Aidan At The Movies: Beetlejuice

10/9/18

This is my personal favorite Tim Burton movie of all time. Beetlejuice is a combination of a horror and a comedy, and it works! The film stars Michael Keaton as the title character, Alec Baldwin (Hunt for the Red October), Gena Davis (Thelma & Louise), Winona Ryder (Stranger Things), and Catherine O'Hara (Home Alone and Nightmare Before Christmas).
After a car accident killing young couple Adam and Barbara Maitland (Baldwin and Davis), the two of them are stuck haunting their own home. When Lydia Deetz's (Ryder) family moves into the Maitland's house, Adam and Barbara attempt to scare them. But no success. Their efforts attract a rowdy spirit named Betelgeuse (or Beetlejuice if you will) who offers to "help" Adam and Barbara, but has other tricks upon his sleeve. His help became a danger not only to Lydia's family but also to Adam and Barbara.
Love this movie. It's so surreal and wacky, which is the definition for a Tim Burton movie. I loved the costumes and makeup, the art direction was perfectly original, and I especially love the musical number at the end of the movie. Most of all, this movie is hilarious!! The character of Betelgeuse was a riot! The "Banana Boat" scene was priceless. It was also kinda funny that famous people like croon singer Robert Goulet and TV personality Dick Cavett make cameo appearances.

Parents Guide: This movie is rated PG. There are some moments where it gets a little scary. There is a scene while Adam and Barbara pretend to moan the way ghosts do, Lydia thought it was her stepparents moaning while "doing it". There's also a scene where Betelgeuse visits a Whore House, after just saying he hasn't got any "action" for 600 years. Lots of Looney Tunes like violence in the movie, little bit of blood, but again, enough for laughs. There is some language and only one F-bomb dropped by Betelgeuse.

Did You Know?: This was Michael Keaton's favorite movie that he's ever done. The original plan for the dinner musical number was to be a song by a band called The Ink Spots. But Catherine O'Hara and Jeffery Jones wanted a calypso song instead. So they went with "Banana Boat" by Harry Belafonte. This movie was the first DVD sent out by Netflix in 1998, before they became a streaming channel.