Beetlejuice review
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. For those who know me you know about my love for horror films so once a month, I’m going to review and discuss a scary flick. We’ll look at the classics, and some new films, and I want your suggestions on what I should review. I’ll do my best to cover all the different genres within the genre – slashers, ghosts, monsters, etc.
SPOILER ALERT! – These will be reviews so if you haven’t seen the movie you’ll want to watch it first before you read this. Let’s do this.
BEETLEJUICE
This was Tim Burton’s time. After films like Batman, and Edward Scissorhands were released, he became a household name. But first there was Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice!, Beetlejuice!, Be - Nah, I won’t say it. Released in 1988, it’s a dark comedy/horror/fantasy film (?) that showcases the director’s signature blend of the bizarre and the whimsical.
After a great intro showing a sweeping bird’s eye view of the little hamlet of Winter River, Connecticut, Adam and Barbara Maitland, played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, are about to begin their two-week staycation. After dying in a bizarre car accident where we all were afraid a dog would die, they find themselves haunting their former home, now occupied by the Deetz family. Conveniently for them though, there is a handbook for the recently deceased! The Deetzes are, eccentric we’ll say with the artist stepmother’s sculptures, stressed out dad, and ever-present interior designer with a unique taste. They can’t leave the house so they hide out in the attic and realize as time goes on that the only living person that can see them is the daughter Lydia – played by Winona Ryder in her breakout role. The Maitlands struggle to scare away the new owners, leading them to visit a wonderfully created unemployment office/hospital waiting room for the afterlife where they are told they must get rid of the Deetzes on their own. Here is where our friend Beetlejuice played by Michael Keaton does his thing as a rude, hyperactive bio-exorcist that the couple regret contacting. After one of the great scenes from the film that really became a part of pop culture, the family tries to cash in on the house being haunted. The Maitlands are summoned but they end being almost destroyed so Lydia must bring back Beetlejuice who then says they must get married so he can run wild in the human world. Thankfully for everyone the wedding never happens, and Beetlejuice is eaten by a giant sandworm. The Maitlands continue to be dead and loving it while co-existing with the Deetzes, and Beetlejuice ends up in the afterlife waiting room running afoul of a witch doctor.
This is a film where the cast truly shines. Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice is the film’s standout performance. He brings the character to life, making Beetlejuice a force of nature. He’s a sleazy, disgusting but somewhat loveable character all at the same time. The Maitlands are an everyday couple who manage to get your sympathy as a couple as they adjust to the afterlife. Winona Ryder is really good as Lydia Deetz, the goth teenager daughter. I’ve always been a big fan of hers and she can thank this film for getting her start.
Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones round out the cast as Delia and Charles Deetz. O'Hara's performance as the eccentric, art-obsessed stepmother is particularly memorable, adding in some funny jabs at art culture. Let us not forget Otho the interior designer who is also apparently a spirit medium played well by Glenn Shadix. Of course, who can forget the music in this picture, right?! The great calypso tracks and certainly no Burton film is complete without work from Danny Elfman.
This film is nothing though without its style created by Tim Burton. This was his second film and as mentioned, this led to him becoming mainstream. I LOVE Sleepy Hollow and Batman, so he has always been a top director for me. This film really shows everything he can do. The visuals of each world we see starting with the modern-day sleepy town the Maitlands live in that we want to see on a postcard. Next, the quirky environment the Deetzes build with their modern art take on the exterior and interior of the home and the lovely, crazed world we see in the afterlife waiting room setting. He balances dark worlds with comedy in them. He takes a story that could be terribly tragic and makes it funny. This poor couple dies in the prime of their lives, but we laugh at them as they learn how to navigate being ghosts by wearing sheets to scare people. His set designs are magical at times and use some nice elements of expressionism. I think I see a bit of Edward Gorey in the work Burton creates here as well. Appropriate that this review comes out just months before the sequel hits theaters. I do want to end by saying the one thing this film was lacking was not enough of the Beetlejuice character, honestly. Let’s hope Burton can give us more of that and recreate this great world again.
Enjoy the trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuyNP-XyFHs
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoZqL9N6Rx4