TOP 10: “Beetlejuice” Special Effects
This week the podcast considered the best Beetlejuice quote, celebrating the 1988 original prior to the release of the 2024 sequel, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. While the jet-black script is a main part of the original’s charm, we can’t discount the incredible special effects deployed throughout the movie, which shocked and delighted us.
We want to celebrate the work of the incredible crew responsible for the sets, the make-up, the costumes, the effects of this legendary film. Read on for OUR Top 10 favorite Beetlejuice effects.
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10. Miss Argentina
Miss Argentina AKA the Netherworld receptionist was played by Patrice Martinez. She’s a hoot in the movie, and while her costume may not be as eye-popping as some of the others in the afterlife waiting room, the make-up application is stunning. It’s not easy to get that kind of coverage and vibrancy via full-body make-up, so kudos to everyone involved in bringing this character to life. Or, afterlife, I guess.
9. The Model
Adam Maitland’s model hobby in life leads to wonderfully creative set pieces after his death, as the deceased couple primarily encounter Betelgeuse hanging around his miniaturized version of Winter River. Props to the set designers on this film for creating massive versions of miniaturized real-world items (that’s confusing, but I think I got it), including the detail-rich segment in which the Maitlands dig through the cardboard and cork-board base that would make a model to unearth Betelgeuse’s coffin. How did it end up there in the first place? Who knows. There’s so much thoughtfulness here, as well as whimsy, as we see when Juno creates the brothel to distract The Ghost With The Most.
8. The Shrunken Head Dude
Every creature in the waiting-room sequences is fascinating, but we give a specific tip to poor Shrunken Head Dude. This guy has real joie de vivre in his memorable, albeit wordless interactions with both Barbara and Betelgeuse. You’re a star, little guy. A star! Just don’t let it go to your head.
7. The “Revived” Maitlands
When I was younger (the movie came out when I was 10, and I saw it not long after), the scene where Otho brings back the spirits of the deceased Adam and Barbra was deeply unsettling to watch. As an adult, I found it quite sweet, as the two ghosts comfort one another as they decompose rapidly. But beyond all of that, I have tremendous respect for the make-up and prosthetic work associated with this whole sequence. Not only the rapidly evolving old age/decomposing make-ups, but parts of the Maitlands literally shrivel and fall off. This must have been a terrific challenge for the crew to pull off — and I believe it’s 100 percent practical, not digital! — and I cannot imagine it looking ANY better than it does, even today.
6. Flat Guy
Also known as The Messenger, this minor character’s design skews goofy — I would argue he’s one of the more ridiculous-looking denizens of the Netherworld — but it’s also weirdly charming. The fact that there’s a slot in the wall JUST big enough for him to fit through is such a stupid concept but I love it.
5. Beetlejuice’s Snake Mode
The scene in which Betelgeuse possesses the banister and transforms into a giant snake is arguably the scariest in the entire film. There’s real danger and malice in this model, even if the most dangerous things he does to the living are 1) drop them, 2) sexually harass them, 3) threaten them, and 4) change their wardrobe into polyester. The whole sequence is crazy effective and, again, all practical. Incredible workmanship on display here.
4. The Preacher
The demonic officiant of Betelgeuse’s forced marriage to Lydia is only on screen for a few minutes, but his unique visuals leave a lasting impression. This short, pugnacious, almost alien being appears out of nowhere and speaks in a haunting tone. The visual design here is stellar. While the character could have been anything, anyone, just the look of the Preacher adds an element of horror to a scene that is — in actuality — traumatic (a demon is forcing a teenage girl into marrying him), but which is played primarily for laughs. Fun fact: Tony Cox, probably best known for his role in Bad Santa, is the man inside the suit here.
3. The Maitlands’ “Scary” Faces
Two of the most inventive and memorable make-up applications in the film. Bravo to the craftspeople who developed these wildly elaborate concepts, deployed when Adam and Barbra have to show Juno that they have the goods to scare the Deetzes out of their house. Extra points for the gag after they encounter Lydia, and Adam has to “fix” his extended nose after reverting to normal. Many a couple’s Halloween costume has been based around these looks in the intervening 30+ years. They are literally iconic.
2. The Sandworms
Probably the most Tim Burton-feeling creation in this whole movie, the stop-motion Sandworms feel holistically Burton, using a design sense we would see again and again in The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie, and even Wednesday. The black-and-white striping, the mouths inside of mouths inside of mouths, even the way the sandworms MOVE — did this visual vocabulary exist prior to this movie? I’m not sure, but it felt wholly original to me. Looks like the Sandworms are back but in digital form for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, which is honestly kind of a bummer. But we’ll always have the moons of Saturn….
1. The Entire “Day-O” Sequence
Everything about this scene is considered from a visual perspective. Delia’s absolutely insane outfit. The dining room set that is so over-the-top modern it almost defies time itself. The dance sequence. And then, the supernatural elements. The floating handkerchiefs are brilliant, but it’s the shrimp cocktails that transform into chittering monster arms that shock and delight us, as they do the dinner party guests themselves. It’s one of the all-time great scenes in cinema history, and it holds incredible visual power. You can picture it without even watching the video above, can’t you?
Do you disagree? Were there other effects in Beetlejuice that you liked better? Drop them in the comments.
