Beetlejuice
Release Date: 8th September 1988 - Australia
Production Companies
The Geffen Company (presents)
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/
Comedy
Rating: M
Runtime: 92 minutes
Budget: $15,000,000
Box Office Gross: $74,842,866 (Worldwide)
After being killed in a car accident, a married couple, Barbara and Adam Maitland, return as ghosts and find themselves stuck in their country house, unable to leave. The Maitlands try in vain to frighten off the unbearable Deetzes and their teenage daughter Lydia when they
buy their home. Their
attempts draw the attention
of a boisterous ghost
named Beetlejuice, whose
"help" quickly proves
dangerous to the Maitlands
Cast
Michael Keaton - Betelgeuse
Geena Davis - Barbara Maitland
Alec Baldwin - Adam Maitland
Winona Ryder - Lydia Deetz
Jeffrey Jones - Charles Deetz
Catherine O'Hara - Delia Deetz
Glenn Shadix - Otho
Maree Cheatham - Sarah Dean
Dick Cavett - Bernard
Rachel Mittelman - Little Jane
Maurice Page - Ernie
Hugo Stranger - Old Bill
Robert Goulet - Maxie Dean
Susan Kellermann - Grace
Annie McEnroe - Jane Butterfield
Patrice Martinez - Receptionist
Adelle Lutz - Beryl
Cindy Daly - 3-Fingered Typist
Douglas Turner - Char Man
Carmen Filpi - Messenger
J. Jay Saunders - Moving
Man #1
Mark Ettinger - Moving Man #2
Gary Jochimsen - Dumb Football Player #1
Bob Pettersen - Dumb Football Player #2
Duane Davis - Very Dumb Football Player
Tony Cox - Preacher
Jack Angel - Preacher (Voice)
Crew
Director - Tim Burton
Story - Larry Wilson
Screenplay - Warren Skaaren
Producers - Michael Bender,
Richard Hashimoto and
Larry Wilson
Casting Directors - Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins
Production Designer - Bo Welch
Art Director - Tom Duffield
Set Decorator - Catherine Mann
Lead Person - Cheryl Carasik
Property Master - William A. Petrotta
Makeup Artists - Steve LaPorte and Ve Neill
Creatures and Makeup Effects - Robert Short
Director of Photography - Thomas E. Ackerman
Camera Operator - Douglas Knapp
First Assistant Director - Bill Scott
Second Assistant Directors - K.C. Colwell and Jerry Fleck
Stunt Coordinator/Stunts - Fred Lerner
Special Effects Supervisor - Chuck Gaspar
Visual Effects Supervisor - Alan Munro
Visual Effects Consultant - Rick Heinrichs
Visual Effects: VCE - Peter Kuran
Visual Effects: Sandworm Sequence -
Doug Beswick
Visual Effects: Barbara/Adam
Transportation - Tim Lawrence
Miniature Production - James Belohovek,
Thomas Conti and Rick Kess
Editor - Jane Kurson
Supervising Sound Editor - Richard L. Anderson
Sound Editors - Mark Pappas and
David E. Stone
Re-Recording Mixers - Gregg Landaker,
Steve Maslow and Kevin O'Connell
Music - Danny Elfman
Music Editors - Bob Badami and Nancy Fogarty
Awards
1989 Academy Awards
Best Makeup - Ve Neill, Steve LaPorte and Robert Short (Won)
Review
I took a trip down memory lane to revisit BEETLEJUICE, which I saw three times, then said its name. Growing up, I couldn't watch the film because of its scary content and profanity. I had to wait until I was old enough to watch it, which I did years later. It's the movie that put Tim Burton on the map after the success of his feature-length directorial debut with Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Unlike the movie he previously directed, which centred on an existing comic character created by and starring the late Paul Reubens, BEETLEJUICE is an original story. The film works well with Burton's unique Gothic visual style and twisted sense of humour, and is nothing like the other supernatural comedies of the 80s, such as Ghostbusters. It's full of ingenious visual gags and outlandish production, costume, and makeup designs. Unfortunately, the story falls short, but its execution makes up for this and adds to the film's appeal.
While Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis deliver fine performances as the sympathetic ghost couple, Michael Keaton steals the show as the titular character. Although his role had only 27 minutes of screentime, he went all out and was a perfect fit for this quirky and zany film. His comedic performance inspired other actors to play supernatural tricksters, such as Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin and Jim Carrey's Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask. The rest of the cast was terrific, including Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara, who play the obnoxious Deetz family, and Winona Ryder as Lydia, the goth teenage daughter.
The visual effects were impressive at the time, but many of them have not aged well. Much of it was stop-motion animation. Danny Elfman's circus-like score is integral to the film's identity. It adds to the atmosphere of darkness and playfulness, contributing to the overall mix. The movie's strongest scenes, such as the Maitlands in the underworld and the possessed dinner party, showcase its brilliance even without Beetlejuice.
While the humour is largely still funny, in hindsight, BEETLEJUICE is a fun horror comedy. It boasts all the hallmarks of a typical Tim Burton film, from the distinctive visuals to the dark humour. I thoroughly enjoyed watching BEETLEJUICE and would highly recommend it, just not for the younger audiences.
Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie
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