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Beetlejuice

It’s a safe bet most people won’t recognize Michael Keaton, Geena Davis or Alec Baldwin in this horror spoof about “the ghost with the most.” A few more additions to the comedy line-up include Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones, and a winningly drab performance by Winona Ryder.

Beetlejuice is a rotting ghost who prides himself on being an expert exterminator, skilled at ridding homes of the living (a “bio-exorcist”). The catch is he can only appear if someone says his name three times, and he is unable to say his own name aloud. Also, after he appears, if someone says his name thrice, he has to leave. This poses problems on both ends, the first where he has to resort to charades, and the second where he has to weld someone’s mouth shut.

Adam (Baldwin) and Barbara (Davis) are the original owners of a certain house in a small town, and continue “living” there after a fatal car accident. The Dietz’s (O’Hara and Jones) move in not long after, and their daughter Lydia (Ryder) goes exploring. The only problem is that Lydia can’t get into the attic. Adam and Barbara have entrenched themselves, and reject all attempts of attic infiltration. However, Lydia gains access when the deceased couple goes to the afterlife to seek post-death counseling. She is still there when they return, and the threesome forms an unlikely friendship, and much of the rest of the film is spent reaffirming that relationship.

It’s an old school film, with graphics that are hilarious because of the recent upgrades to CG. It’s also endearing to look back at a simpler time when Beetlejuice was on the cutting edge of effects, but live-action was the order of the day. Keaton’s acting is normally wooden, but Tim Burton made the right call. Keaton has the right amount of slapstick.

Long before Burton began frequenting Johnny Depp as a lead, he began his journey with Danny Elfman, who provides a perfectly ghoulish-yet-jaunty backdrop for Burton’s creation. This film is tons of fun. Eerie thrills blend perfectly with wit that’s not above going for the easy laugh.

Written by: Tracy Elledge

Reviewers Rating: 8.5
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