 The film originated largely as a showcase for the musical  performances of the Elfmans musical theater troupe, The Mystic  Knights Of The Oingo Boingo (with Danny Elfmans Satan character  from the film being one such holdover from these stage shows). In  the documentary "A Look Into The Forbidden Zone," director Richard  Elfman states that he started the film with no particular audience  in mind, merely as an exercise in unrestrained creativity and "to  capture on film what I was no longer doing on stage with the Mystic  Knights."