Top 20 Things You Didn't Know About Beetlejuice

Top 20 Things You Didn’t Know About “Beetlejuice”

Welcome to Watchmojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the little-known facts about Tim Burton’s beloved horror comedy.

#20: Most of the Cast Needed Convincing to Sign On
Tim Burton was still relatively unknown when “Beetlejuice” was being made. At the time, he’d only directed one other movie, “Pee-wee's Big Adventure.” So we can understand why most of the actors took one look at this weird script and said, “no thanks.” Michael Keaton turned down the role twice before Burton finally talked him into it. Alec Baldwin was worried the movie could actually kill his career. Reportedly, only Geena Davis said yes right away. Considering that the movie was a financial success – and has since become a classic – we’re guessing the entire cast is glad they took a chance on it.

#19: “Beetlejuice” Almost Had a Very Different Title
Tim Burton butted heads with Warner Bros. execs over many things throughout the production, and the film’s title was no exception. The studio didn’t like the title “Beetlejuice,” and instead wanted to call the movie “House Ghosts,” claiming that name did better with test audiences. At a meeting, Burton jokingly suggested they change the title to “Scared Sheetless.” When the studio actually gave that idea serious thought, Burton said he’d “jump out the window” if they went with it. In the end, the director held fast and got to keep the name “Beetlejuice.” We can probably all agree, that was absolutely the right move.

#18: The Meaning Behind the Red Wedding Dress
You might assume that putting Lydia in red for the wedding scene was just part of Burton’s unique aesthetic. But many fans think it’s actually a reference to a poem that dates back to Victorian times. The rhyme is meant to help young brides choose a dress color. It starts, “Married in white, you have chosen alright. Married in grey, you will go far away.” You get the gist. One line reads, “Married in red, you’ll wish yourself dead.” Lydia actually mentions wanting to be dead, especially after she gets to know the Maitlands. The dress color could be a coincidence, but knowing how much thought Burton puts into the look of his films, we’d bet it was intentional.

#17: An 80s TV Star Almost Played Barbara
Although it’s now one of her most famous roles, Geena Davis wasn’t the first choice for Barbara Maitland. Among the actresses who were considered were Laura Dern, Sigourney Weaver, and Goldie Hawn. But at the top of the list was “Cheers” star Kirstie Alley. She had joined the sitcom after Shelley Long’s departure, and reportedly couldn’t get out of her contract to film “Beetlejuice.” Alley went on to star in “Cheers” for six more years, until the series ended in 1993, and had a successful film career. Meanwhile, Davis turned in a flawless performance as one half of the naive but lovable Maitland couple. Ultimately, it was a win-win for everyone.


#16: Burton Had a Specific Look in Mind for the Effects
You might be surprised to hear that the budget for “Beetlejuice” only included $1 million for special effects. Even adjusted for inflation, that’s still less than $3 million in today’s money – not a lot for a movie that is mostly effects. But that didn’t bother Tim Burton, who was inspired by “Godzilla” movies he watched as a kid and the legendary stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. Burton purposely gave “Beetlejuice” a B-movie feel, with effects that looked intentionally cheap and homemade. Now, those effects are part of what makes the movie seem so timeless.

#15: The Epilogue Was Added at the Last Minute
Even though he’s troublesome and actually kind of dangerous, audiences can’t help but fall in love with Beetlejuice. In the first cut of the film, it was unclear what happens to the character after the sandworm attack. But in response to positive viewer feedback at test screenings, Burton decided to add a new final scene showing that the Ghost with the Most came out alive – or at least in one piece. Audiences loved the first waiting room scene so much that the director set the epilogue there. In it, Beetlejuice makes the mistake of provoking the witch doctor and ends up with a shrunken head.


#14: Catherine O’Hara Wasn’t the First Delia
Today it’s hard to imagine anyone other than O’Hara in the role of Delia Deetz. However, Anjelica Huston was actually the first person cast for the part. This makes sense, since Huston’s look seems to fit well with Burton’s aesthetic. But when Huston had to bow out due to an illness, producer David Geffen invited O’Hara to audition. She flew to L.A. but got terribly lost looking for Burton’s office and never made it to the audition. Fortunately, the studio offered her the role anyway. It worked out for everyone, since O’Hara is not only perfect in the part, she also met her future husband, production designer Bo Welch, on the set.

#13: The Number 3 Shows up Everywhere
Everyone knows you have to say Beetlejuice’s name three times to summon or get rid of him, but that’s not the only use of the number three in the film. Sharp-eared viewers might also have noticed that Barbara says “home” three times to get herself and Adam out of the model town. On top of that, the pair must knock on their hand-drawn door three times to enter the Neitherworld, and they get exactly three sessions with their caseworker Juno. Their house even has three floors, and after the Deetzes move in, the Maitlands spend nearly all of their time on the third floor. For some reason probably known only to Tim Burton, the number three has special significance in this strange universe.

#12: Michael Keaton May Have Been Inspired by Another Horror Comedy
A lot of horror fans can’t help but notice similarities between the character of Beetlejuice and that of Chop Top from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.” Since the movie came out in 1986 and “Beetlejuice” was filmed in 1987, it’s not crazy to think that Keaton based his performance, at least a little bit, on Bill Moseley’s turn as the cannibal. Plenty of sources have speculated that this is the case, though Keaton has apparently never confirmed it. Beetlejuice doesn’t actually kill anyone in his movie, so in that regard he’s somewhat less sinister than the sadistic Chop Top.


#11: “Beetlejuice” Made History
Remember when Netflix used to come in the mail? The company started as a mail-order DVD rental service all the way back in March of 1998. What was the first movie they sent to a customer? You guessed it: “Beetlejuice.” Many people don’t realize that the company continued mailing out rental DVDs until September 2023, though of course the service became far less popular when streaming came around. In that 25-year span, Netflix made more than 5 billion DVD shipments, and allowed its customers to keep the last round of discs that were sent out. And to think it all started with this campy classic.

#10: Many Young Stars Were Considered for the Role of Lydia
What do Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, and Molly Ringwald have in common? They were all reportedly under consideration to play Lydia, along with Jennifer Connelly, Juliette Lewis, and Diane Lane. The decision ultimately came down to Winona Ryder and Alyssa Milano. While Ryder was fairly unknown at the time, Milano had already had a starring role on “Who’s the Boss?” for several years. Ryder eventually won the part, of course, and Milano has since speculated how different her life might have been if she had been chosen instead. She may have been great as Lydia Deetz, but Ryder seems born to play her.

#9: Beetlejuice Is Named After a Star
The title of the movie might be “Beetlejuice,” but the character is technically named Betelgeuse, after a bright red star in the constellation Orion. The red giant derives its name from an Arabic phrase that means “hand of Orion.” We can understand why the studio went with the simpler spelling for the title. Even within the world of the movie, the characters joke about his name being hard to pronounce. Interestingly, his name is spelled not just two different ways, but three. In the film’s title card, there’s a space between “Beetle” and “Juice.” This seems to just be a mistake, since even in the original marketing posters, there’s no space between the two words.

#8: A Background Detail References a Real-Life Tragedy
You have to pay really close attention to catch this one. When Barbara and Adam first enter the Neitherworld, they find that it’s not so different from a busy, disorganized DMV office. A woman’s voice can be heard giving directions over a P.A. system. The Flight 409 that she mentions is a reference to a real United Airlines flight that tragically crashed in Wyoming, killing 66 people. That accident happened back in 1955, and “Beetlejuice” takes place in the 80s, so why are the victims just now arriving in the afterlife? Time is wibbly wobbly in this world – it passes differently depending on where you are. This means that people from many different eras could potentially reach the Neitherworld at around the same time.


#7: “Beetlejuice” Almost Got a Sequel Right Away
There have been rumors of a “Beetlejuice” sequel for years, and it almost happened right after the first film came out. Burton brought on screenwriter Jonathan Gems to write it, and he created “Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian.” It featured the Deetzes moving to Hawaii and building a resort on an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice would have saved the day by winning a surfing contest. However, Burton and Keaton got too busy with “Batman Returns.” Over the years, the script went through a series of rewrites – the studio even approached Kevin Smith to do one, though he turned it down. In the end, it never got made, which is probably for the best.

#6: Michael Keaton Improvised a Lot
Keaton had a major role in creating the character of Beetlejuice, and Burton was happy to go along with it. The ghost’s look was almost entirely Keaton’s idea, though the iconic striped suit was Burton’s doing. Burton also encouraged him to improvise, which Keaton did brilliantly. In fact, he was so funny, he nearly killed co-star Alec Baldwin. Thanks to all that improvisation, many of Beetlejuice’s most famous lines weren’t even in the original script. Keaton is a comedic genius, and when you set him free, you never know what you’re going to get.

#5: The Original Script Was Very Different
Believe it or not, “Beetlejuice” wasn’t originally conceived as a comedy. The first version of the script was a lot darker. The character of Beetlejuice was totally different. Instead of a deceased human, he would have been a demon with wings who took the form of a Middle Eastern man. He was a lot less funny and a lot more malevolent. The Maitlands’ car crash would have been more gruesome, and the film would have ended with Lydia dying in a fire. In another ending that was considered, Beetlejuice is destroyed during an exorcism. The Maitlands are shrunk down and move into the model version of their house. After multiple rewrites, we finally got the “Beetlejuice” we know and love.

#4: The Movie Contains Easter Eggs for Burton’s Future Films
Tim Burton’s mind is a dark and mysterious place. He’s constantly doodling, often while filming. Occasionally, he imagines new characters years before they actually appear in a movie. In a bizarre scene in “Beetlejuice,” Adam and Barbara are summoned to Juno’s office, and behind them is an audience of the dead watching through a window. Among them are a pair of red and green skeletons just like those in 1996’s “Mars Attacks!” Later in the film, we get a glimpse of a skull that looks a lot like Jack Skellington from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Coincidentally Michael Keaton is also wearing bat wings in the scene, despite the fact that Burton didn’t yet know he’d be working on “Batman.”


#3: Michael Keaton Wasn’t Burton’s First Choice to Play Beetlejuice
We can’t imagine this movie with anyone other than Keaton in the title role, but it almost didn’t happen. Burton had a very different actor in mind for the part. That’s right, Sammy Davis Jr. Comedians Dudley Moore and Sam Kinison were also under consideration. It was Geffen Company head David Geffen who recommended Keaton. Burton wasn’t familiar with Keaton’s work, though the actor had already starred in several movies and appeared on numerous TV shows. It turned out that Keaton’s manic energy and comedic brilliance were exactly what the character needed.


#2: The Most Famous Scene Was Almost Cut
If you only remember one scene from “Beetlejuice,” it’s probably the dinner party scene. Amazingly, it almost didn’t make the final film. Burton didn’t think the scene was funny and wanted to cut it, but thankfully, test audiences loved it. The scene also almost featured a very different soundtrack. The original plan was to use the 1939 song “If I Didn’t Care.” Catherine O’Hara came up with the idea to use calypso music instead. “Day-O” was the perfect choice – it gave Harry Belafonte a late career boost, and was even played at Otho actor Glenn Shadix’s funeral. When filming the finale, the crew puppeteering the shrimp kept missing the actors’ faces. Dick Cavett came up with the idea to shoot it in reverse.

#1: Beetlejuice Is Barely in “Beetlejuice”
Lots of iconic characters have relatively little screen time in their movies. Darth Vader is on screen for less than 12 minutes in the original “Star Wars,” and Hannibal Lecter gets just 16 minutes in “The Silence of the Lambs.” The same is true for Beetlejuice. The troublesome ghost only appears for about 17 minutes out of the hour-and-a-half long film. That’s probably for the best – the character is so over-the-top that watching him for too long would be exhausting. Michael Keaton only had to spend two weeks on set filming. Beetlejuice makes quite an impression considering how little we see of him, and always leaves us wanting more.

Which “Beetlejuice” fact surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments.