Beetlejuice

Infobox Film
name = Beetlejuice


caption = United States theatrical poster
director = Tim Burton
producer = David Geffen
Larry Wilson
Michael Bender
Richard Hashimoto
writer = Story:
Michael McDowell
Larry Wilson
Screenplay:
Michael McDowell
Warren Skaaren
starring = Michael Keaton
Alec Baldwin
Geena Davis
Winona Ryder
Catherine O'Hara
Jeffrey Jones
Glenn Shadix
music = Danny Elfman
cinematography = Thomas E. Ackerman
editing = Jane Kurson
distributor = Warner Bros.
released = March 30, 1988
runtime = 92 min.
country = USA
language = English
budget = US$13 million
gross = $73.33 million
amg_id = 1:4624
imdb_id = 0094721

"Beetlejuice" is a 1988 comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones and Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. The plot revolves around a recently deceased couple who seek the help of obnoxious "bio-exorcist" Beetlejuice in order to remove the new owners of their quaint New England house, a family of metropolitan yuppies from New York City.

After the success of "Pee-wee's Big Adventure", Burton was sent scripts and became disheartened by their lack of imagination and originality. Burton agreed to direct Michael McDowell's script for "Beetlejuice", but Larry Wilson and Warren Skaaren performed rewrites. "Beetlejuice" was a financial and critical success, garnering an animated television series and an unproduced sequel titled "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian".

Plot

Newlywed couple Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam (Alec Baldwin) decide to spend their holiday decorating their idyllic New England country home. Upon returning from the trip to town, however, Barbara swerves to avoid a dog wandering the roadway. The couple's vehicle crashes through a covered bridge and plunges into the river below, thus killing Barbara and Adam. The couple soon returns home in spirit form and, based on the fact they have no visible reflection in the mirror, quickly come to the conclusion that they are dead. A book entitled "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" confirms the couple's suspicion that they are, in fact, dead. Adam then attempts to leave the house to re-trace his steps, but finds himself in a strange otherworldly dimension known as "Saturn", which happens to be covered in sand and populated by enormous sandworms.

After going back into their home to seek refuge, Barbara and Adam's peace is soon shattered when their house is sold and the new residents arrive from New York. The Deetzes, consisting of Charles (Jeffrey Jones), aspiring sculptor and Charles' second wife Delia (Catherine O'Hara), stepmother to Charles' Goth daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) from his first marriage.

They are under the guidance of interior designer Otho (Glenn Shadix), and begin transforming the house into a horrific piece of modern art. The Maitlands seek help from their afterlife case worker, Juno (Sylvia Sidney), who informs them that they must remain in the house for 125 years. If they want the Deetzes out, it is up to them to scare them away. The Maitlands' attempt to haunt their home proves ineffective.

Although the Maitlands remain invisible to Charles and Delia, their daughter Lydia can see Adam and Barbara and becomes their friend. Against the advice of Juno, the Maitlands contact the miscreant Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), a freelance "bio-exorcist", to scare away the Deetzes, but Beetlejuice is more interested in marrying Lydia in order to re-enter the land of the living. It takes the combined efforts of the Maitlands and Lydia to defeat Beetlejuice and banish him to the afterlife. The Deetzes and the Maitlands decide to live together in harmony.

Cast

*Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as Adam and Barbara Maitland: A young, married couple who are killed in a car accident. Adam is a highly-skilled miniature model maker, while Barbara enjoys fixing items around their home. After their death, both seek the help of Beetlejuice, but despise his obnoxious attitude..
*Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz: Daughter of Charles Deetz (Delia is actually her stepmother), who carries a Goth mentality, often feeling alien to her surroundings. She is the only one of the family who can see the Maitlands and quickly befriends them.
*Catherine O'Hara as Delia Deetz: Wife of Charles and stepmother to Lydia, as well as an aspiring (but pretentious) sculptor.
*Jeffrey Jones as Charles Deetz: A successful contractor who "only wants to relax and cut out coupons" and was described by his boss as a 'demon' before his nerves went, after which he moves his family to the countryside to recover but has become a doormat for Delia.
*Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice: Juno's former assistant, an obnoxious and perverted "bio-exorcist" who carries a grotesque physical appearance. The title character is a mystery; his age and even how he came to die remain unknown, but he refers to having lived through The Black Plague, and not being with a woman in about six hundred years.
*Glenn Shadix as Otho: A friend of Delia. Otho is an interior designer and former paranormal expert.
*Sylvia Sidney as Juno: In charge of offices during the afterlife stage. She recommends that the Maitlands do not accept the help of Beetlejuice.

Production

The financial success of "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" meant that Tim Burton was now considered a "bankable" director, and Burton began working on a script for "Batman" with Sam Hamm. While Warner Bros. was willing to pay for the script's development, they were less willing to greenlight "Batman".cite book | author=Mark Salisbury | coauthors = Tim Burton | title =Burton on Burton | publisher =Faber and Faber | date =2006 | pages =54 | id = ISBN 0-571-22926-3 ] Meanwhile, Burton had begun reading through the scripts that had been sent his way, and was becoming disheartened by their lack of imagination and originality, one of them being "Hot to Trot". David Geffen handed Burton the script for "Beetlejuice", written by Michael McDowell (who wrote the script of "The Jar", an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" directed by Burton).

Larry Wilson was brought on board to continue rewrite work with McDowell, though Burton replaced McDowell and Wilson with Warren Skaaren due to creative differences. Burton's original choice for Beetlejuice was Sammy Davis Jr, but Geffen suggested Michael Keaton. Burton was unfamiliar with Keaton's work but was quickly convinced. [Salisbury, Burton, p. 55–7.] Burton cast Winona Ryder upon seeing her in "Lucas". Catherine O'Hara quickly signed on while Burton claimed it took a lot of time to convince other cast members to sign as "they didn't know what to think of the weird script". [Salisbury, Burton, p. 58–60.]

"Beetlejuice"'s budget was $13 million, with just one million given over to visual effects work. Considering the scale and scope of the effects, which included stop-motion, replacement animation, prosthetic makeup, puppetry and blue screen, it was always Burton's intentions to make the similar to the B movies Burton grew up with as a child. "I wanted to make them look cheap and purposely fake-looking," Burton remarked. [Salisbury, Burton, p. 61–5.] Burton had wanted to hire Anton Furst as production designer after being impressed with his work on "The Company of Wolves" and "Full Metal Jacket", though Furst was committed on "High Spirits" (a choice he later regretted). [cite book | author=Hughes, David| title=Comic Book Movies | id=ISBN 0753507676| publisher=Virgin Books|pages = p.38|date=2003] He hired Bo Welch, his future collaborator on "Edward Scissorhands" and "Batman Returns". The test screenings were met with positive feedback and prompted Burton to film an epilogue featuring Beetlejuice foolishly angering a witch doctor. [Salisbury, Burton, p. 64–6.] Warner Bros. disliked the title "Beetlejuice" and wanted to call the film "House Ghosts". As a joke, Burton suggested the name "Scared Sheetless" and was horrified when the studio actually considered using it.Salisbury, Burton, p. 68–9.]

Reaction

"Beetlejuice" opened theatrically in the United States on April 1, 1988, earning $8,030,897 in its opening weekend. The film eventually grossed $73,707,461 in North America. "Beetlejuice" was a financial success recouping its $13 million budget five times, [cite web | url = http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=beetlejuice.htm | title = Beetlejuice | work = Box Office Mojo | accessdate = 2008-04-03] and was the tenth-highest grossing film of 1988. [cite web | url = http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1988&p=.htm | title = 1988 Yearly Box Office Results | work = Box Office Mojo | accessdate = 2008-04-03] Based on 39 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, "Beetlejuice" received an average 82% overall approval rating. [cite web | url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beetlejuice/ | title = Beetlejuice | work = Rotten Tomatoes | accessdate = 2008-04-03] By comparison, Metacritic received an average score of 67 from the 13 reviews collected. [cite web | url = http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/beetlejuice?q=Beetlejuice | title = Beetlejuice (1988): Reviews | work = Metacritic | accessdate = 2008-04-03]

Pauline Kael referred to the film as a "comedy classic", while Jonathan Rosenbaum of the "Chicago Reader" gave a highly positive review. Rosenbaum felt "Beetlejuice" carried originality and creativity that didn't exist in other films. [cite news | author = Jonathan Rosenbaum | url = http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/capsules/839_BEETLEJUICE.html | title = Beetlejuice | work = Chicago Reader | date = 1988-04-01 | accessdate = 2008-04-04] Roger Ebert called it anti-climactic, explaining "the story, which seemed so original, turns into a sitcom fueled by lots of special effects and weird sets and props, and the inspiration is gone." [cite web | work = Roger Ebert | url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19880330/REVIEWS/803300301/1023 | title = Beetlejuice | date = 1988-03-30 | accessdate = 2008-04-04] Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" called it "a farce for our time" and wished Keaton could have received more screen time. [cite news | author = Vincent Canby | title = "Beetlejuice" is Pap For The Eyes | work = The New York Times | date = 1988-05-08 | accessdate = 2008-04-04] MaryAnn Johanson was impressed with the casting, production design and jokes. [cite news | author = MaryAnn Johanson | url = http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2003/10/evil_dead_ii_army_of_darkness.html | title = "Evil Dead II", "Army of Darkness", "Young Frankenstein", "Little Shop of Horrors", and "Beetlejuice" (review)| work = Flick Filosopher | date = 2003-10-31 | accessdate = 2008-04-04] Desson Howe of the "Washington Post" felt "Beetlejuice" had "the perfect balance of bizarreness, comedy and horror". [cite news | author = Desson Howe | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/beetlejuicepghowe_a0b155.htm | title = Beetlejuice | work = Washington Post | date = 1988-04-01 | accessdate = 2008-04-04]

At the 61st Academy Awards, "Beetlejuice" won the Academy Award for Makeup, [cite web | url = http://imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Academy_Awards_USA/1989 | title = Academy Awards: 1989 | work = Internet Movie Database | accessdate = 2008-04-04] while The British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominated the film with Best Visual Effects and Makeup at the 43rd British Academy Film Awards. [cite web | url = http://imdb.com/Sections/Awards/BAFTA_Awards/1989 | title = BAFTA Awards: 1989 | work = Internet Movie Database | accessdate = 2008-04-04] "Beetlejuice" won Best Horror Film and Best Make-up at The Saturn Awards. The film received more nominations with Direction, Writing, Music and Special Effects. [cite web | url = http://imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Academy_of_Science_Fiction_Fantasy_And_Horror_Films_USA/1990 | title = Saturn Awards: 1989 | work = Internet Movie Database | accessdate = 2008-04-04] "Beetlejuice" was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. [cite web | url = http://imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Hugo_Awards/1989 | title = Hugo Awards: 1989 | work = Internet Movie Database | accessdate = 2008-04-04] "Beetlejuice" was eighty-eight in the American Film Institute's list of Best Comedies. [cite web | url = http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/laughs.aspx | title = AFI's 100 YEARS...100 LAUGHS | work = American Film Institute | accessdate = 2008-08-18]

equel

The success of the film brought an animated television series called "Beetlejuice" on ABC. The show lasted on from September 9, 1989 to December 6, 1991, and Tim Burton served as executive producer. [Salisbury, Burton, p. 100.]

Burton hired Jonathan Gems to write a sequel titled "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian" in 1990. [Salisbury, Burton, p. 145.] "Tim thought it would be funny to match the surfing backdrop of a beach movie with some sort of German Expressionism, because they're totally wrong together," Gems reflected. The story followed the Deetz family moving to Hawaii, where Charles is developing a resort. They soon discover that his company is building on the burial ground of an ancient Hawaiian Kahuna. The spirit comes back from the afterlife to cause trouble, and Beetlejuice becomes a hero by winning a surf contest with magic. Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder agreed to do the film, but only if Burton directed, but he became distracted with "Batman Returns".Anthony Ferrante (March 1997). "Hidden Gems", "Fangoria", pp. 53—56. Retrieved on 2008-09-22.]

Burton was still interested with "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian" in early-1991. Impressed with Daniel Waters' work on "Heathers", Burton approached him for a rewrite. However, he eventually signed Waters to write the script for "Batman Returns".Judy Sloane (August 1995). "Daniel Waters on Writing", "Film Review", pp. 67—69. Retrieved on 2008-08-14.] By August 1993, producer David Geffen had Pamella Norris ("Troop Beverly Hills", "Saturday Night Live") to rewrite. [cite news | author = John Brodie | url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR109942.html?categoryid=14&cs=1 | title = Twentieth, Norris-Clay ink pact | work = Variety | date = 1993-08-26 | accessdate = 2008-05-26] Warner Bros. approached Kevin Smith in 1996 to rewrite the script, though Smith turned down the offer in favor of "Superman Lives". Smith responded with, "Didn't we say all we needed to say in the first "Beetlejuice"? Must we go tropical?" [cite video | title = An Evening With Kevin Smith| format = DVD | publisher = Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | year = 2002] In March 1997, Gems stated that the "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian" script is still owned by The Geffen Film Company and it will never likely get made. You really couldn't do it now anyway. Winona is too old for the role, and the only way they could make it would be to totally recast it." Keaton had high enthusiasm for a sequel in January 2005, while in February 2006, Burton claimed a sequel was not in the works anymore. [cite news | author = Lew Irwin | url = http://imdb.com/news/wenn/2005-01-03#celeb5 | title = Keaton Longing for "Beetlejuice" Sequel | work = Internet Movie Database | date = 2005-01-03 | accessdate = 2008-04-04] [cite news | author = Sean | url = http://www.filmjunk.com/2006/02/17/tim-burton-denies-rumours-of-beetlejuice-sequel/ | title = Tim Burton Denies Rumors of "Beetlejuice" Sequel | work = Film Junk | date = 2006-02-17 | accessdate = 2008-04-04]

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0094721|title=Beetle Juice
*amg movie|id=1:4624|title=Beetlejuice
*rotten-tomatoes|id=beetlejuice|title=Beetlejuice
*metacritic film|id=beetlejuice|title=Beetlejuice
*mojo title|id=beetlejuice|title=Beetlejuice