Plot
A couple of recently deceased ghosts contract the services of a "bio-exorcist" in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house.
Release Year: 1988
Rating: 7.4/10 (85,382 voted)
Critic's Score: 67/100
Director:
Tim Burton
Stars: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton
Storyline Adam and Barbara are a normal couple...who happen to be dead. They have given their precious time to decorate the 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 ends 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.
Writers: Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson
Cast: Alec Baldwin
-
Adam Maitland
Geena Davis
-
Barbara Maitland
Annie McEnroe
-
Jane Butterfield
Maurice Page
-
Ernie
Hugo Stanger
-
Old Bill
Michael Keaton
-
Beetlejuice
Rachel Mittelman
-
Little Jane Butterfield
Catherine O'Hara
-
Delia Deetz
J. Jay Saunders
-
Moving Man #1
Mark Ettlinger
-
Moving Man #2
Jeffrey Jones
-
Charles Deetz
Winona Ryder
-
Lydia Deetz
Glenn Shadix
-
Otho
Patrice Martinez
-
Receptionist
Cindy Daly
-
3-Fingered Typist
(as Cynthia Daly)
Taglines:
The Name In Laughter From The Hereafter.
Release Date: 30 March 1988
Filming Locations: Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $15,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $8,000,000
(USA)
(3 April 1988)
Gross: $73,326,666
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
When Glenn Shadix (who played Otho) died in September 2010, the last song performed at his memorial service was "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)," which was used to great effect in the scene in which Otho leads a séance and everyone around the table is possessed and dances to the music.
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
Looking into the mirror, the ghosts prove that they have no reflections, but are later reflected in the attic windows.
Quotes:
[Evaluating her new home]
Delia:
A little gasoline... blowtorch... no problem.
User Review
Has a crazy rhythm all its own
Rating: 8/10
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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