20 Things You Somehow Missed In Beetlejuice

Every incredible detail in Tim Burton's iconic cult classic.

By Jack Pooley /

Believe it or not, Beetlejuice turned 35 years old earlier this year - a mesmerising fantastical horror-comedy which categorically put director Tim Burton on the map while also doing wonders for his terrific ensemble cast.

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In the three-plus decades since its release, Beetlejuice has lost none of its lustre or appeal - it remains as entrancingly stylish and devilishly funny as ever, all while Burton waits for the SAG-AFTRA strike to finish so he can complete the final days of production on the long-awaited sequel.

As for the original, it's the gift that keeps on giving, with repeat viewings only unfurling more neat details you almost certainly missed the first time.

And to that end, here are 20 things you've almost certainly never noticed in Beetlejuice, from unexpected cameos to incredible sight gags, hilarious Easter eggs, and deeply macabre inside jokes on the part of Tim Burton and his crew.

Years before Easter eggs became an industry in of themselves in Hollywood - looking at you, Disney - Burton and co. were out here cramming the frame with more detail than any reasonable viewer could keep track of. And so, here's the best of the lot...

20. Jack Skellington's Cameo

Much as Beetlejuice informs the aesthetic that would define much of Tim Burton's subsequent career, it also explicitly nods towards one of his most iconic future projects.

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Near the end of the movie when Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) transforms into a terrifying-looking carnival monstrosity, keep an eye on what can be fleetingly seen on the top of his head.

Why, it's a very distinctive-looking skeleton - one which bears an uncanny resemblance to Jack Skellington, the protagonist of the Burton-conceived, Henry Selick-directed 1993 stop-motion animated classic The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Burton had apparently been drawing this skeletal figure for years prior to The Nightmare Before Christmas finally entering production, and so eagle-eyed fans can catch a proto-Jack hanging around on top of Beetlejuice's head.

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