Barbara and Adam Maitland are mid-decoration in their nice new house when they are involved in a car accident. Everything is turned upside down for the couple when they realise they are dead and actually now haunting their own home. The Deetzes from New York City arrive to take up residence, Barbara and Adam are distraught and they are driven to consult with Beetlejuice, a miscreant spirit who specialises in driving the living out of their abode by playing nasty tricks on them. He makes a much bigger impression on the Deetzes than the Maitlands do but he is such a loose cannon, he soon gets out of control and the Deetzes and the Maitlands must team up to stop his roguish ways. Whenever I was a kid, I thought Beetlejuice was about the funniest thing in the world and I spent hours watching it again and again. Looking back on it now with adult eyes, the film still retains its charm and wit. Michael Keaton is just the right side of craziness as Beetlejuice, he doesn't overplay it - which could have been a pitfall of the role. He is cooky without being hammy. But the real stars of the show are Geena Davis and Alex Baldwin as Barbara and Adam Maitland. They have excellent chemistry together as the young couple trying to cope with life after death. This was also a major breakthrough film for Winona Ryder as the Deetze's gothic daughter who can see the Maitlands. The humour is quite dark in the film, dealing as it does with the afterlife, but parts of the film are utterly hilarious and the film has lost none of its initial appeal. It is my favourite Tim Burton movie - an oldie but goldie!
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
