Think you know all there is to know about the first Beetlejuice? Think again, baby. With the much-loved 1988 film finally getting a sequel over 30 years in the making, we thought we’d revisit one of the most iconic films of all time (to us, anyway) and take a peek behind the striped curtain. Grab your copy of The Handbook for the Recently Deceased and get ready to get weird – Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, here we come!
1. The film wasn’t always going to be called Beetlejuice.
In a truly baffling choice, the studio suggested to director Tim Burton that the film be titled, “House Ghosts.” Yup, you read that right. In reply, Tim Burton jokingly pitched calling the movie “Scared Sheetless” instead, and was horrified when the studio seriously considered it. Ah, studio executives. Truly a creative bunch.
2. Michael Keaton wasn’t Tim Burton’s choice for the titular role.
Incredibly, Michael Keaton wasn’t on Burton’s radar when beginning the casting process for Beetlejuice. Burton originally wanted the legendary Sammy Davis Jr. in the role, which reportedly seemed to stun executives. Keaton was later cast instead.
3. The role of Lydia Deetz almost went to Alyssa Milano.
A number of actresses were up for the role of Lydia, with the prize ultimately going to Winona Ryder. However, Alyssa Milano told HuffPost Live that she was incredibly close to nabbing the part herself. “It was between the two of us, and she actually got the part,” she said. She added that she took being rejected for the role hard.
4. Michael Keaton is only in about 20% of the film.
Talk about a scene-stealer! Michael Keaton only appears in roughly 17 minutes of the film, and doesn’t appear until 25 minutes in. The shoot was a quick one for Keaton – he was wrapped in two weeks. We’re betting his screen time will be increased drastically for the sequel!
5. It was originally much, much darker.
The Beetlejuice we know and love today is a delightful mix of comedy, camp, and horror. However, when the film was first pitched, the character of Beetlejuice was less mercurial and more straight-up murderous, intent on killing the entire Deetz family.
6. Director Tim Burton wasn’t convinced the “Day-O” scene was funny.
In arguably the most iconic scene in the film, the Deetz family and their guests are subjected to an involuntary, impromptu dance routine and lip-sync performance to “Day-O” by Harry Belafonte. Burton was unsure if it was funny, and hesitated having it included.
7. Wes Craven was once attached to direct, not Tim Burton.
Given the film’s tone was intended to be much darker, famed horror director Wes Craven was at one point attached to direct it. After a long year of re-writes by writers Larry Wilson and Michael McDowell, Tim Burton was brought in and the script was lightened considerably.
8. The film was made on a tiny budget.
Clocking in with a price of just $15 million, Beetlejuice went on to make $74.7 million at the box office. It was considered a commercial success. The sequel’s budget will surely be much higher, but we do hope the DIY-aspect of the film remains the same!
9. Catherine O’Hara was the brains behind using Calypso music for the “Day-O” scene.
The Canadian queen herself was the one to suggest swapping out the originally proposed R&B music for Calypso music, which would be a bit punchier. The producers agreed, and debated between “Rum and Cola” or “Yankee Dollar” by Lord Invader before finally landing on “Day-O.”
10. Burton and Keaton discussed a potential sequel in secret for years.
“[Burton] and I were talking about it years and years ago, never telling anybody. We both agreed, if it happens, it has to be done as close to the way we made it the first time,” he said at an event with Empire in 2024.
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11. The first test audience wanted a happier ending for the character of Beetlejuice.
During an audience screening of Beetlejuice in 2016, actor Michael Keaton revealed that the first test audiences wanted a happier ending for his character. They were also deeply confused by the movie as a whole: “Crickets. And not just crickets, but really confused crickets,” he said of the silence after the film’s ending.
12. The movie’s original ending was much darker.
Much like the concept for the film itself, the ending of Beetlejuice was far more morbid. Instead of living happily ever after with her ghost friends, Lydia Deetz instead died in a fire and got her happily ever after in a more deceased fashion. The ending was changed out of concern that the wrong message would be sent to teenagers. It’s safe to say this choice actually made the sequel possible!
13. Catherine O’Hara met her husband on set.
O’Hara met production designer Bo Welch on the very set he designed, and quickly developed a crush. However, despite the two becoming fast friends, Welch never made a move – until Tim Burton himself intervened, urging Welch to ask her out. The two have been married for 32 years.
14. Michael Keaton originally turned down the role.
It’s hard to imagine Beetlejuice without Michael Keaton at the center of it, but that’s very nearly what happened. Keaton told Charlie Rose he didn’t understand the film at all. “I said, ‘I wish I could do it, you seem like a really nice guy and I know you’re creative, but I don’t get it.'”
15. Burton encouraged improvisation on the set of the sequel.
While it’s rumored that Keaton improvised a good deal of his lines in the original film, firm numbers are hard to come by. However, Keaton shared in June of 2024 that the set of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice was much like the first, where Burton encouraged his actors to improvise and riff off of each other.
16. Making both films was an incredible amount of fun.
“It’s the most fun I’ve had working on a movie in I can’t tell you how long,” Keaton said of the sequel at an event with Empire. He previously expressed that the original Beetlejuice was his favorite film he’s ever done. “Beetlejuice is the most [expletive] fun you can have working. It’s so fun, it’s so great.”
