Beetlejuice simply wouldn’t be the same without them.Ĭritical reaction to the film was largely mixed – but it did have its champions.
Songs by Belafonte – “Day-O” and “Jump in the Line (Shake, Señora)” – were only added by Burton late on due to the script’s original Motown choices being too expensive.
While the odds were stacked against a film that, on paper, failed to scream box office triumph, somehow it’s become the bona fide classic it is today. Beetlejuice is a shining example of this – rare proof that too many cooks might not spoil the broth, after all. It was really fun because we were essentially creating a character.”Įvery decade, there are several films whose sleeper-hit success surprises the world. “I Michael’s house and the two of us would come up with jokes. “A lot of the stuff in the film was improvised,” says Burton. It remains one of the film’s most entertainingly quotable scenes, thanks to its hilarious references to Juilliard and William Friedkin’s horror classic The Exorcist (1973). Consider his rip-roaring introduction scene: as the self-named “Ghost with the Most” hilariously collides with the strait-laced Maitlands, it’s hard to know what Keaton is reciting and what he’s coming up with on the spot. Keaton’s casting breathed new life into the script thanks to his willingness to improvise. Thankfully, his self-confessed “laziness” subsided and he accepted Burton’s offer. Keaton, hoping to spend more time at home, initially turned down the role (“I didn’t quite get it and I wasn’t looking to work”). “Michael is manic, a livewire and he’s got these great eyes,” Burton would say, comparing the actor to Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff. One meeting later, however, and the director was convinced Keaton was the man for the job. The actor, then 35, had starring roles in commercial flops Mr Mom (1983), Johnny Dangerously (1984) and Gung Ho (1986) – all films that had evaded Burton’s radar. It was executive David Geffen who presented Burton with the idea of Keaton.
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