Beetlejuice Review

Halloween and Christmas are my favorite holidays. For each, there’s one movie, in particular, that I watch several times throughout their given months. For Halloween, that movie is Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. I have talked about this movie before, but I wanted to dedicate a proper review to my favorite, frightful film.

As I said in my previous post, I love how this movie is not your typical “haunted house” story. It gives a whole new perspective on how your world may be like after death. Unlike Corpse Bride, Adam and Barbara Maitland are not blue, or some other un-humanly color, after they pass on. In fact, they don’t even appear to be dead. What I find interesting is that during the Waiting Room scene, their deceased counterparts are a rainbow of colors, and all distinctly show how they died. I especially love Miss Argentina in this scene. I think it can be assumed that the “Land of the Dead” is thought to be under the living world, leading me to believe it is a parallel to Hell. This is merely an assumption.

As for the other characters, they really are an interesting bunch. I just love the Deetzes. I think Lydia Deetz is one of the finest characters to come out of a Tim Burton movie. Her quirks help her stand out and she shines. I also adore her stepmother, Delia. She’s just such a crazy character, though she means well. I wish Delia and Lydia had a closer relationship with each other, but I feel that’ll come with time. One of my favorite parts of the movie is Lydia’s relationship with her the Maitlands. I love how Lydia is the only one in the house that can see the novice ghosts. I also really love her relationship with the title character, Beetlejuice.

Though the movie is named after him, he really isn’t in the movie much. We see his face for the first time only when he is called upon by the Maitlands. He claims he is a “freelance bio-exorcist” who can take care of your troubles with the living. I really want to know how he got to this position, and how he once was Juno’s assistant. Speaking of Juno, I think it’s so great that she still smokes beyond the grave, with smoke billowing out of her slit throat. Beetlejuice is such a fun character who causes some great mayhem, especially with the wedding scene.

This movie is accompanied by a great soundtrack, consisting of a score by Danny Elfman and 2 Harry Belafonte songs. These songs are the backbone of 2 of the movie’s most recognized scenes, those being the dinner scene and the final scene. I absolutely love the final scene. I love that the Deetzes and the Maitlands live happily together in the end. I just wish Beetlejuice could’ve shared this fate.

That doesn’t mean he won’t, seeing that a sequel is in the works. Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, and Winona Ryder all have mentioned in interviews that they will come back for the project. I’m very excited to see where this sequel takes the story. If you’re a fan of Beetlejuice or Michael Keaton, I highly recommend checking out his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live to bring a smile to your face.

It’s Showtime.