The Incantation” sounds like acid-damaged trapeze music. The tranquility of “The Aftermath” makes way for Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line,” the most incongruously perfect finale in the history of pop music cues.
Other Versions
- 1985
- Barry Manilow
- Steve Jablonsky
- Hans Zimmer
- Michael Jackson
- Bruno Coulais
- Henry Jackman