Tim Burton

When asked about movies to watch during October, especially Halloween, my mind tends to drift towards the works of Tim Burton. Burton’s works are often skewed in nature and tend to be on the creepier side. I really enjoy how his movies look visually and how they are told through interesting plots. I also enjoy how he does not have one directing style. I think that both his stop-motion animated films and his live-action films are executed very well and give the audience an insight to the inner-workings of his creative mind.

That being said, I do have my favorites. His 1988 classic, Beetlejuice, is my favorite of his live-action films. Why? It’s just so well done in every aspect. I just adore the cast; this is the movie that got me to fall in love with Winona Ryder. I think the sets and visuals are amazing with the mix of prosthetics, makeup, costumes, and animation. The overall story is perfect in my opinion. The “haunted house” plot has been done countless times, but this one is just a little more special. I love how we have ghosts who desire to haunt their house to try and scare the new inhabitants away, but can’t. I’ve never seen this derivative use of plot used before. The mix of horror, paranormal, comedy, and drama all mixed into one works so well. It’s almost like a soap opera gone horribly wrong.

My favorite from the stop-motion films is the 2005 film, Corpse Bride. I feel that this particular film of Burton’s is often compared to his earlier film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. But that is another debate in and of itself. Though I do love NBC, I feel that Corpse Bride is the stronger film due to plot. I also am a bit biased because Helena Bonham Carter is one of the leads, alongside Johnny Depp. These two have a reputation of always being cast in Burton’s movies, and Johnny usually ends up killing Helena in some way. I love this movie because it’s a twisted love story with a tragic backstory. I think Emily is one of the greatest characters to ever come from a Burton movie. This also can be said for Lydia from Beetlejuice. This movie also greatly influenced my view when I was a kid of what the world looks like after you die.

The films of Tim Burton have been a large part of my life and I’m glad that they have been. He shows that the twisted can be beautiful and does a wonderful job portraying this. This is a topic that I will probably return to because there is just so much to say about Tim Burton.