1988 film by Tim Burton
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American gothic comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson. The film stars Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, along with Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder.
The plot revolves around Adam and Barbara Maitland, a recently deceased couple. As ghosts, they are not allowed to leave their house. They contact Betelgeuse, a sleazy "bio-exorcist", to scare the house's new inhabitants away. The film prominently features music from Harry Belafonte's albums Calypso and Jump Up Calypso.
Beetlejuice was released in the United States on March 30, 1988, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $84 million against a $15 million budget. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and three Saturn Awards: Best Horror Film, Best Makeup, and Best Supporting Actress for Sylvia Sidney. The film's success spawned a media franchise, consisting of an animated television series, video games, a 2018 stage musical and a 2024 sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.