The official soundtrack for Universal’s Dark Universe land has been released, composed by the legendary Danny Elfman. Known for his hauntingly whimsical and cinematic style, Elfman’s original score brings life to the gothic atmosphere of the park’s monster-filled land at Epic Universe. The soundtrack features sweeping orchestral themes that blend horror, mystery, and dark fantasy, capturing the tone of the reimagined world of classic Universal Monsters.
Elfman previously composed the score for The Wolfman (2010), and his iconic musical fingerprints can be found across Universal Studios Florida and Halloween Horror Nights events over the years, where selections from his work in films like Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands (both with Universal’s partner studios) have been featured. Not to mention his iconic compositions for Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas!
The Dark Universe score continues Elfman’s tradition of crafting unforgettable soundscapes, now adding his signature to one of the most immersive themed lands Universal has ever created.
Dark Universe is now streaming on all major music platforms. The album is also available in physical form as a 2-sided splatter vinyl record, exclusively at Universal Epic Universe for $49.99.
Header and vinyl images sourced from @AllCentralFlorida via Discogs
Dark Universe Tracklist
- Dark Universe Fanfare
- Monstertreffen
- Open The Doors
- Victoria’s Monster
- Experimental Trials
- Pretorius Scientific Oddities
- Henry’s Legacy
- Frankenstein’s Manor
- Monsters Unchained
- The Burning Blade
- The Curse of the Werewolf
- Enter the Guild of Mystics
- Darkmoor by Night
- Das Stakehaus
- Nothing Stays Buried in Darkmoor
- Darkmoor by Day
A Note From Danny Elfman
A decade or so ago when we released the 25th anniversary box set for the Music of the Films of Tim Burton, it contained a book with many interviews. In that book, director Guillermo Del Toro described me quite accurately as “a monster kid” from the generation, much like Del Toro and Burton themselves, that quite literally grew up on monsters. They were my life. I eagerly awaited the release of the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland each month and cherished every page as if it were sacred text. And since I spent every weekend of my childhood at the neighborhood movie theater which played more or less every monster film made, I had plenty of fuel to keep that infatuation going.
Years later when I became a film composer, I frequently turned to those movies for musical inspiration. The classic Bride of Frankenstein was definitely my favorite, but movies like The Wolfman, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Thing From Another World and the many sci-fi films I grew up on were right up there as well.
When I got the call from Universal to work on the music to their new Dark Universe I was, to say the least, more than up for it.
It was such a treat working on this project. Not only did I get to work with a great bunch of enthusiastic creative people, but I got to travel back to my own childhood and revisit my original inspirations. And while the attractions are all unique and original, they use characters that I have loved my whole life, such as the Universal Film Legends: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman and The Mummy, who show up at different times throughout the park experience. I felt both honored and energized to have been chosen for this wonderful project. I hope you, the listener, feel that I did it justice..
– Danny Elfman
