Once upon a time, Tim Burton used to make nothing but must-see films. One of his absolute best, the supernatural comedy Beetlejuice from 1988, turns 35 on March 30th. Imaginative, unique, funny, engaging, well crafted, and nicely performed, it’s about as flawless a film as exists. With its major anniversary and all the recent chatter about a sequel, I thought it’d be nice to take a look back.
When a young childless couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) perishes in a freak accident, they pretty much carry on as usual, though they are trapped in their former house as ghosts. However, a yuppie couple (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O’Hara), along with their goth daughter (Winona Ryder), soon purchase the house and transform it from a traditional country farmhouse into a modern art nightmare. The vexed ghosts do their best to scare away the new owners to no avail.
In their distress, they turn to a raunchy and scummy ghost named Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), a so-called professional bio-exorcist, to up the fright factor. The stakes are then raised even higher when a paranormal expert and avant-garde interior designer named Otho (Glenn Shadix) attempts to bend the ghosts to the new homeowners’ will. Can the spirits and their new roommates learn to exist together or will the anarchic Betelgeuse’s antics lead to disaster?
Though Baldwin and Davis are ostensibly the leads here, and they do a more than fine job, the manic Keaton owns the film. Betelgeuse is a wonderfully sleazy character and Keaton sinks his teeth into the role. Along with Keaton’s considerable comedic chops, the character is memorably realized through excellent makeup and costuming. I’d also say that this is one of Ryder’s best roles, as well. She’s perfect as a sullen and ghoulish teenager.
The production design is top-notch, with Burton’s characteristic penchant for gonzo-heightened realities taking center stage. Creature design and practical effects work is creative and distinctive. This element helps in substantial world-building. Set pieces like the afterlife case management office and the desert-dwelling of the stop-motion sandworms are visually amazing and add flavor and texture to the already outrageous narrative.
Speaking of storytelling, it’s not all bizarre settings and kooky art design, though, as Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren’s script (based on McDowell and Larry Wilson’s story) is tight, giving substance and character beats a chance to bubble to the surface of Burton’s strange brew. The final ingredient is Danny Elfman’s bouncy and mischievous score. Accentuating the darkly humorous onscreen chaos, the music suggests a playful creepiness that slaps an exclamation point on the picture.
I miss the old Tim Burton, who used his quirky artistic sensibilities as a component of his filmmaking skills rather than as a crutch. Beetlejuice is beloved for a reason, as pretty much every aspect works in concert to produce a uniquely cool and hilarious flick. Michael Keaton absolutely kills in his role as the titular ghost with the most. This is a movie that stands the test of time and has lost none of its considerable charm. Hopefully, if the sequel ever does materialize, Burton and company will be able to conjure the right mix of comedy and horror that made the original so fun. Recommended for fans of songs about bananas, constructing miniature models of pastoral towns, and shrunken heads.
Michael Cavender