Beetlejuice, the Macabre Horror Comedy That Still Prevails Till Today

Beetlejuice. What a name, which also serves as the title of Tim Burton’s beloved horror-comedy referring to Michael Keaton’s iconic bio-exorcist ghost character. It’s so catchy that the title/name remains stuck in my head till today. The word actually derived from “Betelgeuse” (also the name of Keaton’s character seen in the movie but pronounced “Beetlejuice”), one of the brightest stars in the constellation of Orion, ranking second behind Rigel. Betelgeuse is a variable red supergiant star known for its prominent reddish colour. According to NASA, here are some interesting facts about Betelgeuse: this approximately 10 million years old star is around 7,500 to 14,000 times brighter than the sun, and situated roughly 700 light-years away from Earth.

First premiered in 1988, the title Beetlejuice originally didn’t sit well with Warner Bros., despite Michael McDowell’s script being called as such. Burton himself loved the title but the studio preferred to call it House Ghosts. Burton then simply suggested the title Scared Sheetless and was shocked to find out the studio actually considered his alternative. But thanks to Burton’s insistence, Beetlejuice was ultimately retained as the movie’s official title.

Fast-forward to today, 36 years after the movie did great business grossing nearly US$75 million against a US$15 million budget, Beetlejuice remains a cinematic pop-culture favourite among many genre fans. The peculiarity of its title, characters and story has that one-of-a-kind, unique charm only Burton could come up with. It’s hard to believe that Beetlejuice was only his second directorial feature, three years after he broke through in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. His trademark on all things strangely macabre and gothic in Beetlejuice would become synonymous with some of his later works such as Batman, Sleepy Hollow and to a certain extent, Dark Shadows.

I have recently rewatched Beetlejuice in preparation for the upcoming, long-gestating sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice coming out this week. The 36-year-old movie still resonates and it’s not just because of the nostalgia but the timelessness that Burton’s direction effectively combines slapstick with spook dealing with morbid themes of death and the afterlife.

Right from Danny Elfman’s distinctive score played in the opening credits, the movie gets off to a charmingly “ordinary” start as we first meet the happily married couple, Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam (Alec Baldwin) Maitland. They gladly spend their vacation decorating their country home located in the (fictional) Winter River, Connecticut. But their blissful day is abruptly cut short after a short trip back from town ends with their car plunges into the river following a quick swerve to avoid hitting a dog in the covered bridge.

Returning home all soaking wet, it’s only a matter of time before they realise they are already dead. They are trapped in the house and any attempt to step out would result in encountering the giant sandworms (still a great stop-motion animation effect) in the weirdly desolate landscape. They also find a guidebook called the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, which according to Adam, reads like “stereo instructions”.

Things get complicated when their house is already sold to the new owners, the Deetz family from New York. The family includes Charles (Jeffrey Jones) and sculptor Delia (a delightfully scenery-chewing Catherine O’Hara) along with Lydia (Winona Ryder, who was 15 years old when she acted in this movie). The latter is Charles’ daughter from his first marriage, who doesn’t look all too happy moving into the new home. She’s always sulking and condescending with her remarks. Not to mention her all-black gothic look and rebellious teenage angst that Ryder nails the role remarkably well.

Delia and her interior designer friend, Otho (Glenn Shadix) planning to re-decorate the house. The appearance of the Deetz family annoys Barbara and Adam so they devise a plan to scare them away, resulting in ghoulish but darkly funny moments. But the problem here is none of the human occupants can see them except for Lydia due to her odd personality being “strange and unusual”.

The eventual introduction of Betelgeuse comes later in the movie, where Barbara and Adam desperately call his name three times. He would show up and help them to scare the Deetz away, given his bio-exorcist qualification. Keaton, who already worked in several feature comedies like Night Shift and Mr Mom in the early ’80s, finally hit a significant breakthrough playing the titular character in Beetlejuice. He may have been prominently featured in the poster, trailer and marketing campaign and yet, his actual screen time lasts around 15-17 minutes.

Still, he made the best out of his wisecracking character and reportedly went as far as improvising 90% of ad-libbing his lines. His go-for-broke performance remains the heart and soul of the movie. Surprisingly, Keaton wasn’t the first choice as Burton had Sammy Davis Jr. in mind, one of the Rat Pack famously appeared in Ocean’s 11.

The plot from Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren with Larry Wilson received a story credit, re-imagines what it’s like for the deceased to face the afterlife. This is where Burton shines the most like how the Maitlands enter into another dimension by going through a chalk-drawn door against the brick wall of their house’s attic. From there, we see them travel to an otherworldly place a.k.a. Neitherworld Waiting Room filled with different odd characters (one of them has a shrunken head on a big body). The Maitlands would later deal with their caseworker, Juno (a wonderful Sylvia Sidney), who helps them how to deal with their afterlife.

Beetlejuice also features a few iconic scenes, one of which revolves around the Deetz family being possessed while dining at the table, unwittingly singing and dancing to Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”. Burton deserves equal praise for his wildly inventive practical effects (the scene where Betelgeuse shapeshifts into a snake with a giant head comes to mind).

Interestingly, Burton originally planned Batman to be his next movie as he was working on the big project after the surprise success of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. But Warner Bros. at the time wasn’t ready to green-light Burton’s dream project until his impressive work in Beetlejuice not only continued to bring the studio the dough but also proved his directorial prowess. After two hits in a row, Burton’s third film Batman would become his next level of success as one of the biggest movies ever made in his illustrious career.