Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice
Theatrical release poster by Carl Ramsey
Directed byTim Burton
Screenplay by
  • Michael McDowell
  • Warren Skaaren
Story by
  • Michael McDowell
  • Larry Wilson
Produced by
  • Michael Bender
  • Larry Wilson
  • Richard Hashimoto
Starring
CinematographyThomas E. Ackerman
Edited byJane Kurson
Music byDanny Elfman
Production
company
The Geffen Company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • March 30, 1988 (1988-03-30)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[1]
Box office$84.6 million[2]

Beetlejuice is a 1988 American gothic dark fantasy comedy horror[3][4][5] 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 in supporting roles.

The plot revolves around a recently deceased couple. As ghosts, they are not allowed to leave their house. They contact Betelgeuse,[a] 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. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $84 million against a $15M 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 sequel entitled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which was released in 2024, with a third film in development.[6]

  1. ^ "Beetlejuice". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  2. ^ "Beetlejuice (1988)".
  3. ^ Steer, Emily (September 5, 2024). "'Marrying monstrosity with sublime beauty': Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the historic roots of goth". BBC. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Erickson, Hal. "Beetlejuice (1988)". Allmovie. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  5. ^ Nero, Dom (October 11, 2018). "Beetlejuice Is a Horror-Fantasy-Comedy Hybrid Above All Categorization". Esquire. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  6. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 11, 2025). "Warner Bros' Mike De Luca & Pam Abdy: Playing Long Game, Mixing IP Like 'Bodyguard' Revamp & Bold Originals & Animation Despite Brutal Press". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 1, 2025.


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