Released by Varèse Sarabande at the time and again in 2001 as part of a comprehensive set, Something Wicked This Way Comes was often considered a highlight of "The London Sessions" despite some complaints from purists regarding the choice of material to perform and distinct differences in tempo at times. For the re-recording, Delerue conducted and produced four cues from Something Wicked This Way Comes, starting with the final confrontation and shifting to a short, filler performance of the title theme for the boys and town. After a significantly rearranged version of the cue for the gypsy/barber scene, Delerue concludes with his triumphant end credits cue. While it would have been nice to have heard the opening credits and associated train arrival music, which would have given (and necessitated) a representation of the creepy choral aspect of the score, the twelve minutes that are heard in that suite are more than enough to suffice for casual listeners. Two faint hints of the carnival's theme of evil do exist in the second section of that suite. The gypsy music, set to alluring varied percussion, is the highlight of the suite, extended from its original form and largely replacing the wild, accelerating crescendo in the film version with an undeniably lovely performance of the main theme at 7:15 that makes the piece more tolerable for entertainment purposes. On the whole, for those looking for just a taste of Delerue's Something Wicked This Way Comes, the superior sound quality and pleasant arrangements of the "London Sessions" re-recording is a definite recommendation. It was once speculated in a discussion about the director's career that Delerue's score was better tuned to the film that Bradbury had originally intended to create but that Horner's alternative ultimately better fit the version of Something Wicked This Way Comes that Disney released. Clayton reportedly literally pursued Horner with a cassette tape of Delerue's score, insisting that he give the production his attention. After a rushed recording process, Horner's work for the project ultimately better addressed the sense of warmth and heart that the two boys brought to the story, infusing a more personal environment in much the same way he would accomplish when replacing Elmer Bernstein's larger-than-life score for The Journey of Natty Gann a few years later.

Horner conjured for Something Wicked This Way Comes a satisfying theme for woodwinds and strings that is heard shortly into "Main Titles" and eventually prevails in "End Titles," by which time the idea has received harmonica treatment. There are similarities between this theme and the many that the composer would write for his children's scores of the early 1990's, especially in the fluffy woodwind figures and tingling percussion. It doesn't have the same attractive personality of the theme for The Journey of Natty Gann, nor is it as lofty as Delerue's main theme, but it suffices. Horner's carnival theme is a step in the right direction, however. Some joke about this Horner construct representing what the composer might have written had he accepted the assignment of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, for the elegant, minor key progressions here have basic similarities to John Williams' Hedwig theme for that franchise. Others mention that it sounds like a variation of Williams' Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back, which is a little more accurate given that Horner's idea is a slight inversion of the opening progression. This theme is present in many places throughout the score, including a prevalent influence in "Dark's Pandemonium Carnival," but never does it really receive a second muscular performance on brass to rival the announcement of its arrival in the first minute or so of "Main Title" (nor is it as playful again, either). In "The Carousel," you hear a slight hint of the pipe organ rendering of this theme that mimics what Delerue had attempted. The theme's translation to extremely high strings in "Magic Window" is particularly unnerving. Otherwise, Horner's carnival theme is mostly restricted to slight woodwind performances that create a sense of wonder instead of wholesale fear. As per usual for Horner in the early 1980's, a propulsive rhythm section highly unique to his career serves as a highlight. First heard in the final minute of "Miss Foley in the Mirror" under the carnival theme, this rhythm suddenly erupts at about 1:30 into "Discovered," brutally following the pursuit of the boys in what remains one of the most effective moments in the score. This motif, when combined with the disembodied female vocals that pierce several moments in the work with their atonality, suggest a reference to the Dust Witch played by Pam Grier in the story.

The use of tapping cymbals, pounding piano, and violently chopping strings in "Discovered" previewed many of Horner's future cues for panic, almost matching the similar action and suspense material in Brainstorm in intensity. An interesting singular cue from Horner is "Side Show," which owes quite a bit to Delerue (one must wonder if Horner had heard how the veteran composer had tackled the scene and imitated it), though instead of leading the flute and percussion to an ominously descending string figure, Horner utilizes the eerie female vocal effects. The use of unconventional vocal techniques in film scores of that era was a byproduct of Goldsmith's success with The Omen, and the crying and wailing in Horner's score foreshadows dissonant techniques heard better in Willow. Another area in which Horner didn't differ much from Delerue was in the employment of organ tones for the carousel itself, though only in "The Carousel" does the seemingly manipulated source recording work its way (with great difficulty) into Horner's score. The remainder of Horner's recording is standard to his career, "The Boys Buy a Lightning Rod" extending the effortless theme for the boys and "Magic Window" equaling the minor suspense music (with swooshing percussion to imitate the wind) that would exist in the composer's later children's scores. The second score for Something Wicked This Way Comes will be a worthy addition to a Horner collection, predictable in its tone but unpredictable in its tools and structures of suspense. Neither score was officially released until Intrada Records worked with Disney's technical gurus to restore a digital master tape of Horner's score in 2009, resulting in a 45-minute presentation of impressive clarity on par with the label's remastering of The Journey of Natty Gann not long after. In 2024, the label used the same source to expand the presentation back into its original ordering and add a slew of source pieces composed by orchestrator Greig McRitchie. As mentioned before, Intrada had already treated the Delerue score to the same degree in 2015, supplanting the awful bootlegs and 10 to 15-minute suites on foreign compilations. Both are fine works, though Delerue's retains an edge in terms of memorable tone. Fans regularly disagree on this, so use your affinity for one composer over the other in general to guide you in the right direction.   @Amazon.com: CD or Download