Danny Elfman, Hollywood's macabre musician: 'I don't know how young composers coming up now are going to survive'

Danny Elfman, the longtime film composer credited with shaping Hollywood’s quirky orchestral style, said he still doubts how his work was received at first. Speaking by videoconference, the 73-year-old referenced “Edward Scissorhands” as an example, saying he did not know at the time whether the score was “good” and later realized audiences enjoyed it. Elfman’s career highlights include being recruited in the late 1980s and early 1990s by rookie director Tim Burton, contributing music to films such as “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (1985), “Beetlejuice” (1988), “Batman” (1989), “Edward Scissorhands” (1990), “Batman Returns” (1992) and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993), alongside his well-known “Simpsons” television theme written in 1989. He also discussed how “The Nightmare Before Christmas” premiered in Orlando, Florida, after which he recalled hearing it was “too scary for kids,” despite later becoming a cult classic. Elfman said he spent two and a half years on the project and also provided singing for the lead character, Jack Skellington.