Movie Review – Beetlejuice (1988)

Back in 1988, Hollywood director Tim Burton presented the world with Beetlejuice, a horror-comedy film that takes a humorous look at ghosts, the supernatural, and life after death.

Using a combination of stop motion animation, puppetry, blue screens, and a TON of fantastic make-up work, Beetlejuice is a classic 1980s film that tells a tale of a recently deceased couple who are upset with the new residents of their home.  At first the Maitlands try to scare away the new occupants, but their efforts fail miserably.  They’re forced to hire a freelance poltergeist named Betelgeuse (pronounced as “Beetlejuice”) to rid their home of the occupants despite the warning from their case worker.  Betelgeuse’s efforts quickly spiral out of control and the Maitlands have to find a way to stop Betelgeuse before he becomes too powerful and corrupts the Deetz’s daughter, Lydia.

Beetlejuice stars Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as Adam and Barbara Maitland, a quiet couple who lives in New England.  Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder play the roles of the Deetz family, Charles, Delia and their daughter Lydia.  Glenn Shadix plays the role of Otho, Delia’s high-profile interior designer.  Sylvia Sidney has the role of Juno, the afterlife case worker for Adam and Barbara.  And finally, Michael Keaton is the title character Betelgeuse, a rude and disturbing poltergeist who helps the Maitlands remove the Deetzs from their home.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Beetlejuice begins with Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) spending a week at home in their small, picturesque New England town for their vacation.  The happy couple has a list of projects that they want to accomplish around their home.  Adam is also an avid model builder and is trying to finish his detailed recreation of their town.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

One day Adam and Barbara go into town for some supplies.  While returning home, Barbara swerves to miss a dog and their car crashes through the wall of a covered bridge.  It’s carefully balanced as long as the dog stands on the plank and acts as a counterweight.  But he doesn’t.  The dog jumps off the plank and their car plummets into the river.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Adam and Barbara somehow return home after their car crash, but something just doesn’t seem right.  Sitting by the fireplace, Barbara’s hand accidentally catches fire but she feels no pain.  Later, Barbara stands in front of a mirror and shows her husband that neither of them cast a reflection.  She also shows him a book titled Handbook for the Recently Deceased sitting on their coffee table.  It then dawns on them that they didn’t survive the car crash earlier that day.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

One morning the Maitlands are suddenly woken when the Deetzs, a family from New York City, move into their home.  Charles Deetz (Jeffrey Jones) is perfectly happy with their new home just the way it is, but his second wife, Dalia (Catherine O’Hara), is unhappy and wants to make immediate changes.  She’s an aspiring sculpture with a fascination with modern art, and she can’t wait to make drastic changes to the house.  Their daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder), enjoys the darker topics in life and she’s happy with the new house as long as it keeps upsetting her stepmother.  While moving into the house Dalia brought along an interior designer named Otho (Glenn Shadix) to help her re-decorate the home.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Adam and Barbara are disturbed with their new co-occupants and Dalia and Otho’s plans for re-decorating their home.  The Maitlands have a little refuge in the locked attic, but it’s not much.  They try to scare the Deetzs but are quickly overcome with emotion when they realize that Charles, Dalia or Otho cannot see or hear them.  Barbara tries to flee the house but instead becomes stranded in a desert-like world called “Saturn.”  Adam enters the world and finds her, and the two of them return to the house before a giant sandworm eats them.  Adam and Barbara are trapped inside of their own home, powerless to stop the Deetzs or scare them away.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

The next day the realtor arrives and gives Lydia a skeleton key to the house.  She learns that the previous residents drown in the river.  When she looks back at the house Lydia sees Barbara looking down at her from the attic window.  In the attic, Barbara is surprised to see that the teenage girl could see her standing there.

Armed with the key, Lydia sets out to investigate the attic.  Adam and Barbara block the door to prevent her from entering.  While holding the door they see the attic television set come to life along with a commercial for a poltergeist named Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton).  Betelgeuse claims to be the best in the business, and if you want his business, all you have to do is say his name three times.  Lydia leaves and Adam follows the instructions in the Handbook of the Recently Deceased to seek help from an afterlife case worker.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Adam and Barbara enter the office and learn that they have to reside in their former home for 125 years before proceeding to the next phase of the afterlife.  During which they’re only allowed three vouchers to see their case worker, Juno.  Since they don’t have an appointment, Adam and Barbara have to wait in the waiting room with other recently deceased people until it’s their turn.  Some of their colleagues include a safari hunter with a shrunken head, a witch doctor (presumably shot by the hunter), a man who choked while eating ribs, a shark attack victim (with the shark still attached to his leg), a smoker who caught on fire, and a magician’s assistant who was really sawed in half.

The Maitlands finally have their turn with their case worker.  When going through the door Adam and Barbara realize that they’re back home, but the house has changed completely.  The house now has a modern look, much to their horror.  Juno (Sylvia Sidney) suddenly appears and tells the Maitlands that they were in the waiting room for three months.

Adam and Barbara express their concerns about the new occupants in their house to Juno, and she tells them to scare them out of there.  Apparently there’s a chapter for hauntings in their Handbook.  Barbara asks about Betelgeuse, but Juno advises them not to seek his help.  She explains how he used to be her assistant, but he was a troublemaker and ended up going freelance with his bio-exorcist skills.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Adam and Barbara use some bed sheets and make themselves look like ghosts, but it’s a comical routine and neither Charles or Delia are scared by the outfits.  They try to scare Lydia, but she doesn’t fall of the routine either.  Instead, they discover that Lydia can see and talk to Adam and Barbara despite nobody else being able to see them.  Lydia explains that unlike most people, she loves dark subjects and that’s probably why she’s able to communicate with the dead.  Lydia and Adam and Barbara quickly become friends.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

The Maitlands still aren’t able to scare away or reason with the Deetzs through Lydia, so Adam and Barbara say Betelgeuse’s name three times.  They’re instantly transported into the graveyard part of Adam’s model of town.  They use shovels and dig their way to Betelgeuse’s grave.  He appears and tries to convince the Maitlands to hire him.  Disgusted with the ghoul, Adam and Barbara leave the model of town and return to the attic.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

That night the Deetzs are hosting a dinner party.  Things go well until Delia Deetz has the sudden desire to sing the “Day-O” song.  The whole dinner party gets involved in the Delia’s possession until their shrimp dinner attacks and throws everybody away from the table, ending the song and dance routine.

Unfortunately, nobody at the dinner party runs away in terror as Adam and Barbara were hoping.  Instead, Lydia goes to the attic and tells the Maitlands that their presence is requested downstairs.  Adam and Barbara refuse, so when Lydia tell the party that the ghosts won’t go downstairs, everybody instead goes up to the attic.  Everybody is impressed with Adam’s model of town, and while in the attic, Otho steals the Handbook for the Recently Deceased.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

While heading back downstairs, Charles, Delia and Otho are attacked by Betelgeuse.  He’s in the form of a giant snake as he terrorizes the people.  Just as he’s about to go for Lydia, Barbara says his name three times to send him back to the underworld.  Thinking that Adam and Barbara are responsible for Betelgeuse’s actions, she runs away from the Maitlands.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Adam and Barbara find themselves in Juno’s office and she’s quite upset at them.  From allowing themselves to be photographed to summoning Betelgeuse to allowing a mortal to take the Handbook, the Maitlands have messed up big time.  Juno makes Adam and Barbara show her the disguises they’ll use to scare away the Deetzs.

Meanwhile, Lydia is depressed and writing a suicide note.  She plans on jumping off a bridge and joining Adam and Barbara in the afterlife.  Before carrying out her plan, Lydia goes to the attic to look for Adam and Barbara.  She instead meets Betelgeuse who’s sitting in Adam’s model.  He tries to convince Lydia that he can take her to the other side to be with the Maitlands.  She’s hesitant and wants to talk it over with Barbara first, angering Betelgeuse.

The Maitlands arrive back in the house and stop Lydia from committing suicide.  They explain to her that it’s nowhere near as glamorous as it appears.  While talking to her, Charles has the town model removed from the attic and taken downstairs for his presentation.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Downstairs, Charles Deetz is trying to sell his boss, Maxie Dean (Robert Goulet), and other clients the concept of a supernatural-themed town.  Maxie isn’t sold on the concept until he sees some real ghosts first.  Otho tells the family that he can make the former occupants of the house appear with a seance he read about in the Handbook for the Recently Deceased.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

They use the Maitland’s wedding clothes and begin the seance.  First Barbara appears floating in mid-air and then Adam.  Horrified at watching her friends age at a fast rate, Lydia runs to the town’s model and finds Betelgeuse.  He tells her that he can help the Maitlands, but he wants out of the afterlife permanently.  That means he needs to get married.  Otho is unable to stop the seance and the Maitlands reach an incredibly old age.  Fearing for her friends, Lydia agrees to marry Betelgeuse and says his name three times.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Betelgeuse appears in the house as a carnival barker to the amusement of the guests.  He quickly gets rid Maxie Dean and his wife in an entertaining fashion.  Betelgeuse then stops the seance and then gets rid of Otho, leaving him with the Deetzs.

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Having fulfilled his end of the agreement, it’s time for Lydia to marry Betelgeuse.  Charles and Delia are captured by Delia’s horrific sculptures and forced to attend the ceremony as witnesses.  Adam and Barbara has been getting their youth back and try to stop Betelgeuse.  Adam is shrunk and sent into his model of town, and Barbara is transported to Saturn.

A minister from the afterlife appears and the ghoulish marriage ceremony begins.  Adam is able to use a toy truck and drive from the model into the living room.  Barbara manages to hitch a ride on a giant sandworm.  Just as the ceremony is about to conclude, Adam hits Betelgeuse in the foot with his truck and then the sandworm swallows Betelgeuse.  The minister disappears and the Deetzs and Maitlands are left standing in the living room looking at each other.

Beetlejuice ends with both the Maitlands and Deetzs living peacefully in the house.  Lydia returns home from school and tells Adam and Barbara about her good grades, so they throw a little supernatural party for the teenager.  Charles is seen reading a book called The Living and the Dead: Harmonious lifestyles and peaceful co-existence.  It was written by the same author as Handbook for the Recently Deceased, and apparently it also “. . . reads like stereo instructions.”

Beetlejuice (1988) – (c) Warner Bros.

Meanwhile, Betelgeuse is seen in the office waiting room with the other recently deceased characters.  Disappointed by his number in line and the eternity it’ll take to reach him, he switches numbers with the witch doctor.  Not amused with his actions, the witch doctor shrinks Betelgeuse’s head.

FINAL THOUGHTS

So is Beetlejuice any good?

Without a doubt, Beetlejuice is a terrific little movie.  The film is hilarious at times, it has a touch of horror and disgusting sights, and Betelgeuse’s character is the star of the show.  The only problem is that we don’t see enough of him and his actions.  There’s still a lot of mystery surrounding such an evil spirit.

As it was stated earlier, Beetlejuice is a solid 1980s film with a great cast and some outstanding make-up effects (okay, maybe I’ve been watching too much of Face Off on the SyFy Channel).  But this really is a fun movie and a comedic look at the dark side of the afterlife.

Beetlejuice was popular enough to spin off its own animated series, lasting for four seasons from 1989 through 1992.

Betelgeuse himself is still a popular character in the Universal Studios theme parks.  At Universal Studios Florida, Betelgeuse hosts a live show called Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue.  It’s a musical comedy show that brings together the Universal monsters along with some of today’s hottest songs.

Beetlejuice (1988) – movie trailer

If you love comedies, dark humor, and solid 80s films, then 1988′s Beetlejuice is a must-see!  The cast is great, the characters are solid, and the film is just a lot of fun.  Its only downside is that it needs more of Betelgeuse.

Adam – “What are your qualifications?”
Betelgeuse – “Ah. Well… I attended Juilliard… I’m a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I’VE SEEN ‘THE EXORCIST’ ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT… NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU’RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY… NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I’m qualified?”

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Lydia – “Are you a ghost too?”
Betelgeuse – “I’m a ghost with the most, babe.”

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Betelgeuse – [after kicking down Adam’s model of a tree] “Nice fucking model!”