This is the story of Adam and Barbara who live in a beautiful house in New England. One day while driving home they are involved in a terrible auto accident. They manage to walk home only to discover later that they have died and now haunt their house. When their house is purchased by an out of state family, they feel their home is threatened by the over-the-top artists wife and real-estate idea-man husband. Their only relief is the Gothic daughter of the family. Their attempts at scaring the family out of the house are ignored or laughed at. Finally they fall to the temptation to use the people-exorcizer Beetle Juice. When they find his tactics too dangerous, they attempt to contain him and save the family they were trying to boot.

From the Gallery

Trivia & Facts

* The receptionist in the waiting room is Miss Argentina.
* Tim Burton originally wanted Sammy Davis Jr., a favorite star of his since childhood, to play the role of Betelgeuse but studio executives didn’t like that idea at all.
* Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] music by Danny Elfman
* The only cast member who would initially commit to the project was Geena Davis. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, ‘Catherine O’Hara ‘ , and Sylvia Sidney all said no at least once. Producer David Geffen convinced Michael Keaton’s manager to convince Michael to meet with director Tim Burton. Once Michael said yes, Tim Burton personally called Sylvia Sidney and begged her to do the movie, and he flew out to meet with Catherine O’Hara to convince her as well.
* In the wedding scene, Lydia’s dress is a bright red. According to the old rhyme about wedding dress colors, it’s “Married in red, better off dead.”
* During the sequence where Adam and Barbara enter Juno’s office and see her speaking to a recently deceased football team, a room full of ghosts can be seen through Juno’s office window. Among the ghosts in the audience are a red skeleton and a green skeleton (identical to the ones seen in Tim Burton’s later movie, Mars Attacks! (1996)), a woman with red hair, and two men in suits and Ray-Ban style sunglasses.
* Over the door in the waiting room, the sign reads “No Exit” in the same lettering as the standard “Exit” signs over most doorways, a reference to a play with that title by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play deals with three people who find themselves trapped with one another in a room shortly after they die.
* The studio disliked the title “Beetlejuice” and 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.
* Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] [dogs] The Maitland’s deaths are caused by a stray dog wandering around the bridge their car topples over.
* Michael Keaton spent only two weeks filming his part in the film.
* Michael Keaton only appears in 17.5 minutes of the film’s entire 92-minute running time.
* Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] [TV commercials] Betelgeuse’s TV commercial.
* Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] [stop-motion animation] The sculptures, sandworms, and various effects.
* Juliette Lewis auditioned for the role of Lydia.
* In early versions of the script, Lydia was a minor character. Originally, her adorable 6-year-old half sister, called Cathy, was meant to be the girl who befriended the Maitlands. Eventually the two characters were combined.
* This is Michael Keaton’s favorite film of his own.
* ‘Catherine O’Hara (I)’ was a replacement for an ill Anjelica Huston as Delia. On the set she met her future husband, production designer Bo Welch.
* The original plan for the dinner party was to have the guests dance to “a song by The Ink Spots,” but Jeffrey Jones and ‘Catherine O’Hara (I)’ suggested the music be calypso.
* As the Geffen logo rolls during the intro, soundtrack composer Danny Elfman is heard singing “Day-o, he say day-ay-ay-o.” This was added during post-production and is not heard on the released soundtrack.
* The title character Betelgeuse is named for a bright red star in the constellation of Orion.
* SPOILER: Betelgeuse’s name is said only 15 times. Barbara said it 8 times, Juno said it 2 times, and Lydia said it 5 times.

Quotes: Character

[On the new house]
“Delia hates it.”
[sees a HUGE spider on a web]
“I could live here.”

“Maybe YOU can relax in a haunted house, but I can’t.”

[Lydia is writing a suicide note] “I am alone.”
[erases and starts over]
“I am *utterly* alone.”

“My life is a dark room. One big dark room.”

“I myself am… strange and unusual.”

“You can’t scare her, she’s sleeping with Prince Valium tonight. ”

“Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse,”
[shouts]
“Betelgeuse!”

“I’m not scared of sheets. Are you gross under there? Are you Night of the Living Dead under there? Like all bloody veins and pus?”

Quotes: Miss Ryder

“I was in my all-black phase. I had this really gloomy look. In a way, we looked almost alike, we had the same tousled black hair, and we were both dressed primarily in black.”