Underplayed Gems

Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice poster
Directed by
Tim Burton
Genre
fantasy film, comedy horror, dark fantasy, gothic film, ghost film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 32m
Rated
PG
Rating
7.4 of 10 from 8,503 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A dead couple enlists a wild and unruly ghost to scare away the living family that moves into their home. The bio-exorcist uses chaotic and bizarre methods to get the job done.

offbeatwhimsicaldarkly comiceccentricplayfulzanyquirky

What happens

Beetlejuice is a 1988 American gothic comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson. The film stars Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, along with Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder. The plot revolves around Adam and Barbara Maitland, a recently deceased couple. As ghosts, they are not allowed to leave their house. They contact Betelgeuse, a sleazy "bio-exorcist", to scare the house's new inhabitants away. The film prominently features music from Harry Belafonte's albums Calypso and Jump Up Calypso. Beetlejuice was released in the United States on March 30, 1988, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $84 million against a $15 million budget. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and three Saturn Awards: Best Horror Film, Best Makeup, and Best Supporting Actress for Sylvia Sidney. The film's success spawned a media franchise, consisting of an animated television series, video games, a 2018 stage musical and a 2024 sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.