Overview
A quirky afterlife adventure where the dead seek to reclaim their home from the living.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- macabre
- whimsical
- halloween
- group movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's inventive visual imagination, bizarre comic energy, and Michael Keaton's manic performance, while some found its story uneven and its antics excessive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The house, afterlife bureaucracy, shrunken-head explorer, sandworm, and distorted practical effects create a distinctly grotesque visual universe.
Adam and Barbara summon Betelgeuse to solve their haunting problem, but his intentions extend beyond helping them.
The dead couple remains attached to their home and must navigate rules governing haunting and the afterlife.
Lydia's Goth sensibility makes her curious about the dead couple rather than frightened, contrasting with her parents' materialistic decorating ambitions.
Films like Beetlejuice, and why
The Addams Family
shares macabre fantasy, irreverent humor, supernatural family conflict, and inventive creature effects
Ghostbusters
shares comedy horror, eccentric afterlife rules, practical effects, and a chaotic supernatural antagonist
Edward Scissorhands
shares gothic visual design, whimsical darkness, outsider protagonists, and stop-motion-inspired fantasy spectacle
The Haunted Mansion
shares haunted-house comedy, adolescent fascination with ghosts, and playful supernatural mayhem
Movie Details
- Director
- Tim Burton
- Release Date
- 1988-03-30
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (8703)
Cast
- Alec Baldwin
- Geena Davis
- Winona Ryder
- Catherine O'Hara
- Jeffrey Jones
- Michael Keaton
- Glenn Shadix
- Sylvia Sidney
- Patrice Martinez
- Dick Cavett
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Beetlejuice about?
- A recently deceased couple enlist an unruly bio-exorcist to reclaim their home from its flamboyant new inhabitants.
- What is Beetlejuice like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Beetlejuice as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Beetlejuice violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Beetlejuice as mild.
- What did critics think of Beetlejuice?
- Critics broadly praised the film's inventive visual imagination, bizarre comic energy, and Michael Keaton's manic performance, while some found its story uneven and its antics excessive.
- Which films are like Beetlejuice?
- Films with a similar feel include The Addams Family, Ghostbusters, Edward Scissorhands, and The Haunted Mansion.
- How long is Beetlejuice?
- Beetlejuice runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Beetlejuice?
- In United States, Beetlejuice streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
