Though I know, I should be wary. I venture someplace scary, ghostly hauntings I turn loose: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!

The Iconic

Greetings Biters and welcome to February’s creature of the month tribute to ghosts. For this month I wanted to shine the spotlight on a true staple of goth culture that is the ghost with the most himself Beetlejuice.

There is very little I can say that people don’t know already about this 1988 Tim Burton classic. The movie is currently sitting at 84% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and starring Michael Keaton in one of his most iconic roles.

A Little Recap

Following the deaths of young couple, Adam and Barbra a new family moves into their home, and despite their best efforts to scare them off only to fail miserably, they are forced to enlist the help of Beetlejuice only to regret it soon after.

The movie also features a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack by Burton film mainstay Danny Elfman. With track fifteen titled Showtime! As Beetlejuice‘s central theme, as well as Harry Belafonte‘s Day O and Jump in Line, being the big three and most famous often being tied to the character.

The movie also went on to spawn a four-season cartoon series, a musical stage shows at Universal Studios, Beetlejuicerocking graveyard revue which showcased all the classic monsters as his co-stars. Aside from having his show, he was a meetable character at the park as well as from what I heard tormenting the Ghostbuster now and then during their stage show.

Now you can’t bring up Beetlejuice without talking about the character of Lydia Deetz played by Winona Ryder in the movie and Alyson Court, the cartoon voice actress. A gothic icon second only to maybe mother-daughter pair Wednesday and Morticia Addams in status.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a childhood crush on her as I’m sure so did a lot of goth kids of my generation. Despite her being a social outcast interested in the strange and unusual, Lydia is still cheerful, upbeat, and artistic especially if you are talking about her cartoon version.

The Sentiment

I find she truly embodies what Gothic Bite Magazine was created for in showcasing that there are many different shades of goth other than the stereotypical all-in-black archetype.

If you ask GBM creator, Alexa Wayne, what her spirit monster is she will no doubt say Mavis Dracula from the Hotel Transylvania franchise. If Mavis is hers, then Beetlejuice is mine.

Despite being only a year old when the movie came out this ghost with the most is a big part of who I am. I grew up watching the cartoon as a kid, and I’ve seen the movie about a hundred and sixty-seven times.

Aside from growing up with the show and movie he has become my go-to Halloween costume having dawned the stripes for at least three years. I can also say I owe the only three art awards I own to a sketch I did of the character taking the first-place blue ribbon, a best in class, and best in the show. I’m also, from time to time, singing Jump in Line to myself at work as I do my job.

So, what more can I say about this classic then like most things I highly recommend it if you somehow never seen it or maybe just brushing off the cobwebs and re-watching it again. until next time Biters!

James