A name so good you’ll have to say it thrice is the title of this 80s horror-comedy “Beetlejuice.”
“Beetlejuice” is a Tim Burton classic starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Alec Baldwin.
The film follows the quirky tale of married couple Barbara and Adam Maitland, played by Geena Davis and Baldwin, who tragically drown in a car accident and rather than passing on, become entrapped ghosts of their cozy Connecticut home.
As time moves on and the ghosts become comfortable in the fact that they can never leave their home, a married couple and their peculiar daughter move in. To scare the new homeowners away Barbara and Adam hire the bio-exorcist, referred to as Beetlegeuse, to be rid of the living plague in their home.
Beetlegeuse is the facade name of Keaton’s character Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice is a lot more than just a scary ghost though, his demeaning and crude nature is just one of the many off putting things about him. The most unique aspect of this character though, is that for him to appear he needs his name to be repeated three times.
Keaton does an amazing job at portraying this character. He truly brings the horror of Beetlejuice to this real life film. His sardonic and sarcastic nature, as well as his rolling and deep voice is what helps bring this legend to life.
In a lot of ways the nature of Beetlejuice feels like the legend of the scary bogeyman and the way this film brings that to life is truly outstanding.
The costuming to Beetlejuice is also one to be recognized. The iconic black and white striped suit, the vibrant green hair, the dark purple eye bags and of course the repulsive mold along his face and body.
The director of this film, Burton, is to be widely credited for the film’s success, peculiar nature and themes. Burton is a director and creator well known for his clay animation films such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “James and the Giant Peach” and “Corpse Bride.” All of which are extremely popular.
Burton’s portrayal of Beetlejuice though, is one that at the time had taken viewers by surprise. It was one of the first times this character was ever going to be seen and due to the film’s success in 1989, a cartoon adaptation of Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice was created.
The cartoon was influenced by Beetlejuice’s classic striped suit and Lydia’s red wedding dress. These outfits have become a staple of the movie and are still highly recognizable due to its recurring relevance in sequels, plays and merchandise.
Outside of the goofy character, Beetlejuice is a gross guy. He has a thing for eating bugs, he lives in a grave and not to mention his creepy obsession with wanting to marry 16-year-old Lydia, played by Ryder.
Lydia is the young girl of the family who moved into Barbara and Adam’s home. Along with being the subject to most of Beetlejuice’s scaring she also happens to be able to see ghosts.
As the film draws near to its horrifying climax, Lydia, Adam and Barbara grow to create a bond that is kind of weird.
Upon further examination, everyone’s relationship to Lydia is borderline creepy. She’s got two ghosts who basically want to replace her parents, a gross ghost who wants to marry her in exchange to become human again and her relationship with her actual parents is on the cusp of negligence.
Ryder does an amazing job at portraying this gothic character. Being the staple for the dark and lonely, in 2024, her emo nature would have TikTok girls reeling. Ryder is the leading lady in practically every Burton film, as she is the pioneer of the gothic genre and themes. She is known for all of her roles in his dark films such as “Sleepy Hollow,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Frankenweenie.”
“Beetlejuice” is just another one of Burton’s films that takes dark themes and nature to new heights, especially with his shapeshifting ghosts. But along with its spooky themes some of the most iconic Burton scenes take place, such as the haunting possession scene where the entire Deetz family is forced to dance to Harry Belafonte’s song “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song).”
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The best and most memorable part of the film is the fact that the only way to call Beetlejuice to life is to repeat his name three times. Watching Keaton try to get people to say the character’s name is outright hilarious.
No matter how old the film is, everyone knows never to say his name more than twice. This film is one that is still highly relevant and known today as in 2024, the sequel to “Beetlejuice” will finally be released.
The sequel “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” will star Keaton and Ryder in their returning roles, as well as Jenna Ortega, an actress who thanks to her portrayal of Wednesday in the Burton series “Wednesday” has made her a new modern and welcomed staple to the franchise.
Fans are eagerly anticipating the film’s release to see just what goofy things Beetlejuice will do and to see both Keaton and Ryder reprise their most peculiar of roles.
