Directed by Tim Burton and released in 1988, Beetlejuice was an instant success and remains so to this day. But the making of the film had more than a few missteps. Some were turned into jokes while others almost caused the movie to never be made in the first place.
According to Burton, “it took a lot of time to convince cast members to sign, as they thought the script was too weird.” The only cast member to sign onto the film immediately was Geena Davis. The other actors all refused at least once, some multiple times before giving in. While Michael Keaton declares it in interviews today as being a blast, others like Alec Baldwin refuse to watch Beetlejuice because he felt his performance was awful.
Once production got underway, Burton was able to add his little nods and signatures as he pleased. Because of this, there are actually a lot of Easter Eggs in Beetlejuice. The most noticeable of them all is the skeleton head on top of Beetlejuice's Merry-Go-Round. It looks just like Jack Skellington, a character Tim had been drawing since 1982, and would eventually become the main character of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), which Burton co-wrote and produced.
The film was such a success in the late 80s that Warner Bros. created a toy line. There were action figures of Beetlejuice, Otho, Adam, and even the Shrunken-Head Man from the waiting room. His name was Harry the Haunted Hunter and came with a detachable head showing what he looked like before and after. But this is just the beginning of so many cool tidbits surrounding all the things you may have never noticed in Beetlejuice because you were too young.
Updated April 23rd, 2021 by Russ Boswell: It's been over thirty years since Tim Burton graced the world with Beetlejuice, an instant cult classic film that has withstood the test of time alongside his other popular dark humor-filled adventures. The times have changed dramatically and a lot of things that looked and felt simple within the film would look and feel quite different by today's standards.
Moreso, many of us were just children when we first saw Michael Keaton's spectacular portrayal of the "ghost with the most." This caused most of us to miss a lot of the jokes and nuances that Burton threw into the imaginative film. Because of this, we thought it was the perfect time to polish things up, add a couple of interesting facts about the title's production, and revisit this underrated Tim Burton gem.
25 The Meaning Behind The Red Wedding Attire
The forced wedding between Beetlejuice and Lydia had her transformed into a red wedding dress. Burton did this in accordance with the old rhyme about wedding dress colors, “Married in red, better off” — you get the idea. The forced wedding wasn’t necessarily a new idea by any means. But 80s film fans will remember that The Princess Bride had a very similar scene (without the red dress). Released just one year prior to Beetlejuice.
Then there’s the ring. Still attached to his beloved’s cold finger (who broke his heart and caused Beetlejuice to end up a civil servant), he desperately tries to get it on Lydia’s finger. Let’s not forget the cornucopia of bugs and living rats he pulls out of his pocket while looking for the ring either.
24 Beetlejuice Isn't Around All That Much
“Go ahead, make my millennium.”
If the dead are as boring as they were in real life, then Beetlejuice must have been quite a handful during his living years. Michael Keaton initially refused the role because he "just didn't get it". After meeting with Tim, upon producer David Geffen’s insistence, and seeing Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (almost forgot about that one didn’t you), Keaton was sold.
As it turns out, the story wasn’t about Beetlejuice at all. He doesn’t appear until twenty-five minutes into movie and is in only 17.5 minutes of the entirety of the film. Michael Keaton spent only two weeks filming, and he could improvise and ad-lib to his heart’s content. Sounds like a pretty decent gig.
23 What Happened To The Civil Servants
Since Beetlejuice is a Tim Burton movie, there’s plenty of dark tones scattered throughout the film. Burton worked these moments in through humor, like when Otho mentions at a dinner party that those who off themselves in this life become civil servants in the afterlife. While the comment often gets overlooked or can be perceived as out of place, it’s a callback to the beginning of the film.
If you have a keen eye, you’ll notice all the workers in the afterlife office were individuals who said goodbye while still alive. This includes the receptionist (which she declares as a joke while getting laughs from the others in the waiting room).
Juno the caseworker is also a civil servant, and the more obvious character would be the “hangman” individual shown during transition scenes. Although Burton never goes into the details, Beetlejuice was also a civil servant who offed himself due to heartbreak.
22 It's Like Trying To Read Stereo Instructions
For those who grew up in the 80s, this running joke throughout Beetlejuice was hilarious, but will likely fly over the heads of audiences today. Stereos were a pain to put together, much like putting together a toy with instructions written in a foreign language.
Tim Burton used this logic to define the characters in Beetlejuice. None of the adults can understand the book’s logic because there simply isn’t any. It’s just a list of rules and procedures. Which is why Lydia gets it and Otho gets the wires crossed when summoning the Maitland’s. The joke also creates ignorance, allowing the movie to progress in its whacky and unnatural way. Tim Burton obviously has a soft spot for stereo instructions.
There's even some smart and eccentric humor concerning individuals making their way to the afterlife. The football team in Beetlejuice is a great example. The slapstick way in which the football players stumble around, seemingly confused and "over their heads" about the prospect of suddenly finding themselves among the dead is classic Burton humor.
21 Why Could Barbara Ride The Sandworm?
Many a forum has inquired as to how Barbara could ride a Sandworm during the finale of Beetlejuice. While it may seem like a convenient arc with plotholes, Tim Burton dropped clues regarding this incident throughout the entirety of the film. The first clue can be found when Adam steps off the porch in the beginning and ends up in the realm of Saturn with the Sandworms. Barbara mentions he was gone for two hours.
When Barbara is the one to leave the house mid-film, she lands a good punch on the Sandworm before retreating to the door. During the wedding, Betelgeuse transports Barbara about 100 yards from where she was standing, putting her just outside the house in Saturn. Only minutes pass before she shows up riding a Sandworm but remember, minutes equal hours.
Likely punching the creature again and subduing it, she jumps on it and rides it through where she suspects the roof of the house would be for that room based on the placement of the door which leads to Saturn.
20 The Meaning Behind The "Day-O" Song
The Banana Boat song (also known as Day-O) was written by Harry Belafonte. The song would become iconic, just like the movie Beetlejuice, and would be played as the last song during Belafonte and Glenn Shadix’s (Otho) funerals when they passed.
Not only does the song have great beats, but Burton went “all in” with it for the dinner party scene. There are cheesy curacha dance moves, mixed in with an 80s version of twerking. The shrimp grabbing the party members' faces at the end is simply icing on the cake.
Day-O’s origins come from Jamaica. Thought to be sung by banana workers on the dock, the lyrics focus on them wanting to get home after a long night’s work. This ties into the theme in Beetlejuice as the Maitland’s just wanted to have their home turned back into what it once was for them.
19 The Inferno Room And Those Gruesome Spikes
Thanks to the quick thinking of Juno the caseworker, Beetlejuice is distracted for a short period due to the sudden appearance of the Inferno Room within Adam’s town model. Burton does an excellent job in keeping the scene completely PG while insinuating classic deviant behavior.
There are two moments that make this scene hilarious. First Barbara asks Adam why he would build something like the Inferno Room, to which he adamantly declares he didn’t.
The second is that Beetlejuice enters the club with his spikes still sticking out of his body. It’s obvious that the girls working in the Inferno Room are also dead, but the spikes (in conjunction with his soon-to-be deviant act) are just too gruesome to imagine.
18 The Ghostly Moans From The Maitlands
Adam and Barbara Maitland dress up as ghosts in designer sheets to scare the Deetz’s. Burton included the “sheet scene” to show the nativity of the Maitland’s upon their first few months in the afterlife but went a step further for a few good laughs.
Lydia is chilling in her room when she hears the moans being made by Adam and Barbara. She thinks her parents are doing other things as an explanation for the Maitland’s pathetically scary howls, and even goes so far as to bang on the wall, declaring “I’m a child.”
Ironically, Charles Deetz assumed it was Lydia fooling around, stating “your mother is going to be livid when she finds out you cut up her designer sheets.” Meanwhile, Delia is out cold thanks to “her sleeping with Prince Vallum.”
According to IMDB trivia, the studio originally wanted to call the film "House Ghosts." As a joke, Tim Burton suggested the name "Scared Sheetless" and was horrified when the studio actually considered using it.
17 Tim Burton Loves Dogs
Tim Burton is an avid animal lover, all thanks to a certain dog in his childhood that impacted his life. For decades, Burton has put a signature dog into his films because of his love for them. “The funny thing about dogs is that they are so simple — you leave, come back 10 seconds later and it's like they haven't seen you in a year,” Burton stated in an interview. “People don't treat you like that. It's the soulfulness of the dog. There was this strong connection.”
The dog featured in Beetlejuice is the catalyst that leads to Adam and Barbara’s afterlife adventures. Other films that Tim Burton has added his signature dog to include Poppy in Mars Attacks! (1996), Scraps from The Corpse Bride (2005), Zero in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Abercrombie from Vincent (1982), and Sparky in Frankenweenie (1984, 2012).
16 There's A Curse Word To Be Heard
Beetlejuice was given a rating of PG, which to most today might seem shocking. The 80s were a different time concerning censorship and rating, meaning if you were creative and smart enough, one could find plenty of loopholes. Tim Burton, Harold Ramis, and Mel Brooks just happened to be masters of finding those holes. There is only one curse word in the entire Beetlejuice film.
And it seems out of place after listening to innuendos for 45 minutes. Beetlejuice is mad at the Maitland’s, taking his anger out on Adam’s model of the town. “Nice flippin’ model,” he declares as he kicks over a tree and then grabs himself to the sound effects of a clown horn honking. For those caught up in the innocence of the film, this moment has the desired “shock” effect.
15 Beetlejuice's Use Of Possession
One of Beetlejuice's talents in the afterlife is possession. While not necessarily an ace up his sleeve, he does only use it when he deems it necessary. He takes over Barbara during their first encounter and uses it during his attempt to marry Lydia. Like much of Beetlejuice’s character, using possession was just another tool in his bag of tricks to get what he wanted.
Michael Keaton improved and ad-libbed many of his lines throughout the film. His monologue performed while “advertising himself” to the Maitland’s contained plenty of improvisation.
It was here when Beetlejuice states, “he’ll possess himself if he has to.” He also later states that “possession is fun and a party,” while trying to sell the Maitland’s on his scam after the first encounter when they say Beetlejuice three times.
14 There's A Nod To Future Tim Burton Films
In keeping with the 80s tradition of breaking the fourth wall (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Spaceballs), Tim Burton creatively included a moment in Beetlejuice where the dead are shown watching the same movie that audiences are. During the scene in Juno’s office (with the football players), a movie theater full of deceased characters can be seen through a window behind Adam and Barbara.
The concept was that the deceased are watching the ongoing events as they would in life while attending a movie theater. Burton also dropped some Easter Eggs in this quick beat too. There’s a red and a green skeleton (identical to the ones seen in Tim Burton's later movie, Mars Attacks!), along with two men in suits and Ray-Ban style sunglasses (The Blues Brothers).
13 Charles Likes Architecture A Little Too Much
The Deetz’s are supposed to be a take on the 80s version of a New York yuppie couple. Delia is obsessed with her sculptures and can’t live without her “butler” Otho. Charles Deetz is a genius regarding property management and enjoys bird watching.
Charles’ bird watching, however, is more about him peeping through his window so he can study the buildings around town. While surveying the towns post office, he talks about it as if he were gawking at a pretty woman walking down the street. It is said that passions can lead to excitement, but to “each their own” for getting hot and bothered over buildings. Likewise, when Charles discovers Adam’s model, he acts like a kid who just discovered the magazines behind the counter.
12 The Ghost With The Most Is No Role Model
“Well — I attended Juilliard — I'm a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I've seen the Exorcist about a hundred and sixty-seven times, and it keeps getting funnier every single time I see it — Not to mention the fact that you're talking to a deceased guy. Now, what do you think?!?!?!?!? You think I'm qualified?”
Beetlejuice thinks quite highly of himself and has absolutely no filter. He’s a con man through and through. If he wants it, he’ll take it no matter the cost. This often results in unwanted kisses, marriages, and let’s not forget the random motions. He’s like the dirty person that parents warn their kids about before heading into the city by themselves.
11 The Film Was Originally Going To Be Traditional Horror
Films sometimes stay on the path from which they were created, and at other times become something completely different. This was the case with Beetlejuice. The original script was intended to be a horror film. Beetlejuice was supposed to be a reptilian demon who could transform into human form in order to interact with the Maitland’s and the Deetz’s.
Lydia was also supposed to be a minor character, with her six-year-old sister Cathy being the Deetz child able to see the Maitland’s.
Thankfully, Tim Burton adjusted the original script, turning Beetlejuice into a con artist while interjecting humor over dark and gory tones.
According to Michael Keaton, “the Beetlejuice” was described to him by Tim Burton as “having lived in every time period but no time period.” Keaton used Burton's description to create personal touches such as his wild hair, makeup, and large teeth.
10 Delia Had Some Odd Fashion Quirks
Upon being introduced to the Deetz’s in Beetlejuice, it’s natural to assume that they make an awful couple. But in a true Tim Burton way, these two are attracted to one another by being polar opposites. Burton presents this throughout the film in a variety of ways, but the red sweater incident is by far the funniest and most memorable.
Chuck wears the cheesy red sweater as it's meant to be worn while Delia wears it as pants with suspenders. The two yuppies are both cheesy regarding their tastes and express themselves in their own unique ways. Delia is also shown wearing her black gloves as a hairband during the Deetz’s first dinner in their new home. Much like her sculpting, her creative ideas are based on usurping the norm.
9 Roger Ebert Wasn't A Fan Of The Film
Although Tim Burton is a true visionary, famed critic Roger Ebert wasn't Beetlejuice's biggest fan. He gave the film two out of four stars and felt that the romance between the deceased Maitland couple should have been expanded on rather than the "slapstick" dark humor that gave the film its unique visuals.
He also wasn't thrilled with Michael Keaton's performance, claiming that the actor was "unrecognizable behind pounds of makeup" and that "his scenes don't seem to fit with the other action."
8 Tim Burton's Humor Is Biting And Dark
What Tim Burton considers funny is, well — different from societal norms. His use of non-PG innuendos are hard to catch because they’re not obvious. Delia responds to Lydia’s comment about the MSG in the Cantonese takeout dinner by telling her not to get her private parts in a bunch and ruin dinner. But in a much subtler way. Charles added to the innuendo by responding, “don’t bait your mother.”
He then says, “As soon as we get settled, we'll build you a dark room in the basement, okay?” To which Lydia responds: “My whole life is a dark room. One big dark room.” And to sum up Delia best, she ends the conversation with “So you were miserable in New York City, and now you're going to be miserable out here in the sticks. At least someone's life hasn't been upheaved.”
7 The Snake Had To Be Adjusted When Keaton Signed On
Casting for Beetlejuice was hard because of actors turning the gig down. This didn’t faze Burton at all as he began shooting what he could. Michael Keaton was one actor who signed on late, and one of the first scenes shot was the snake incident. Initially, the snake looked nothing like Keaton. Re-shoots were done on the snake after Keaton came on board, which included wild hair and minor adjustments. But it still looked nothing like Beetlejuice.
The scene also included a bunch of goofs too. Beetlejuice turns into the snake from the railing. But the railing is back a few beats later while Betelgeuse is scaring the pants off everyone. A few beats later, the railing is gone again. Charles’ shoes change too, having red tops when first caught by Beetlejuice and being fully black a moment later.
6 Deliver Me From L.L. Bean
The relationship between Delia and Otho is beyond entertaining. From remodeling the home to Otho being her evil lackey, there’s never a dull moment while they’re sharing the screen. The best scene takes place when the Deetz’s first move in.
Immediately upon entering, Otho and Delia scheme in how to change the house. Upon picking a color paint, Otho states “You've read my mind! So few clients are up for the experience!” This is followed by an indoor outhouse comment for the bathroom and our personal favorite, “Deliver me from L.L. Bean.”
“If you don't let me gut out this house and make it my own, I will go insane, and I will take you with me!” It’s your bed Chuck, better lie in it.