29/33
The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an insufferable family who have moved into their home, and hire a malevolent spirit to chase them away. This is Michael Keaton’s favorite movie. Otho’s shoes, when he’s painting the walls of the house, change from fire engine red elf shoes to white sneakers as he walks through the bathroom, and then back to red elf shoes as he enters the next room. Adam: What are your qualifications? Beetlejuice: Oh. Well… I went to Juilliard… I graduated from Harvard Business School. I travel a lot. I lived through the Black Death and had a great time during that time. I’ve seen THE EXORCIST ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT GETS FUNNIER AND FUNNIER EVERY TIME I SEE IT… NOT TO MENTION YOU’RE TALKING TO A DEAD MAN… NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I’m qualified? The Geffen company logo is accompanied by a macabre version of the song Banana Boat (sung by the film’s composer Danny Elfman). A work copy of the film has surfaced with a few added/alternate scenes. This version of the film is about 2 minutes shorter than the theatrical version, has a few added scenes and is missing others, is in black and white, and has a timecode at the bottom. This version has 4 major differences: Alternate Scene: The scene where Adam tries to leave the house after he and his wife die is different. Instead of a desert, he sees an empty darkness filled with moving cogs. English:Additional Scenes: There is an additional scene where Lydia develops the photos she took of Adam and Barbra. Then, after her mother yells at her and scolds her for cutting holes in her sheets, Lydia goes upstairs and tries to convince her father that the photos are real. There is more in the scene where the adults search the attic for ghosts where we see the desert monster trying to eat Adam and Barbra as they hang out of the attic window. Finally, there is an additional 2-minute scene at the end where we see Lydia riding her bike home from school and her parents talking to Jane on the phone about not wanting to sell the house. Lydia’s dance scene is shorter in this version, and there is no scene with Beetlejuice in the waiting room. The film ends with a final exterior shot of the house. Edited into Terror Toons (2002). Day-OTraditional, lyrics by William A. Attaway and Irving Burgie [Miscredited as written by William A. Attaway and [Irving Burgie (as Lord Burgess)]Performed by Harry BelafonteCourtesy of RCA Records. With ghosts and dead people, you would normally expect a horror film filled with screams and gory characters. But in Beetlejuice, we experience a new dimension of humor. Considering that the film was made in 1988 with limited special effects, Beetlejuice could simply be called “creativity at its finest.” Tim Burton is a pure visionary and with this film, one can’t help but appreciate the amount of creativity he displays and his ability to translate it to the screen. The acting is top notch on all fronts. One can’t help but admire the young and promising Winona Ryder – a flower ready to bloom. It would take a few viewings to fully appreciate the film.
