Review - Beetlejuice (1988)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, this September sees director Tim Burton release his new film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Well, before we get to that movie, I think that it's high time to take a look at the 1988 original classic Beetlejuice, starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara, Glenn Shadix, Sylvia Sidney, and Jeffrey Jones. 

        The movie is set in the small town of Winter River, Connecticut, where we meet married couple Adam and Barbara Maitland. The two are enjoying some vacation time at home, but find themselves in an unfortunate accident, where they swerve to avoid hitting a dog, and wind up driving off a covered bridge into a river, where they drown. However, they find themselves miraculously back at home, where they cannot leave again, and find a book in the house: the Handbook For the Recently Deceased. In other words, Adam and Barbara are dead, and are trapped in their house as ghosts. 

       Because of the deaths of Adam and Barbara, a new family acquires ownership of their house. It's here where we meet the Deetz family, which consists of former real estate developer Charles, his second wife Delia, and his goth teenage daughter Lydia. Also in the house is Delia's friend and interior designer Otho, who helps the family transform the house. Now, in addition to being ghosts, and unseen by the newcomers, the Maitlands also continue seeing ads for a bio-exorcist called Betelgeuse (pronounced as Beetlejuice). However, they decide to seek help, and find themselves in an otherworldly waiting room. It's here where they're taken to their caseworker, Juno, who tells Adam and Barbara that they must remain in the house for about 125 years, and have to clear out the Deetzes themselves if they want their house back. Juno also warns against seeking the help of Betelgeuse, who was once Juno's assistant, but went off on his own and became a freelance bio-exorcist. 

       Unfortunately, Adam and Barbara's first attempt fails, and they are caught by Lydia, who is the only one in the house who can see the Maitlands. Unfortunately, against Juno's advice, Adam and Barbara seek the help of Betelgeuse, who comes off as a disgusting, obnoxious, and perverted creep. But, damnit of he isn't an effing riot. Seriously, Michael Keaton's performance as Betelgeuse is just funny as hell, and he's easily the most memorable thing in this movie. Anyway, the Maitlands are way too put off by Betelgeuse, so they decide to handle the Deetzes themselves. And, it's during a dinner party that Delia is hosting that they act, possessing Delia, Charles, Otho, and the other guests, and causing them to lip sync and dance the Harry Belafonte song "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)," and then be attacked by the shrimp cocktails. However, this gets everyone curious about meeting the Maitlands, and Lydia is sent to convince the two to come downstairs. 

       However, this doesn't work, and Delia runs to the attic to demand the Maitlands show themselves. However, it's when they gain access to the attic that they find Adam's model of the town of Winter River. Upon leaving the attic, the Deetzes are attacked by Betelgeuse, who has taken on the form of a snake, but he is dispatched by Barbara. Unfortunately, the damage is done, and Lydia doesn't want to talk to the Maitlands anymore. Back in the model, Betelgeuse is mad at the Maitlands,.but he is distracted by the sudden appearance of a brothel in the model. The brothel was placed there by Juno, who is thoroughly upset by how badly the Maitlands screwed up. And, in another iconic moment, Adam and Barbara make themselves look monstrous, 

      Back in the attic, Lydia meets Betelgeuse, who offers to help her get to the "other side" to find Adam and Barbara, but she is stopped from releasing him, and the two of them decide to let Lydia and her family stay in the house. Unfortunately, Otho got ahold of the Handbook, and decides to use Adam and Barbara's wedding attire, and performs and exorcism so that the Deetzes, as well as their guest Maxie Dean, can see the Maitlands. But, the exorcism goes badly, and the Maitlands are falling apart. Desperate, Lydia turns to Betelgeuse for help, and he agrees on the condition that he and Lydia get married, which she reluctantly agrees to, and when she says the name "Betelgeuse" three times, he remarks "It's showtime." 

       Betelgeuse gets rid of Maxie Dean and his wife, releases the Maitlands from the exorcism, scares off Otho, and prepares for himself and Lydia to get married. However, as the unholy nuptials take place, Adam and Barbara attempt to stop him, and he sends Adam into the model, and Barbara is sent to a desert world, where she rides a sandworm that devours Betelgeuse, ending the ceremony. Some months later, and Lydia is now attending a local school, and managed to score an A on her math test. The Maitlands and the Deetzes now get along, and the Maitlands occasionally use their ghostly abilities, including possession, for fun. Betelgeuse, meanwhile, is in the waiting room, where he switches numbers with a witch doctor, who shrinks his head. Oops. 

       Okay, so, this movie is a ton of fun. Tim Burton's unique visual style and creature design is on full display, and is easily recognizable to even those who didn't see the movie. The performances, including that of the aforementioned Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, were absolutely fantastic. Both Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as Adam and Barbara are really good as the two fairly ordinary people in this bizarre world. Catherine O'Hara, Jeffery Jones, and Glenn Shadix as Delia, Charles, and Otho have a lot of great comedic moments, and Sylvia Sidney as the chain-smoking Juno was a great addition to the movie. Minor appearances from the likes of Dick Cavett as Bernard and Robert Goulett as Maxie Dean were a nice addition. But, outside of Michael Keaton, it's Winona Ryder as Lydia that really stands out in this movie. 

        All in all, for his second feature film as director, Tim Burton made a movie that is truly iconic. So, I'm giving Beetlejuice a rating of 5/5. I'd say check it out, but chances are you already have. Anyway, we'll be back to the world of Beetlejuice in September, but next time, I'll be taking a look at Ridley Scott's original sci-fi horror classic: Alien.