Where Was 'This Is Halloween' Originally Recorded And Released?

Here’s the quick take: 'This Is Halloween' was created specifically for 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and originally recorded during the film’s soundtrack sessions with Danny Elfman handling composition and the primary vocals. The track debuted on the movie’s official soundtrack release put out by Walt Disney Records in 1993, timed with the film’s release.

Because it’s an opening number for the film, the song was first heard in theaters as part of the movie and then made available to fans on the soundtrack album. Since then, it’s been reissued and covered a lot, but the first place it lived was squarely on that original Disney soundtrack—classic spooky nostalgia that still makes me grin every October.

Right off the bat, here's the musical origin story in plain terms: 'This Is Halloween' was written and performed as part of the soundtrack for Tim Burton’s stop-motion film 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. Danny Elfman composed the score and provided much of the singing voice for the characters, and the track was recorded during the film’s scoring sessions as part of that production.

The song first appeared on the movie’s original soundtrack, which was released by Walt Disney Records in 1993 alongside the film. Over the years the track has been reissued, anthologized, and covered by countless artists, but its original incarnation is the movie soundtrack—recorded during the film’s production and released to the public as part of the official 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' album. I still get chills from that opening fanfare every Halloween season.

To put it simply: 'This Is Halloween' was originally recorded as part of the musical score for 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and first released on that film’s official soundtrack. Danny Elfman wrote the song and provided the singing voice for key parts, and the track was released by Walt Disney Records in 1993 alongside the movie.

People often hear it first in the film, since it opens the story, and then they could buy the soundtrack to hear it on its own. It’s one of those songs that instantly transports me to pumpkin patches and creepy little streets every time it plays.

It's one of those songs that immediately teleports me into pumpkin-lit alleyways: 'This Is Halloween' was originally recorded as part of the soundtrack for the stop-motion film 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. Danny Elfman wrote the music and provided the lead vocals, and the track was created during the movie's soundtrack sessions to be the film's opening number — basically the anthem for Halloween Town. The song was cut specifically for the film, assembled with the cast vocals and orchestration to match the quirky, spooky energy Tim Burton and Henry Selick wanted on screen.

The first official release of 'This Is Halloween' came with the movie's original soundtrack in 1993; the soundtrack was released alongside the film and distributed through the Disney music channels tied to the film’s release. In practice that meant the song debuted both in the opening sequence of the film and on the soundtrack album, so it reached audiences in theaters and on CD (and later on vinyl and digital formats) around the same time. The sound we all recognize — that mix of choir-like chants, whimsical brass, and Elfman’s theatrical delivery — was created in the studio during those recording sessions, meant to sync perfectly with the film’s visuals and the characters’ choreography.

What I love is how that original studio recording becomes the definitive version for most people: you hear the exact arrangement in the opening montage, the way each line lands with the stop-motion visuals, and that stickiness is why it’s stayed so iconic. Over the years the song has been reissued on deluxe soundtrack editions, anthologies, and Halloween compilations, and plenty of artists have covered or reinterpreted it for tribute albums and seasonal playlists — which is cool, because each cover highlights different facets of the original composition. Still, when I want that classic, slightly eerie carnival energy, I go back to the original soundtrack recording; it’s the one that hooked me as a kid and still gives me chills every Halloween.

Honestly, part of the song’s charm is that it was built to serve a story and a world: it announces a place where spooky is mundane and the strange is celebrated. Hearing that original recording with the film or on the soundtrack is like stepping through the town gate — and even now, years later, that first listen feels like being welcomed to the weirdest, most fun neighborhood on the block.

Looking back on it with a bit more curiosity, 'This Is Halloween' exists because the film needed a big, character-filled opener to introduce Halloween Town and its bizarre inhabitants. Danny Elfman not only wrote the music but also performed much of it, and the piece was captured as part of the film’s scoring sessions for 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. That recording was the origin point for the song.

For release, the track was first made available to the public on the movie’s soundtrack album released by Walt Disney Records in 1993. The soundtrack tied directly to the film’s theatrical run, so audiences heard the piece in cinemas before owning a copy on CD or cassette. Over the decades it’s become a seasonal staple, spawning remixes, covers and reissues, but the version that started it all remains the soundtrack recording—nostalgic and perfectly eerie, which is exactly why I still hum it when autumn rolls around.