James Berardinelli review - *** out of ****

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Horror/comedies were all the rage in the 1980s, with many of the so-called “serious” genre entries displaying a toothy sense of humor (although one can debate to what extent this was intentional). Excepting perhaps 1984’s Ghostbusters, none of these ghostly excursions was quiet as demented as 1988’s Beetlejuice. The first collaborative effort of Tim Burton and actor Michael Keaton, who would re-team a year later for Batman (and return for sequels of both), Beetlejuice is Burton at his most warped.

At the time of its release, Beetlejuice was deemed successful but not wildly so. Its $75M gross was good enough for 10th place but its reputation was anchored by its performance on home video. Released for rental on VHS just in time for Halloween, it became a surprise hit with most stores unable to keep it in stock. It also sold far more units than expected despite the for-rental price-tag. Warner Brothers wasn’t fully aware of how beloved the movie had become until late in the year and, although Tim Burton had expressed some interest in a sequel, he was so enmeshed in Batman at the time that he wasn’t overly receptive. (An animated TV series was produced instead without the participation of either Burton or Keaton.)

One of the cleverest aspects of the narrative is to flip the normal “ghost story” paradigm upside down. Beetlejuice is, at its heart, the story of a family that moves into a haunted house. However, where most movies of this sort present things from the human perspective (and, consequently, give the ghosts a malevolent bent), Beetlejuice makes the spirits the main characters and represents the human beings as intruders/interlopers.

The most recognizable element of Beetlejuice is the title character. Michael Keaton’s unhinged portrayal of the randy demon became iconic despite having less than 20 minutes of screen time. Originally, the creature was devised as being darker and demented but Keaton elected to bring a mischievous aspect to Beetlejuice, making him more of an anti-hero than an outright villain. Keaton, who was not deemed to be a major star at the time he made the movie (his best-known roles to date having been Night Shift and Mr. Mom), wasn’t Burton’s first choice but Sammy Davis Jr. was unavailable and Arnold Schwarzenegger turned him down due to a schedule conflict with The Running Man. Beetlejuice and his next collaboration with Burton (Batman) cemented his A-list position in Hollywood.

Those watching Beetlejuice expecting a quick introduction to the title character may be surprised that Beetlejuice remains off screen for quite some time. The movie opens in a small Connecticut locale and introduces a married couple, Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis), who are spending their vacation decorating their home. During a trip into town, Barabara loses control of the car to avoid hitting a dog and the resulting crash kills both husband and wife. They awaken back at home and realize they are ghosts haunting their previous residence.

The new owners of the house – Charles Deetz (Jeffrey Jones); his (second) wife, Delia (Catherine O’Hara); and his daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder) – move in and, much to the consternation of Adam and Barbara, indicate a desire to gut the current architecture and make major design changes. Determined to scare the Deetzes away, the Maitlands seek options, few of which are offered by their afterlife “case worker.” When they try to frighten Charles and Delia, things don’t go as planned. The couple can’t see them…but Lydia can and she becomes intrigued by the ghostly former owners. Desperate, Adam and Barbara decide to seek the services of Beetlejuice (whose name is a homophone for Betelgeuse, the red supergiant in Orion) – a demonic creature whose “help” comes with strings attached.

Keaton, despite his character’s oversized personality, is not the star of the show. Top billing goes to Alec Baldwin, who was a relatively fresh face at the time, and Geena Davis, who was coming off The Fly and on her way to Earth Girls Are Easy and eventually Thelma and Louise. The movie was an early opportunity for a young Winona Ryder, who was only 17 at the time and making her third movie. (Burton supposedly cast her because he saw her debut, Lucas, and thought she would be perfect.) The movie features a couple of unconventional cameos from the likes of Robert Goulet and Dick Cavett.