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.Written by
ahmetkozan
Linda Blair was briefly considered for the role of Barbara Maitland. See more »
Goofs
When Barbara is woken up in the morning and is found to be floating in mid-air next to her bed, some of the platform she is lying on is visible between her feet. See more »
Quotes
Adam:
[reading]
'Handbook of the Recently Diseased'.
Barbara:
...*deceased*.
Adam:
Deceased?
Barbara:
I don't know where it came from. Look at the publisher.
Adam:
[does so]
'Handbook for the Recently Deceased Press'.
Barbara:
You know what? I don't think we survived the crash!
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Crazy Credits
When the Geffen logo appears right after the end credits, it's a darker gray color See more »
Alternate Versions
When Disney bought the rights to Beetlejuice to air on the Disney Channel, they cut out several scenes including: The scene of a second Sandworm head emerging from the mouth of another one. In the original version, when Adam and Barbara leave the model, Beetlejuice kicks over a model tree, screams "Nice fucking model!" and then makes honking sounds while he grabs his crotch. In the Disney version, an alternate take is used where he kicks over the tree, spits, and stares up at Adam and Barbara. Several shots of Beetlejuice attacking the Deitz family as a snake were removed. The scene where the receptionist in the afterlife waiting room reveals she killed herself was removed. A scene during the dance number where the Deitz's all moon each other was also removed. See more »
It may take two or three viewings to warm up to "Beetlejuice". It has a kooky, cockeyed sensibility and a rhythm that is by turns easy, lazy and frenetic. A charming couple in New England die and come back to their beloved home as ghosts, determined to rid the place of the horrendous new tenants. Possibly the most benign and engaging performance ever by Alec Baldwin; Geena Davis, Winona Ryder and Sylvia Sidney are also very appealing. The new couple from New York who take over the house (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara) aren't as well written or thought-out as the other characters and some of their bemused, dry-ice comic lines take a few seconds to reach you. Of course, there's Michael Keaton, wildly comic as Betelgeuse. I recall hearing comments back in 1988 that Keaton wasn't around enough to make the picture worthwhile, but that's only if you watch the film for the fast quips and sight-gags. Keaton is truly wonderful, but he's also bombastic, and I felt there was just enough of him to satisfy--it's really not his story anyway, it belongs to Baldwin and Davis; Betelgeuse is used as a horny, vulgar punchline. Director Tim Burton is very careful not to overload the movie with raunch; he is surprisingly careful in setting up this story, and he works magic within a dubious scenario: a comic fantasy about dead folks which ultimately celebrates life. ***1/2 from ****
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It may take two or three viewings to warm up to "Beetlejuice". It has a kooky, cockeyed sensibility and a rhythm that is by turns easy, lazy and frenetic. A charming couple in New England die and come back to their beloved home as ghosts, determined to rid the place of the horrendous new tenants. Possibly the most benign and engaging performance ever by Alec Baldwin; Geena Davis, Winona Ryder and Sylvia Sidney are also very appealing. The new couple from New York who take over the house (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara) aren't as well written or thought-out as the other characters and some of their bemused, dry-ice comic lines take a few seconds to reach you. Of course, there's Michael Keaton, wildly comic as Betelgeuse. I recall hearing comments back in 1988 that Keaton wasn't around enough to make the picture worthwhile, but that's only if you watch the film for the fast quips and sight-gags. Keaton is truly wonderful, but he's also bombastic, and I felt there was just enough of him to satisfy--it's really not his story anyway, it belongs to Baldwin and Davis; Betelgeuse is used as a horny, vulgar punchline. Director Tim Burton is very careful not to overload the movie with raunch; he is surprisingly careful in setting up this story, and he works magic within a dubious scenario: a comic fantasy about dead folks which ultimately celebrates life. ***1/2 from ****