Beetlejuice

1988
PG
1h 32m

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

391K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

113

Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Jones, Michael Keaton, and Catherine O'Hara in 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.

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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.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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

391K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

113

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 7 wins & 11 nominations total

Videos13

Photos383

377

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
This is Michael Keaton's favorite film of his own.

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
Adam: What are your qualifications?
Beetlejuice: Ah. Well... I attended Juilliard... I'm a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I've seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT... NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY... NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I'm qualified?

Crazy credits
The Geffen Company logo is accompanied by a ghoulish version of the Banana Boat song (sung by the film's composer Danny Elfman).

Alternate versions
A workprint of the film surfaced with some added/alternate scenes. This version of the film runs around 2 minutes shorter than the theater release, has a few extra scenes and is missing some others, is in black and white, and has a time-code on the bottom. This version has 4 major differences: Alternate scene: The scene were Adam attempts to leave the house after him and his wife die is different. Instead of a desert he sees empty darkness filled with rolling cogs. Extra Scenes: There is an added scene were Lydia is developing the pictures she took of Adam and Barbra. Then after her mother yells at her and blames her for cutting holes in her sheets Lydia runs upstairs and tries to convince her dad the pictures are real. There is more to the scene where the adults search the attic for the ghosts were we see the desert monster trying to eat Adam and Barbra as they hang from the attic window. Finally there is an extra 2 minute scene at the end were we see Lydia riding her bike home from school and her parents talking to Jane on the phone telling her they do not want to sell the house. Lydia's dancing scene is shorter in this version, and there is no scene with Beetlejuice in the waiting room. The film ends with a final exterior shot of the house.

Connections
Edited into Terror Toons (2002)

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 reviews565

Review

Featured review

Burton's true masterpiece, and one of the ten best 80s movies.

Watching this one more time on TV yesterday reminded me of the first time I saw it all those years ago at the movies when Tim Burton was just the guy who had directed that funny Pee-wee Herman movie. Walking into 'Beetlejuice' then, without knowing anything about it, was an amazing experience. Along with 'Blade Runner', 'Blue Velvet', 'Videodrome', 'Brazil', 'Paris, Texas', 'The Terminator' and 'Repo Man' it was one of the most astonishing and memorable movies of the 1980s, an era dominated by Hollywood dreck like 'Flashdance', 'Top Gun', and 'Footloose'. The whole Bruckheimer/Simpson/Spielberg/Hughes zeitgeist that dumbed down popular movies as never before. Movies like 'Beetlejuice' were a glimmer of hope in a truly awful period.

The big question is - how does it stand up today? The answer is better than ever! In fact I would argue that 'Beetlejuice' is Tim Burton's most successful and least compromised film. Everything about it is perfect. A great cast lead by the very appealing and likable Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as the newly dead Maitlands, a star turn by Michael Keaton as the gonzo "bio-exorcist" title character, and strong support from Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, and especially Winona Ryder (a performance that really put her on the map), as the new occupants of the Maitlands house. 'Beetlejuice' juggles gruesome, trippy and genuinely witty sequences, and ends up becoming one of the freshest and surreal movies to find a mainstream audience since the heyday of 60s/70s "head" movies. Forget Burton's more recent hit and miss big budget efforts, and try this for the real deal, Luis Bunuel meets Tex Avery meets George Romero, and then some! 'Beetlejuice' is a blast!