Tim Burton was the director of Beetlejuice, an American fantasy horror comedy film that was made by The Geffen Company and distributed by Warner Bros. A recently deceased couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) who are ghosts haunting their former home hire Betelgeuse, an annoying and crafty “bio-exorcist” from the Netherworld played by Michael Keaton, to frighten away the new residents of the house (Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones, and Winona Ryder). With a budget of $15 million, Beetlejuice was a critical and financial triumph, earning $74.2 million. It received three Saturn Awards for Best Horror Film, Best Makeup, and Best Supporting Actress for Sylvia Sidney, in addition to the Academy Award for Best Makeup. Because of the movie’s popularity, there are now video games, stage musicals, and animated television series.
HAVE A DEEPER LOOK AT THE PLOT OF BEETLEJUICE
Barbara and Adam Maitland want to spend their holiday in Winter River, Connecticut, beautifying their picture-perfect country house. After a trip to the store, they return home when Barbara swerves to avoid a dog, causing the car to crash into a river. When she and Adam get home, they discover the book Handbook for the Recently Deceased and realise they no longer have reflections. They start to worry about not getting through the vehicle collision. When Adam tries to leave the house, he finds himself in a weird and surreal area that resembles a desert and is home to giant sandworms. The Deetz family, the new owners, travel from New York City after selling the house. Former real estate developer Charles Deetz has a teenage goth daughter named Lydia from his previous marriage who wants to become a photographer. His second wife, Delia, is a self-described sculptor.
LET’S HAVE A GLANCE AT THE CAST OF BEETLEJUICE
Betelgeuse, played by Michael Keaton (pronounced Beetlejuice) and Adam Maitland, played by Alec Baldwin. As Barbara Maitland, Geena Davis. Charles Deetz, played by Jeffrey Jones. Delia Deetz, played by Catherine O’Hara. Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder. As Juno, Sylvia Sidney. Maxie Dean, played by Robert Goulet. As Bernard, Dick Cavett. As Otho, Glenn Shadix. Annie McEnroe plays Jane Butterfield. Maree Cheatham plays Sarah Dean. Preacher Tony Cox. Adelle Lutz as Beryl and Susan Kellermann as Grace, the glam house guest. Angel, Jack (voice). The Maitlands’ vehicle crash is extensively portrayed in McDowell’s original script, which is far less funny and darker. Barbara’s arm is crushed, and the couple screams for aid as they slowly suffocate in the river. This was nevertheless alluded to when Barbara says that after coming home as a ghost, her arm seems frozen. The Maitlands don’t take over the Deetzes and make them dance throughout dinner; instead, they awaken a vine-patterned carpet and attack the Deetzes by tying them to their chairs.
LET’S HAVE A GO-THROUGH OF THE SEQUEL OF BEETLEJUICE
Burton commissioned Jonathan Gems to write Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian as a follow-up in 1990. Tim thought it would be humorous to pair the beach movie’s surfing backdrop with some form of German Expressionism, even though the two are incompatible, Gems remarked. After relocating to Hawaii, where Charles is building a resort, the Deetz family was followed in the story. They quickly learn that his company is constructing on the historic Hawaiian Kahuna’s burial grounds. When the ghost returns from the afterlife to wreak mischief, Beetlejuice becomes a hero by using magic to triumph in a surf competition. Ryder and Keaton agreed to star in the movie if Burton would direct it, but Burton and Keaton got sidetracked working on Batman Returns. Early in 1991, Burton was still enthusiastic about Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton called Daniel Waters for a rewrite after being impressed by his work on Heathers.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEETLEJUICE’S FILMING SITES
The 1988 film Beetlejuice by Tim Burton is considered one of the popular culture’s best examples of gothic surrealism. The film follows an unfortunate couple who, after moving into an old country house in Connecticut, is killed in a vehicle accident and becomes trapped inside the house as ghosts – even as it is sold to a new family. It was an incredible success for Burton’s second feature-length film, which was only his second. To escape their position, the newlyweds (or rather, newlydeads) must enlist the unnerving and obnoxious “bio-exorcist,” Betelgeuse. Although East Corinth, a settlement in the municipality of Corinth, Vermont, served as the location for all outside sequences, the actual Winter River, Connecticut, where the setting is located, is a fictional village. The Culver Studios in Culver City, California, was used as the location for interior shots. On March 11, 1987, the main camera work started.