May 07, 2003 06:46 AM
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(Updated May 07, 2003 06:46 AM)
The Details
Rating- PG
Length- 92 minutes
Story by Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson
Screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren
Produced by Michael Bender, Larry Wilson and Richard Hashimoto
Starring- Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton.
The Story
As the movie opens the viewer is taken to a quaint house located in New England. The young couple is upbeat and happy as they go about their day just as it was any other day off from work for them.
It’s not until the husband (played by Alec Baldwin) decides he needs to drive down the local hardware store to pick up some things that things start to really turn, shall we say, strange.
On the way across the covered bridge that is the only way into town from where they live, they try to dodge a dog, which lands their car off the side and into the water. When they wake up, they are home but still soaking wet from their accident. The first thing (Geena Davis) notices is that she has no reflection in the mirror over the fireplace.
Things start to really get “interesting” after that. As they twist and turn in their confusion, another family moves into the house and only adds misery to their already confused and depressing lives.
We’re introduced to the bio-exorcist (dead exorcist) Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice adds a whole new spin to this couples lives by promising if they would just say his name three times they then he would be able to help them get rid of the family living in their house.
After they attempt everything they can think of, and in the process loose their copy of the handbook for the dead, they resort to calling his name three times, but after he almost kills several of the family, he is fired and imprisoned in the miniature model of the town that is kept in the attic area of the house. But he’s not kept their for long as things really start to heat up when the interior designer of the house starts messing around with the book for the dead that was stolen from the dead couple when they were away.
Conclussion
From the happy music, to the silly and funny story, this is what I call a feel good movie. I never found it to really be scary so those who aren’t really into horror will be relieved. This movie is a good movie for the whole family. Young children might find the scene where Beetlejuice turns into the giant snake a little frightening, or when he eats bugs, but overall it’s not that scary of a movie.
