September is here, and spooky season has officially begun.
Of course, many won’t agree with that statement, especially with our current 90 degree weather, but these people are wrong. I have waited nine months for September to roll around, and even though it may be too soon for Tanner’s Orchard trips and pumpkin carving, there’s nothing wrong with getting into the fall spirit right now.
This year marks something big for lovers of All Hallows Eve: the 30th anniversary of Beetlejuice. Directed by Tim Burton, this creepy comedy first opened in March of 1988 (a weird month for such a film to debut, but I digress) and grossed over $73.7 million, according to its IMDb page.
This best horror film winner at the 1988 Saturn Awards gave us one of the most iconic versions of actor Michael Keaton, who played the titular role of Beetlejuice himself. This anti-hero has made a name for himself in the horror-comedy genre, thanks to his quick, devilish wit paired with his crude outlandish physical humor. His looks are equally distinguishable: sunken eyes, tattered black and white suit with serious prison-chic vibes, and decay covering his body that matches the fluorescent green of his hair. This “bio-exorcist” isn’t easy on the eyes.
But you can’t look away. Beetlejuice is a movie that has withstood the test of time. The self-proclaimed “ghost with the most” keeps viewers laughing at the weird and cringing at the strange for the mere 17 minutes of screen time he’s allotted.
The rest of the hour and a half duration of the movie is filled by the recently departed Maitland family, Adam, played by a young and almost handsome Alec Baldwin, and his wife Barbara, played by Geena Davis. Their embarrassing attempts at haunting the living residents in their premortem home bring a lighthearted touch to the film, which couples nicely with the unlikely friendship they form with the a-little-too-goth but relatable Lydia Deetz, who is brought to life by the Queen of Halloween herself, Winona Ryder.
The only way for the Maitlands to rid themselves of their living nightmares is to hire outside help in the form of Beetlejuice. He arrives to raise hell, and the torment begins.
Most of us have been fortunate enough to experience the hilarious, and oftentimes deranged, events that happen next. This movie is eye popping, literally (if you know, you know). Every fall it invites new viewers to follow the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, which all who are new to the afterlife should read thoroughly, and navigate the fantastical world that Burton created.
It only seems right that we use the celebration of this thirtieth birthday as a perfectly acceptable excuse to start feeling spooky.
Fall is coming, and this classic Burton film has the creepy, whimsical and unpredictable ingredients to make the perfect potion to give it a warm welcome. If you’re ready for changing leaves, pumpkin carving and horror movie marathons, then Beetlejuice is the perfect way to get you into the mood until it’s socially acceptable to fully indulge in the greatest time of the year.
