There was plenty to love about the movie besides Keaton, but he certainly was the MVP of the cast. It wouldn’t have been the same with anyone else as the “villain.”
My father used to spend his summers in East Corinth, Vermont and owned the land that led up to the bridge that the Maitlands crashed off of. When they were filming, they had to block any traffic to the road that connected to the bridge. My father offered to collect and deliver the mail to the people on that road. In appreciation, he and my brother (who was visiting on that day) were invited to lunch with the director, cast and workers. He reported everyone was very nice and outgoing. As you point out, there was no covering to the bridge, so one was built for the movie. After filming, the filming company offered to repair the bridge and leave it for the town, but surprisingly, they turned them down (of course, Vermont is well known for their covered bridges). Never understood that.
The ONLY person who could have done a better job, would have Totally changed the whole movie! Robin Williams❤! His way of impromptu spontaneity would have made it a much bigger success or totally ruined it, no telling the outcome😂! Sammy Davis Jr 😮???
I was ten years old when I saw this movie in the theater, my dad took me. He was a big time movie buff, he just loved going to the movies. He always thought Michael Keaton should have gotten an Oscar for this role.
I got the high def version a while back. I was impressed by the smoke coming out of Juno’s neck when she smokes. There were a lot of details the were missed in the VHS version.
This movie was such a huge part of my childhood, as was the cartoon. I rewatched it a couple years' back with my wife, who hadn't seen it growing up, and we were both like, "parents let their kids watch this?!" Different times. If you haven't listened to the musical soundtrack, I'd highly recommend it. The main memorabilia I have comes from the musical, which I got to see in April when Broadway reopened (my wife got us tickets for my birthday in November 2021 for April 2022). It is amazing! I've got the souvenir program and a t-shirt that's purple tye-dye with 3 black juice boxes across it, each with a neon green beetle. The musical gives Beej a backstory, and a lot more time center-stage. And the sandworms are still there!
@@Eet_Mia I'm pretty sure I was 9-10 when it came out on VHS and we rented it. My brother could do the "I've seen the Exorcist 167 times" speech when he was 5. To be fair, we usually saw it on TBS with the worst things cut out.
@@Eet_Mia I don't disagree. I'm only saying that was how my parents viewed things at the time. I wouldn't show my niblings any media without consulting their parents first. I don't have kids of my own, so I don't know what age I'd deem it appropriate to watch certain things, but my siblings are very savvy about what they expose their kids to, and I defer to them.
The mysterious thing Beetlejuice says when you pulled the string is "Woah! Almost lost my head." It actually says it right there on the box right below the string.
I found it strange but I also loved the fact that beetlejuice merch was prominently displayed at the Halloween store this year and many others. I almost thought there was a remake out or something with how available things were. Still charming after all these years.
I hope to all the gods that they don't reboot this film. There were talks, but it just won't work. I think they were considering a sequel of some kind though. No one can replace Keaton (real name Michael Douglas 🤣) as Beetlejuice though. It's as iconic as RDJ as Iron Man.
I was born in 1981 and the fact that this starts with a warning for children is HILARIOUS. The ghost with the most was the movie and a cartoon. The studio just said, “ deal with it!!! “
The people sitting near Juno’s office, I just thought it was the waiting room… Which really makes sense! As we well know the deceased had to wait forever for their appointments.
The "Denmark" Beetlejuice poster is actually the German Beetlejuice poster and it has written Lottergeist (skanky ghost) on it, which merely is a wordplay on Poltergeist (same in German, because this the language it originated from). The subtitle reads: ..."because recently deceased lives longer" (literally, thus grammatically incorrect), i.e. "...because being recently deceased makes you live longer". On the design I agree, but it still made me watch it in cinema for more than 25 times And It Kept Getting Funnier Every Single Time I Saw It! 😉
Same 😊 The danish title and catchfrase was “De spøjse spøgelser - Du raller af grin på dødens rand”. Something like “The funny ghosts - you rattle of laughter on the edge of death”. But a play on words “spøjs” is close to “spøjelse” (ghost). Because danish movieposters had a habit of making really weird titles.
I always thought that the stop motion special effects were an absolute aesthetic choice, as it's exactly the sort of thing Tim Burton does so very well. Figured it was just part of the Burton effect.
Me too I always thought the stop motion scenes have looked like they looked in the movie because that’s exactly how Tim Burton wanted them to look like
I have always loved Beetlejuice and for a while wished that a sequel would come to life but I realized that even if they made a second one there really isn't a place to start for a story line and most likely wouldn't hold a candle to the magic and creativity of the original and if one day someone gets the bright idea to remake it I would not be too excited because you just can't beat that performance
Unfortunately they are in the works to making Beetlejuice 2 becuz Hollywood cant think of anything original anymore and are starting to remake everything over again including Back to the Future. :(
Even though Beetlejuice wrapped up nicely and all of its threads closed...it would be very easy to make a sequel. Not that I want them to but there is so much we don't know about Beetlejuice's world. Just on that premise alone one could find their angle. Here are some ideas that show some potential... 1. They could do a Beetlejuice origin story and even use Michael Keaton as "The Ghost With The Most." 2. Given the time between the first film and now they could totally reboot the franchise. 3. You could do a story focused on Beetlejuice fighting against the undead bureaucracy. One that could feature many families instead of just the one. They could all be his collateral damage. 4. You could do a film focusing on Delia as an adult. In that you could show a very angry and vengeful Beetlejuice trying to destroy her life. As much as I like the Beetlejuice franchise I hope that it stays unspoiled as an American classic. Not every great performance needs as encore. Unfortunately, Hollywood doesn't understand that and will likely run this once venerable franchise and run it into the ground.
My grandfather was a funeral director, and this movie has been a favorite since I saw it as a teen in the theater. I was also Red Wedding Dress Lydia for 2018, the 30th anniversary of the release. 🖤
Tim Burton used to rock. A Jim Jarmusch level American director. This flick was as great as Tremors and Willow and Labrynth and Ghost Busters and Gremlins and Indiana Jones. Love it.
@Tiffany Sollog A big part of my record collection is comedy. If you get a laugh from macabre humour, here's a couple recommendations for you to check out: --(single skit from 1973) "Ajax Mortuary" by Hudson and Landry, where a guy is calling a funeral parlour to arrange services for his dead brother --(full Warner Bros album from 1959) "Spike Jones In Stereo: A Spooktacular In Screaming Sound!" Can't go wrong with great dark humour, impressive stereo effects (for its time!), with lots of help from cartoon voice actor Paul Frees. Stereo records were only available for a year before this LP came out, and though Warners made phenomenal stereo sound, this the only memorable WB album before they signed The Everly Brothers. It wasn't until The Beatles' 1967 Sgt. Peppers LP that stereo mixing was used so effectively again! (Extra factoid: "Coloratura" singer Loulie Jean Norman is the female on this album. That's her "coloratura" singing on the original Star Trek TV theme!)
Beetlejuice is one of my all-time favourites! Thank goodness for Geffen's and Burton's influences. Their collective efforts made it something with wider appeal! The so called B-movie special effects add to the charm... cgi would've over cooked it
@@Viking_Luchador The reply took something Minty said into account. You're correct about the time period and no cgi as we know it now. It's all good - still a fantastic film
The artwork for the Handbook for the Recently Deceased is almost as iconic as the poster art but no one really talks about its origin or what inspired the look. It reminds me of book covers from the 1920s, I could almost envision it on a Fitzgerald novel. Anyone know more about the Handbook?
Perhaps he did live through the Plague, but then attended Harvard as a ghost? And haunted the museum, learning about everything in it as well! haha 600 years as a ghost, ya gotta keep yourself busy somehow, right?
The "Denmark" poster is actually the German version. I remember it from when I watched Beetlejuice when it was released on VHS. "Lottergeist" doesn't mean Poltergeist. "lotter" translates to something like slacker, idler, loafer, loiterer or no-good.
I think the ‘guide’ outfit that Beetlejuice wears at first is just to make Adam and Barbara feel comfortable with him as he’s their guide into the afterlife.
Thanks for revisiting one of my favorite movies. In the United States, most rentals also came in sturdy plastic cases. Only retail store bought copies came in the cheap cardboard boxes.
Beetlejuice is a perfect movie from the 80's! I love everything about this movie! I enjoyed this video, you have a lot of information about the movie, I didn't know! It was cool seeing all the memorabilia you have of Beetlejuice! Great Job! Thanks for the watch!
Definitely a gateway film for new horror fans. I love ghoulish make up effects and stop motion animation. Juno, the caseworker, is my favorite character.
They came out with a "Monster High" set with the daughter of Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz in her photographer outfit...they has been doing a lot of WB horror collector dolls from that series, even some Stephen King ones.
BeetleJuice helped me understand things about myself and my way of handling grief and anxiety of what comes after life and give it comfort/comedy. I don’t believe many people understand just how much impact movies have on many people and give them “feels”/ type of “inspiration” in life.
My band mates and I watched Beetlejuice every night for (at least) 14 days, bringing nearly 200 band supporters (groupies/friends) for the last week, and being greeted by the cinema owner with free popcorn. We also kept the movie in Cinema #1 for the whole two weeks (maybe more, my memory is shot). $0.02
Props for having excellent choice in cartoon series as a kid! They were my favs as well (along with the 1990s Ninja Turtles). Also: as of a few years ago, the Beetlejuice cartoon series is available for purchase in the USA; it's for sale at Walmart right now, as a matter of fact, as I saw it there just recently.
It might or might not hint at Beetlejuices true identity, but it's interesting to note he is credited as Betelgeuse in the actual credits. In the original script, he was meant to be an middle eastern man like you said in the video, and Betelgeuse happens to be an Arabic word meaning "The Giant's shoulder." However, it's also interesting to note that Saturn seems to be linked to the netherworld in some way, and it's likely that the stars and planets themselves play into the lore of Beetlejuices world somehow, but not based particularly on any real world religious-equivalent beliefs about stars. In a deleted scene, Mr. Maitland is seen running across a literal clock that controls time, so it may be that the world of Beetlejuice is just meant to be taken at a surreal level only. As for the tour guide thing, I just interpreted it as like many of his other costumes, a visual gag (a guide to the Maitlands), and to show how cartoonishly mischievous he actually is. It's likely he could have actually somehow experienced many time periods as a dead person, and could still have lived through the black plague, while also still probably being a lie to "sell himself." We may never know truly who he was, but he definitely is a conman through and through.
I have a Beetlejuice minifigure with a brick built sandworm, a "Handbook For The Recently Deceased" party pack & some Back To The Future comics. I also love the Beetlejuice soundtrack.🙂
100% agree with you about Beetlejuice - I've lost count of the amount of times I've watched it and for the record, I'd just like to say I'm extremely jealous of your collection
If they make another Beetlejuice, which could still work (but the window is closing), it would NEED to be a prequel... set the movie entirely in the Neitherworld. It would revolve around Beetlejuice first arriving in the Neitherworld and having to deal with all the insanity, maybe he gets his first assignment and it deals with having to scare off someone (which is how he learns his tricks of the trade). There could be a villain of course, Juno and other iconic characters from the first movie, characters from the cartoon series in live action, a visit to Dante’s Inferno Room, and in the end he escapes all the bureaucracy to create his own company. We find out his origins, see him in his living form, see why he hates Sandworms, and the big grab would be getting to see the Neitherworld fully realized and fleshed out. They would definitely need to keep the look and feel of the first movie, use stop motion again, and most importantly take inspiration from the cartoon for the look of the Neitherworld. If they could bring back Burton and do the movie this exact way, I guarantee it would be a massive hit and maybe even get people back in theater seats. I’d call the movie “Beetlejuice: It’s Showtime.”
Juno said he's over 600 years old, so maybe what was meant by "he's lived in every time period" is that, in each time period, he tricked someone living into marrying him, just like Lydia. He probably kept dying or killing himself each time.
So by that math, if you take the year the movie came out as the same year the film takes place in and subtract it by Beetleguese’s age, that would mean Beetleguese was born in 1388.
What surprised me in the movie is how polar opposite the character Baldwin plays compared to his real personality, almost made me believe that he had compassion lol
Actually, when Bettlejuice gives the Maitlands his CV, everything he said about himself is true...for Michael Keaton. So he wasn't lying...sort of. This is according to IMDB.
It's theory time! 😉: Having seen this movie an unaccountable amount of times, I've developed my own theory of who, or what Beetlejuice actually is. I'll try to give this clue list as much order I can, but Beetlejuice is pretty chaotic so... as far as when he "lived," as mentioned he seems to be able to have lived at any time as well as no specific time; it's actually more helpful to give more attention to what Beetlejuice (says he) does or reacts during the different events he's experience throughout time. i.e., the Black Plague he had a pretty good time during that! He also mentions that he travels quite extensively, and that he has seen "The Exorcist" about 167 times and it keeps getting funnier (every time he sees it.) All these mentioned factors can easily indicate Beetlejuice to be demonic or of demonic nature. His general appearance (to me) hints at an executed prisoner. Then there is his relationship with Juno... a name, as well as the character, being associated with a position of authority, either bureaucratically or divinely. Beetlejuice is said to have started out as Juno's assistant, but started doing things he shouldn't and becoming more and more brazen and arrogant before finally opposing the system altogether. Keep going down this Hell-hole and remember the quote, "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." There is also an alternative to this idea/saying, that being if someone mentions the devil (or says his name) 3 times, only then will he appear. My last bit is in his name itself: "Beetlejuice," very similar to "Beelzebub," aka "The Lord of the Flies;" and Beetlejuice, during the film, does persuade a fly to approach near Beetlejuice only for the ghost with the most to catch and eat the fly. So, my theory is that Beetlejuice is an incarnation of Lucifer/Satan. 🙃🤔🤨😈🙀😲🥺😁
Beetlejuice could not have been an executed prisoner. Beetlejuice had to have committed suicide. In order to become junos assistant, a civil servant, you have to commit suicide; which is proven by Otho, and again by the beauty pageant winner who becomes the secretary and says she "wouldnt have had her little accident" while showing her slit wrists. Juno can be seen with smoke rising from a slit in her throat as she smokes. She must have done this to become a civil servant.
@@WonkaWillE Yeah, he's probably not an executed prisoner, per say, but if he was a version of Satan then, one, he wasn't alive in the first place; it would actually mean he was created as an angel who "committed suicide" by attacking the throne, but failed, was captured then "executed" by being hurled into the depths of Hell. It's just a matter of perspective, and basically a humorous intended theory idea based on biblical and theatrical comparative observations.
@@SonOfTheDawn515 indeed. My theory is just that: a theory... a observational idea of what Beetlejuice could represent. Not so much that he is, but ,more of a kind of pattern he falls in.
Your love for the subject is what makes this video great. I assumed he died during the plague and attended business school as a ghost. Probably around the time he got married before. Maybe that was his first attempt to escape. We need a prequel XD
Thanks for the revisit and deeper dive into the lore. “Vermont, New England?” If I may kindly correct that the New England reference is just a directional collection of states such as the Midwest or the South and not an official district.
I bought the Beetlejuice soundtrack album on vinyl when it first came out, less than a month after I saw the movie in theaters. I still have the album.
I think the tour guide outfit was donned by Beetlejuice to give Adam and Barbara the sense that they could trust him to give them a tour of the afterlife and/or their town model he was currently occupying. Like when he wanted Adam to think they were “simpatico”, or like-minded, he magically donned the same outfit Adam was wearing. I don’t think it was a glimpse into who he was when he was alive, so much as it was part of the deception to try to win Adam and Barbara over so he could perform the “bio-exorcism” and use them for his own purposes. …Just my opinion, of course.
Interesting! Take a peek at the 1985 David Lee Roth "California Girls " video on RU-vid and his YOUR GUIDE costume, could this be the inspiration for Beetlejuice's TOUR GUIDE outfit? Thoughts????
i have a theory about him after watch this video. That may of been him when he die. The last time. I think he never told a lie about his past. He actually did it all . He has lived many lives via the marriage loophole. it never said out right. What happens to a ghost who get married but we can guest from the ending . they get a second life. That being said. He may of married mortals a few time.
He's almost like the most chaotic neutral in a sense? Where he's not one element, but multiple elements all wrapped up in one psychotic, intelligent, hilarious package! 😁😈💖 Well done Minty!
Beetlejuice just might be my favorite movie and score of all time! I have the Kenner toys and pull string doll from my childhood. I'm 35 and a stay at home mom. My daughter also loves Beetlejuice. I'd love to have the vinyl to listen to while I do mom chores but because I am myself strange and unusual 🖤
One theory I've heard about who Beetlejuice is, revolves around some facts that he mentions. In particular, that harvard business school comment. 1908 is right around the time when seances were in fashion for people to perform. There are historic records of both Victorian and Edwardian people gathering around trying to commune with the dead. Now, we know that he's gone to great lengths to try to shake off the spirit world. It's entirely possible that he was summoned during one of these seances, and took control of someone, who in turn graduated Harvard. What's more, he could have then gone on to fight in, and die (sorta die, host dies) in WW1, which would put him right back at square one. Thus he avoids being exorcized, and gets more and more interested in leaving the spirit world. That allows him to have been around both times.
I actually have that Beetlejuice cartoon Boxset here in the US. I forgot how I got it, but I bought it specifically so my daughter can see it. She loved it so much and became a fan of the cartoon and rewatched it over and over. She loves dark themed things since my wife and I are the same in this.
I LOVED both Beetlejuice the movie & the cartoon, as a kid, & still do!! I had no idea that there was an action figure of the cartoon version, of Beetlejuice. I just remember the movie tie in Beetlejuice figures, some of which I had. I also don't remember the talking Beetlejuice, either. Minty, your house is so cool!! There's classic movie memorabilia everywhere!!! I must own that box set of the Beetlejuice animated series!! If they ever decided to remake Beetlejuice, which I hope they don't, they should probably go with that original dark script.
I like the movie but I LOVE the cartoon! The cartoon is my favorite animated series!!! Also yes, there is a brand new Beetlejuice animated series figure set. I’m hoping to get my hands on the new Beetlejuice and Lydia soon!
Michael Keaton is my favorite actor because of Beetlejuice and Batman. I have a Beetlejuice backpack and Beetlejuice overalls but I need more stuff, obviously. Anywho, thanks for making these videos 🖤
Beetlejuice is one of my favorite movies from the 80s. As a kid I laughed so hard and enjoyed it so much, I watched it around Halloween almost every year. Plus to this day I still love Danny Elf man’s theme for the movie, it’s totally unmistakable. I remember walking into a Spirit Halloween store once and heard it start up. I looked at my best friend who was with me, grinned and “Beetlejuice, cool!” Lol
I can still remember holding that talking Beetlejuice toy in my hands at Kay-Bee toys when it came out. Mom definitely refused to buy it for me. Doubt I would have kept it in the box though.
I have a "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" billfold wallet! My Boyfriend got it for me for my birthday one year and I've had it ever since! I wish I could share a picture of it on here! We also got to meet Vee Neil when we went to our local Horror Con last year! We were so honored to meet her. 🖤
I’m not a huge Tim Burton fan boy but I would know fairly quickly that he is a great investment in the movie game. Love the alternative movie posters. I would change NOTHING about this movie! Keaton never fails to impress me.
technically, they were killed by a dog, which is why they became ghosts...sounds weird, but true. suicides and murder victims become ghosts in this universe
okay now did you really have to include the most traumatic movie moment of my childhood, large marge? was genuinely haunted for years and you just had to go and trigger my ptsd. thanks a lot
Minty has come up on those views! Good job man! Keep it up, it's always great to get off of a late shift to enjoy one of your posts! Much love man from Virginia!
At timestamp 5:38 If it has not already been mentioned here or previous video of Beetlejuice, Sammy Davis Jr. had already starred in a movie as a demon, Poor Devil in 1973, who was trying to be promoted from the furnace room to a full-fledged demon. It was kind of like the Twilight zone, Cavender Is Coming: Season 3, Episode 36 (1962), where an guardian angel was trying to get a promotion by helping Carol Burnett.
I have a very early memory when I must've been only 3 years old of my parents or grandparents buying me some Beetlejuice toys at K-Mart or some other store that doesn't exist anymore. I had several Beetlejuice variants, his car, and the grave playset (which is one of the best toys I ever had). Possibly Adam Maitland too. Fantastic toys. Beetlejuice would have to be on my top 10 list of movies, and it holds up as an adult. Watch it every year.
