Review of Beetlejuice (1988) by Manicure — 22 Nov 2020

Tim Burton's second film already featured most of the recurring motifs of his gothic fairytales: the pure-hearted but eccentric misfit, ongoing parental conflicts, the "monsters" (in this case, the ghosts) being gentler than the wealthy and conventional human beings, the bubblegum horror aesthetics with unique color contrasts and campy visual effects, Danny Elfman's evocative score….

While the plot and writing could have been treated with far more care, Burton's visual sensibility gave birth to a whole new trend of campy but imaginative, undeniably stylish gothic cinema. The depiction of the afterlife with its quirky characters and creatures is a real feast for the eyes. The green screen scenes aged poorly, but the whole claymation work still looks impressive. Trickster ghost Betelgeuse is played by an over-the-top, almost unrecognizable Michael Keaton, but unfortunately, he doesn't get much screen time. It felt like they took too long to get to the point, but once Betelgeuse gets finally released the pacing improves drastically. It's not as polished as Burton's later productions, but still works as an entertaining old-school family film for Halloween.