Beetlejuice is Tim Burton’s latest classic to get a sequel, so it’s a better time than ever to reflect on its legacy. Here are five fun facts that will change the way you look at this classic horror comedy.
Alternative Titles
The name Beetlejuice became quite iconic following the film’s release, but Warner Bros. didn’t like it at first. They wanted to give it a more generic title House Ghosts, and Burton jokingly suggested Scared Sheetless as an alternative.
Not First Choice
It’s impossible to imagine anyone but Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, but Burton initially wanted his favorite childhood star Sammy Davis Jr. to play this character.
Keaton’s Improve
Keaton got completely immersed in the role of Beetlejuice once he was officially cast, improvising many of his lines and coming up with much of the character’s look himself.
Alternative Casting Choices
Beetlejuice isn’t the only character in this film that could’ve been played by a different actor. Anjelica Huston was originally cast as Delia Deetz before being replaced by Catherine O’Hara.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane, Molly Ringwald, Juliette Lewis, Jennifer Connelly, Alyssa Milano were some of the actresses considered for the role of Lydia Deetz before Winona Ryder was cast.
First Netflix DVD
Before Netflix became the world’s leading streaming service, it functioned as a mail-based rental DVD business, and Beetlejuice was actually the first of over 5.2 billion DVDs they ended up shipping.