Beetlejuice (1988)

The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers:

Michael McDowell (story), Larry Wilson (story)

Stars:

Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alec Baldwin	...	Adam
Geena Davis	...	Barbara
Annie McEnroe	...	Jane Butterfield
Maurice Page	...	Ernie
Hugo Stanger	...	Old Bill
Michael Keaton	...	Betelgeuse
Rachel Mittelman	...	Little Jane
Catherine O'Hara	...	Delia
J. Jay Saunders	...	Moving Man #1
Mark Ettlinger	...	Moving Man #2
Jeffrey Jones	...	Charles
Winona Ryder	...	Lydia
Glenn Shadix	...	Otho
Patrice Martinez	...	Receptionist
Cindy Daly	...	3-Fingered Typist (as Cynthia Daly)

Storyline

Adam and Barbara are a normal couple...who happen to be dead. They have given their precious time to decorate their house and make it their own, but unfortunately a family is moving in, and not quietly. Adam and Barbara try to scare them out, but end up becoming the main attraction to the money making family. They call upon Beetlejuice to help, but Beetlejuice has more in mind than just helping.

---

Plot Keywords:

ghost | attic | teenage girl | black comedy | shrunken head | 

---

Taglines:

Say it once... Say it twice... But we dare you to say it THREE TIMES

---

Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Otho Fenlock was named after Otho, a Roman Emperor of only three months; January 15th to April 16th, 69 A.D.

---

Goofs

All the people in the waiting room and in the office are in the same condition as when they died and the way they died is shown clearly. However, the Maitlands, who were drowned, are not wet. This was an artistic decision so that the actors would not have to constantly wear wet clothing.

---

Quotes

Beetlejuice: I'm just doin' my job. Besides, I thought we had a deal! Hey, it's OK. You know why? I don't wanna do business with you deadbeats anyway. The only one I think I can deal with is Edgar Allan Poe's daughter. I think she understands me.

---

Crazy Credits

When the Geffen logo appears right after the end credits, it's a darker gray color

---

Alternate Versions

In 1999, the film was re-released on VHS in the US with clamshell packaging. There are a few cuts to profanity in this release to make the film more family friendly: The barber in front of Adam's shop recounts an incident with a customer who had "hair down to his goddamn shoulders" it is altered to "hair down to his damn shoulders" using poor dubbing. Also the instance when Betelgeuse yells out "Nice fucking model!" and grabs his crotch is cut out. So after he kicks down the tree the next shot shows Adam putting it back up in the model. No other home video releases feature these cuts.

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Amazing Books that Don't Actually Exist (2016)

---

Soundtracks

Day-O
Traditional, lyrics by William A. Attaway and Irving Burgie
[Incorrectly credited as written by William A. Attaway & Irving Burgie (as Lord Burgess)]
Performed by Harry Belafonte
Courtesy of RCA Records

User Reviews

Creativity at its best

With ghosts and the dead, one would normally anticipate a horror movie loaded with screams and gory figures. But in Beetlejuice, we see a new dimension humour being experimented with.

Taking into the account that the movie was made in 1988 with limited special effects, Beetlejuice could be simply labelled as "creativity at its best".

Tim Burton is a pure visionary and with this movie you cannot help but appreciate the amount of creativity he has and his ability to translate it to screen.

Acting is top-rate from all fronts. One can't help but admire promising young Winona Ryder - a flower ready to bloom.

It would take a couple of viewings to be appreciate the movie in totality.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Maitlands

Filming Locations:

Masonic Hall, East Corinth, Vermont, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,030,897, 3 April 1988

Gross USA:

$74,220,408

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$74,270,074

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Geffen Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo Dolby Digital (DVD version) Dolby Atmos Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1