Wake Up Dead Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) accompanies the 2025 mystery thriller Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, directed by Rian Johnson and starring Daniel Craig as master sleuth Benoit Blanc. The original score was composed by Nathan Johnson, a frequent collaborator with Rian Johnson on Looper, Brick, and the previous Knives Out films. The music for Wake Up Dead Man blends tense orchestral scoring with darker, gothic-tinged textures that support the film’s atmospheric investigation and dramatic turns within its small-town church mystery.
The soundtrack album was released on December 12, 2025, through Cut Narrative Records and is available on major platforms including Apple Music and streaming services. The original motion picture soundtrack contains 20 score tracks, with a total runtime of approximately 53 minutes. A vinyl edition from Mutant is scheduled for release.
The score’s sound is characterized by brooding strings, ominous horns, and experimental timbres — including antique harmonium and prepared piano textures — that evoke both suspense and thematic depth in key narrative moments. This palette reflects the film’s blend of mystery and introspection, with music that underscores emotional beats and heightens tension without traditional heroic motifs.
The film also features licensed songs not included on the score album, such as “Wanted Dead or Alive” (Warren Zevon), “Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music” (Larry Norman), and selections by The Doobie Brothers and Tom Waits, used as needle drops to color specific scenes.
Composer: Nathan Johnson
Release Date: December 12, 2025
Label: Cut Narrative Records
Tracks: 20 (Score)
Score Soundtrack
- Nathan Johnson – Overture
- Nathan Johnson – Eve’s Apple
- Nathan Johnson – The Flock
- Nathan Johnson – Monsignor Wicks
- Nathan Johnson – The Confrontation
- Nathan Johnson – The Good Friday Murder
- Nathan Johnson – Jud’s Prayer
- Nathan Johnson – The Hollow Man
- Nathan Johnson – The Red Thread
- Nathan Johnson – A Minor Omission
- Nathan Johnson – False Priest
- Nathan Johnson – Betrayed
- Nathan Johnson – Torching the Flock
- Nathan Johnson – Wake Up Dead Man
- Nathan Johnson – The Empty Tomb
- Nathan Johnson – In the Flesh
- Nathan Johnson – Blanc’s Revelation
- Nathan Johnson – The Confession (Violin Concerto in G Minor)
- Nathan Johnson – Vengeance is Mine
- Nathan Johnson – Requiem
