Beetlejuice is an American dark fantasy horror comedy media franchise that originated with the film Beetlejuice (1988). The film was directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren. The film stars Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the title character. The story follows Barbara and Adam Maitland, a loving young couple who die in a car accident and find themselves caught in the Celestial Bureaucracy of the afterlife. Unable to move on, they haunt their rustic Connecticut home until it's bought by Charles and Delia Deetz, an insufferable yuppie couple with a goth daughter, Lydia. Wishing to rid themselves of the Deetzes, they enlist the help of a malevolent ghost named Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice) to drive them out. But between Betelgeuse’s unwillingness to play fair and the increasingly strong bond between Lydia and the Maitlands, who come to see her as the daughter they never got to have, things go off the rails quickly.
The film is remembered for its dark humor and inventive visuals, helping to make Burton a household name. The score by Danny Elfman and a memorable musical sequence set to Harry Belafonte's "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" also brought renewed attention to both performers.
In the years since its release, Beetlejuice spawned a franchise, including a late '80s-early '90s animated series of the same name, a theatrical production that commenced in 2018, and a film sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, released in 2024.
