A lovely white house sits on top of a grassy hill. From the outside, it looks cozy. Inside, though, there’s a clash between the deceased owners and the new living residents. The classic haunted house story got a fresh twist in 1988’s Beetlejuice. In this film, the ghosts are the ones troubled by the living occupants.
Since its release, this Tim Burton classic has become a Halloween favorite. Fans have been waiting for a long time for a sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which brings them back into the world of the original film. But in the 1988 classic, can the living and the dead really get along?
This is the big question in Beetlejuice. Many famous horror films say that ghosts and humans can’t coexist, especially if the ghosts are malevolent and want to disrupt human lives with grim results. But Beetlejuice isn’t a typical haunted house story. The answer it offers is quite surprising.
Fans might remember the “Day-O” dinner scene or be inspired by Winona Ryder’s goth style, but the ending reveals a heartwarming family dynamic at the core of this horror-comedy.
Tim Burton Blends the Absurd and the Normal in Beetlejuice
Danny Elfman’s exciting score opens Beetlejuice as the camera flies over the peaceful town of Winter River, Connecticut, before showing a miniature model of the town. The combination of perfect Americana and dark fantasy creates a unique atmosphere.
The town would seem charming if it weren’t for Elfman’s quirky music. This strange mix of a Norman Rockwell scene and gothic horror sets the tone for the entire film. The model belongs to Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) and his wife Barbara (Geena Davis).
They live a peaceful life in Winter River in that tall white house on the hill. However, their perfect small-town life soon faces a shake-up as non-traditional families become a central theme in Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice Is All About Non-Traditional Families
Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Winona Ryder, and Glenn Shadix for BeetlejuiceImage Via Warner Bros.
The Maitlands are a loving couple who can’t have children due to possible infertility. Their house seems too big for them, as their overbearing local real estate agent, Jane (Anne McEnroe), points out. Sadly, the Maitlands’ dream of having kids ends when they die in a car accident and become ghosts.
They are stuck in their house with a ghostly “house arrest” and risk entering limbo if they leave. They can’t stop their home from being sold and soon the Deetz family moves in. The Deetz family brings a disconnect between Lydia (Winona Ryder) and her stepmom Delia (Catherine O’Hara), adding to the theme of non-traditional families.
The Maitlands, facing the loss of their beloved home, become frustrated with the differences between them and the Deetzes. This tension between the living and the dead grows in Beetlejuice.
Lydia Deetz Forms a Connection With a Married Ghost Couple
Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz in BeetlejuiceImage Via Warner Bros.
The Maitlands and their town of Winter River seem “sugar and spice.” But the Deetzes bring abstract artwork and Lydia’s goth moodiness. Lydia, dressed all in black, feels her life has been “one big dark room.”
Her parents are too busy to notice her loneliness. Her father wants to enjoy the suburb’s peace, while Delia is disappointed in their new home. Alone, Lydia discovers her new house is haunted by its past owners. Being a bit of a weirdo who likes dark things, she is thrilled to live with ghosts.
Since the Maitlands aren’t very good at scaring people, they accidentally become friends with Lydia. She gets the attention from them that she doesn’t get from her parents. There is a connection between the Maitlands and Lydia, but it isn’t strong yet.
The couple tries to find help when their haunting methods fail. They discover that the afterlife is similar to the living world, with bureaucratic, overworked staff. They don’t get the help they hoped for, and Barbara begins to like having Lydia around, but obstacles remain. Both the living and the dead want something from each other.
Lydia Calls on Beetlejuice to Save Barbara and Adam
The Maitlands’ failure to scare people becomes a bigger issue when Delia, Otho (Glenn Shadix), and the Deetzes’ city friends plan to exploit the haunted house. But in this movie, the biggest threat comes from the troublesome, pervy, bio-exorcist, Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton).
Living in Adam’s model town, Betelgeuse is unpredictable. The Maitlands seek his help, only to quickly realize they’ve made a mistake. He molests Barbara and takes it upon himself to scare the Deetzes in a dangerous way the Maitlands wouldn’t consider.
Otho accidentally starts the process of exorcising the Maitlands, so Lydia reluctantly calls on Betelgeuse, accepting his marriage proposal to save the Maitlands. Lydia’s parents can’t stop Betelgeuse, so the Maitlands have to save the day:
Adam crashes a model car into Betelgeuse’s foot, and Barbara rides a sandworm to eat him. This brings both sides together in their need to protect Lydia. Barbara and Adam accept that they can share the house with the Deetzes, showing that ghosts and humans can coexist on good terms.
Are Adam and Barbara Still Dead at the End of Beetlejuice?
Lydia Deetz floating in the air dancing in front of a staircase in BeetlejuiceImage via Warner Bros.
Delia and Charles are still around, but the Maitlands find the surrogate child they couldn’t have in life with Lydia. This creates an unusual, non-traditional family.
The film shows there is no one correct way to define a family. The Maitlands help Lydia become a happier person than she was at the start. The usual haunted house story is turned on its head. At first, the ghosts bothered the living, but in the end, the living and the dead learn to accept each other.
When Lydia floats and sings to a Harry Belafonte song, thanks to Adam’s supernatural powers, it’s more than just a memorable scene. As is typical in Tim Burton’s films, the ordinary and the fantastic blend together.
According to this view, the living and the dead can coexist in Beetlejuice, despite their differences. While Beetlejuice Beetlejuice takes a different direction with three generations of Deetz women, the original film shows that death doesn’t have to be the end and life can be filled with strange and unusual experiences.
