Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (soundtrack)

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Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters – Music from the Motion Picture is the film’s score, created for the 2013 movie directed by Tommy Wirkola. It was composed by Atli Örvarsson, with Hans Zimmer serving as executive producer. The music blends orchestral elements with electronic, jazz, rock, heavy metal, and choir to create a modern fairy-tale sound. The score was recorded in 2012–2013 at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, California, and runs 47 minutes and 43 seconds. Digital release was by Paramount Music on January 22, 2013, followed by a physical release from La-La Land Records on January 29, 2013.

Key musical ideas and themes:
- Hansel and Gretel as siblings
- A “White Magic” theme for their mother
- A brash, victorious theme for the witch hunters
- Muriel, the villain, with a distinctive chromatic motif
- Good witches (white magic)
- Edward the troll represented by a Nordic lullaby
- An industrial theme for the evil sheriff
For action scenes, the score uses rock-infused music, while the main title was written last to unify the score. Örvarsson mixed historic instruments (harpsichord, contrabass flute) with modern ones (electric guitar, electronic percussion) to create a “Baroque n’Roll” feel—modern but rooted in traditional music.

The ending song “Bundy” by Animal Alpha plays in the film’s credits but is not on the soundtrack album.

Critical reception was largely negative. Reviewers noted a rough shift between ethereal choral passages and heavy-metal guitar, and drew comparisons to Hans Zimmer’s Sherlock Holmes scores. Some critics found the score unoriginal and overly electronic. Despite mixed reviews, the score was shortlisted for Best Original Score at the 86th Academy Awards but did not receive a nomination.