Danny Elfman on the release of music for “Beetlejuice” Beetlejuice, Tim Burton and others

Acclaimed composer Danny Elfman has been with legendary director Tim Burton since the beginning, composing the score for the director’s first feature film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 1995. Then, in 1988, Elfman created the iconic score for Beetle juice and 36 years later he made another cinematic adventure to Winter River, Connecticut to score the sequel to Burton’s blockbuster Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Until Beetlejuice Beetlejuice still in production, Burton said it is how to watch “demon possession” as Michael Keaton returns to the role more than three and a half decades after the original release of the classic supernatural comedy.

Fortunately for Elfman, his work continues Beetlejuice Beetlejuice fell into place in much the same way.

“You have to realize that with all the movies I’ve done with Tim, batman — the one exception where there were two,” Elfman told me in a Zoom conversation this week. “There were scores that I loved writing and it was a great playground, and then all of a sudden they were gone. Then I realize that I will never be able to write this music again, and I feel sad.”

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Thus, notes Elfman, getting “a chance to return to the same playing field” with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice after all these years was “a real pleasure”.

“It took a split second to get back into that mindset,” Elfman enthused. “So I know exactly how Michael felt. It was like, “Oh yeah, I’m back!”

Elfman Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Music from the original soundtrack to the film) is new in digital format on Friday, and the vinyl and compact versions will be released in early 2025 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice The original score includes 29 Elfman tracks from the film, including of course The main title of the topic from Beetle juice.

While The main title of the topic from Beetle juice undoubtedly perfection, Elfman said he couldn’t resist the idea of ​​reconfiguring it a bit when it came to the sequel, which would feature the Ghost himself.

“I messed around with it a little bit. I got to go a little bit crazier, and of course when you have the end credits set, that’s where you can really go crazy,” enthused Elfman. “I used this organ that a friend of mine has here in Los Angeles and I wrote something different on the organ than the original.”

Still, the spirit of creating and recording a score for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was the same as the original, meaning there was a bit more time to work on it.

“It has things in it that I would have liked to have done back then but didn’t have access to,” Elfman said. “First Beetle juice was a low-budget film, and to even get three days of recording with an orchestra—to even finish the score—was a miracle.”

Elfman indulges his love of universal monsters in the musical “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice— which is showing in theaters and available on digital streaming — mostly takes place in Winter River, Connecticut, where Lydia Dietz (Winona Ryder) and her stepmother Delia (Katherine O’Hara) return for the funeral of family patriarch Charles and are reunited with Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton).

New characters joining Beetlejuice, Lydia, and Delia for the sequel include Lydia’s teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), Lydia’s boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux), and Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), who is a deceased actor in Afterlife .

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Also key to the story is Beetlejuice’s vengeful ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci). Delores was included in the story by the screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar opportunity to explore Beetlejuice’s backstory.

As a bonus, the backstory gave Tim Burton a chance to direct the film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice black and white scene and Danny Elfman to rate it as a sort of homage to the classic films in the Universal Monsters universe. Since both Burton and Elfman are fans of Universal Monsters, the opportunity was a dream come true.

“Tim and I decided early on to do it. For example, we came up with a tone and a feel for the unpleasant character of Monica, and it became its own thing,” Elfman said. “So it’s different from the original score, but the heart of the score still revolves around Beetlejuice.”

Elfman is preparing for his last two concerts in the US this year

In addition to the release celebration Beetlejuice Beetlejuice music (Water Tower Music), the iconic composer is preparing to return to the concert stage for the last two concerts he has scheduled in the US this year, titled Danny Elfman: From Boingo to Batman to Big Mess and Beyond!

The concerts will feature Elfman’s rock band, orchestra and choir, similar to his high-profile performance at the 2022 Coachella Music and Arts Festival.

Elfman said the music from his Beetlejuice Beetlejuice score will naturally be included in the concerts scheduled for Saturday, November 2 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Sunday, November 3 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California.

As the concert title suggests, the show will feature Elfman’s music from Oingo Boingo, his solo work, including cuts from his 2021 album A big mess and selections from his prolific career as a composer for film and television.

“The show is divided in a crazy way,” Elfman said. “One third of the show is vintage music coming back to Boingo, and one third of the show is new music I’m doing now, plus some world premieres no one has heard of.”

In addition, Elfman added, one-third of the show is music from the films, highlighting the musician’s work with Tim Burton.

Together, of course, the director and composer collaborated on such classic films as Alice in Wonderland, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, Sleepy Hollow, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice and its Netflix sequel and series Wednesday.

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Elfman noted that it will feature some non-Berton scores Danny Elfman: From Boingo to Batman to Big Mess and Beyond! also.

“Perhaps there is a suite with The Simpsons. I can’t say for sure,” Elfman smiled. “First of all, it’s eight musical suites, and we have a full orchestra and choir on stage with us. It’s a really crazy show and almost impossible to tour with. Can you imagine what a tour of a group with 65 people is like?

Tickets for Elfman’s Hollywood Bowl and Shoreline Ampitheatre shows are available at Ticket master.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Music from the original soundtrack to the film) available on Friday on digital and will be released on vinyl and CD in early 2025.

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