Oh my laaawd, please be good.
The sequel is directed by Tim Burton himself, and what a cast! Winona Ryder is back, along with Keaton and O’Hara of course, joined by Willem Dafore, Justin Theroux, Danny DeVito, Burn Gorman, and… okay, they’re the only ones I know. 😀
You boys listen, I am so insanely pumped for this. I watched Beetlejuice with my dad in the year it premiered, which means I was the same age my son is right now: Eight.
Which gets me to thinking… is that what’s wrong with the world these days, that we’re not letting our younguns watch epic movies until they’re “old enough”? 😂 I kid, of course.
It was a different time, that’s for sure. The sorts of movies I saw before I was even 10 years old, it’s wild to think about now. Alien and Aliens, Ghostbusters (a comedy yes, but plenty of scary moments!), The Terminator, Predator, Die Hard, Coming to America, The Blues Brothers, Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, Mad Max, Batman, Robocop… lordy, the list goes on. Hell, I’m still terrified of swimming at the beach. Thanks, Jaws.
I remember one weekend, we took a long road trip to visit one of dad’s friends, and all of us kids were dumped in front of the TV – and not once did any parent bother to check on us.
That was the weekend I watched Predator and Robocop! Aaaah, the ’80s.
Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure my dad brought my then two-years-old little brother along when we went to see Batman in ’89…
Of course, I’d bet that’s true for most of us younger Gen X and elder Millennial dads, and I’m sure there’s a few out there that are happy to continue that ‘tradition’ with their own kids, but I confess I can’t bring myself to allow my own to follow in those footsteps. Well… maybe Ghostbusters. And Gremlins? Ha! Classic.
What were your favourite no-no movies in the ’80s? I’m keen to know! 👇
Also, here’s a bit of Beetlejuice casting trivia for you!
Before Michael Keaton scored the lead role, director Tim Burton initially had his heart set on his childhood hero Sammy Davis Jr for the quirky role of Betelgeuse (yep, the character’s name is spelled properly as the distant star, not ‘Beetlejuice’).
Sadly, the studio didn’t want him for the part, so the producers tossed around a few other names, including Dudley Moore and the comedian Sam Kinison (who died four years later in a car crash).
Then, studio boss David Geffen threw Keaton into the mix. Burton wasn’t too familiar with Keaton’s work, but it didn’t take long for him to become a believer. Before Beetlejuice, Keaton’s standout roles had included Gung Ho (Working Class Man in Australia) and Mr Mom.
The brilliant Geena Davis played Barbara Maitland, but others considered included Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hamilton, and Goldie Hawn.
For the role of Lydia Deetz, a slew of actresses lined up, with auditions from Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, Lori Loughlin, and even Diane Lane. The list went on: Justine Bateman, Molly Ringwald, Juliette Lewis, and Jennifer Connelly all vied for the part. Alyssa Milano came close but ultimately, Burton saw something special in Winona Ryder after watching her in Lucas.
Meanwhile, Anjelica Huston (Morticia Addams!) was set to play Delia Deetz but had to bow out due to illness. Catherine O’Hara (Kevin’s mum in Home Alone and more recently Moira in Schitt’s Creek), supposedly jumped at the chance to join the cast, but she’s also been reported as having initially rejected the role.
Burton apparently had his work cut out for him convincing the others in the cast; the script was so out there, it left many scratching their heads.
Luckily for Burton, given this was one of his first films, Beetlejuice went on to earn US $74 million on a $15 million budget, becoming the 10th highest-grossing film in 1988.
A few more…
Betelgeuse is only in the original film for a total of 17.5 minutes – less than 20% of the film – and Keaton was only needed on set for just two weeks.
Burton left most of Betelgeuse’s character development up to Keaton, who then apparently improvised almost all of his lines in the film. The actor also came up with Betelgeuse’s mouldy appearance, false teeth and crazy hair.
Keaton has said that he looked to ‘Chop Top’ from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 as the main inspiration for his performance.
Before it had an official release title, the studio’s suggested name for the film was “House Ghosts.” Burton responded with the joke suggestion “Scared Sheetless” – and was horrified when the studio actually considered using it. (It’s definitely got some dad-joke vibes!)
Special effects were more capable at the time than it appeared in Beetlejuice, but with an effects budgets of just one million dollars, Burton intentionally developed a ‘B-movie’ look.
Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson’s first draft of Beetlejuice was a far cry from the quirky comedy we know today.
It was properly grim, filled with gruesome violence, and featured Betelgeuse as a terrifying leather-winged demon. The original ending was even more chilling, with Betelgeuse being destroyed by an exorcism.
Burton had a different vision, however, and brought in Walter Skaaren to lighten the mood and transform the film into the dark comedy classic it became. (Skaaren’s other script improvement credits include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II and Batman.)
Also, check out this rad Betelgeuse and Joker composite I found at Wallpaperset.com!
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Mike Stevens
Founder
Mike is a designer and journalist with nearly 20 years’ experience in automotive and consumer technology, editing and leading titles like The Motor Report, CarAdvice, Drive, and WhichCar. He is the co-founder of The Motor Report, and the founder of DadBase.
He’s also a photographer, gadgethead and erstwhile cyclist, and the proud ADHD dad to two ADHD kiddos.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Mike relocated to Berlin in 2024 with his wife and kids for travel and culture adventures.
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