Beetlejuice

1988 • 92 minutes
4.4
413 reviews
86%
Tomatometer
PG
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Michael Keaton, Academy Award winner Geena Davis, Alex Baldwin and Winona Ryder star in director Tim Burton's comic twist on supernatural horror tales--Beetlejuice. When a couple of nice, young homebody ghosts (Baldwin and Davis) try to haunt the pretentious humans who have moved into their house, they ask for help from a demonic wraith (Keaton) they cannot control in this comic fantasy that mixes the quick and the dead with a laugh and a fright.
Rating
PG

Ratings and reviews

4.4
413 reviews
Kyle Vansteelandt
January 6, 2022
Tim Burton (director), Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson (producers/writers) saw some campy musicals and B monster movies from the sixties, and went into some haunted houses. Then, they became so inspired, they came up with an insane idea; an ingenious concept that nobody has ever thought of before, with a plotline that is innovative, thick, and has great plot-twist. Tim and his crew has sewn it all together in the style of Frankenstein. It's an original story about a lovely Maitland couple named Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbra (Geena Davis) founded out that they are dead when they are in a world that may look like their normal home, but they are in for a big unpleasant surprise that is full of outrageous chaos. Meanwhile, a crazy family called the Deetz family moved into their house without even realizing that the couple are in the house, which is bad news for the Maitland couple. The only way to get rid of them is to scare them away. It is a ton of fun watching this married couple finding more ways than one to scare away the family and finding someone so that they can get some help, until the couple meets the family's daughter named Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) who may look like some stereotypic teenage girl that is serious, but she is a gothic girl who can speak to both the living and the dead. One specific individual that the couple came into contact with a bio-exorcist named Betelegeuse (Michael Keaton), who is a talented professional at being scary, because no one is more ghastly than him, even though he has a fear of monstrous sandworms. But what the Maitlands don't know is that he is way too much, because he is a terrible troublemaker who likes to spread chaos. All leading up to a suspenseful climax that is highly entertaining. Watching Beetlejuice, I felt quite the same as when I saw Little Shop of Horrors (1986), because It's a delightfully dynamic horror comedy distributed by "The Geffen Company." No wonder that my experience with this film gave me this feeling that feels familiar, and it feels fantastic. But, unlike Little shop of Horrors, Beetlejuice is a film that made me feel like I am not just watching it, it was an experience. Tim Burton and company really got busy throwing a lot of ideas at me. The comedy is hilarious, because of how well-timed and how smartly scripted it is. This has been supported by the swift escalation and the pitch-perfect tone. There are also some priceless moments involving lip-syncing that perfectly matches the words at the right time and keeping up the pace that was used by the voice-overs. There are some quick camera cuts that are used for sharp humor, and some are used for grotesque horror. All of this effective delivery has been caused by Tim Burton's direction, and Jane Kurson's outstanding editing. The film has a large diversity of incredible effects; they used stop-motion animation, props, the green screen, and magical visual effects that blew my mind. Even the production design is remarkable enough to immerse me into that world. Each and every scene has been superbly-stage and enhanced by Danny Elfman's quirky score that is energetic and dramatic. However, Danny's score is not alone in the soundtrack, because there are two songs that are groovy and uplifting. Everyone in the cast played their roles masterfully with exceedingly amusing results. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis have delightful chemistry as the Maitland couple, as they lovingly mess around with each other and work together as a team, even in some situations that are over-the-top. For a serious girl, Winona Ryder is cute as Lydia. There are times where she can get more emotional at times. That is what makes Winona's character effective. And last but not least, Michael Keaton is amusingly wicked as the title character himself, by giving an unusually deranged and snappy performance. In conclusion: Tim Burton and company has created a fun Frankenstein-like romp that offers a brilliantly zany mixture of obscene horror and witty comedy. Highly Recommended.
36 people found this review helpful
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dacc crain
December 5, 2020
I'm always looking for a affordable way to help keep my grandkids entertained when I babysit them during the day. And now since we stay inside more It's even harder. My grandkids are 2, 5, 9, and 12 yrs old. So keeping everyone happy with out spending a fortune on movies that only 2 kids want to watch....... I can go to Google and find movies that everyone will watch.
64 people found this review helpful
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Timothy W
November 3, 2020
One of the greatest laughs from my generation. Was great to see it again with how much of the world has become cry babies about words now days this movie never would have hit the same as it did back then today.
177 people found this review helpful
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