Tim Burton (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) is one of the most interesting directors of the 1990s. With ‘Edward Scissorhands’, ‘Batman Returns’, ‘Ed Wood’ and ‘Sleepy Hollow’ he has repeatedly demonstrated his talent for harmonizing dark romantic material with soft outsider ballads. If you want to know which film significantly paved the career of the exceptional director, you should definitely watch “Beetlejuice”.
The playful horror comedy from 1988 reveals everything that would later make the filmmaker so popular and special. Haven’t you seen “Beetlejuice” yet? Then you can watch it again today, October 31 at 10:05 PM on Cable 1. This is a good idea because Tim Burton is currently busy with “Beetlejuice 2”. Much of the stardom from the first film is present, with “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega prominently expanding the ensemble.
That’s what “Beetlejuice” is about
Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) have just fulfilled their dream of owning their own home and moved into a charming New England property. But a short time later the couple died in a car accident. In the realm of the dead, the young couple learn that their case will not be heard for another 150 years and that they will have to remain as ghosts in their home until then.
After initial arguments, the Maitlands come to terms with their fate until the snobbish yuppie Deetz family – consisting of Charles (Jeffrey Jones), Delia (Catherine O’Hara) and daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) – finally discovers the supposedly abandoned house. Desperate, Barbara and Adam hire freelance bio-exorcist Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to drive out the troublemakers. But his approach doesn’t make things any better…
A nice party
As befits Tim Burton, ‘Beetlejuice’ also clearly bears the signature of the ‘Big Fish’ creator. This starts at the content level. The 1988 fantasy horror piece also tells a classic outsider story that turns a popular horror movie motif on its head. Here it is not the ghosts that need to be expelled from a house, but the living ones! Burton’s sympathy for the outcast, the lonely and the different is more than present in “Beetlejuice”.
However, it is the staging’s desire to create stories that ultimately makes “Beetlejuice” so special. The film unleashes its morbid, self-indulgent magic on (audio)visual level: Grandiose masks, detailed sets and plenty of quotes that will delight fans of horror cinema. In addition, there is once again a beautiful score by Danny Elfman and Michael Keaton, who would collaborate with Tim Burton again after ‘Batman’ – and as an uninhibited, moldy bio-exorcist, ensure that ‘Beetlejuice’ has a wonderfully anarchic touch. One thing is certain: you can definitely have a lot of fun here!