Put some fun in your Halloween festivities with a horror comedy that’s more family-friendly than anything you’ll find under the horror label: Beetlejuice! The 1988 movie was Tim Burton’s second feature film as director, sandwiched between Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and Batman. And here’s some neat things you might not know about Beetlejuice:
5. Sammy Davis Jr. was Burton's first choice for Beetlejuice.
The laid-back Rat Pack member would have likely brought a very different vibe to Beetlejuice. Burton described the reaction from his producers to this casting suggestion as "deer caught in headlights." Producer David Geffen stepped in and suggested Michael Keaton. Though the star had already seen success with Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously, and Gung Ho, Keaton was an actor totally unknown to Burton. But once he saw him in action, Beetlejuice proved to be the start to a fruitful period of collaboration between the director and star that went on to include Batman and Batman Returns.
10. Beetlejuice was nearly called Scared Sheetless.
In the book Burton on Burton, the Beetlejuice director revealed that studio execs weren't fans of the film's title and pushed to change it to House Ghosts. Repulsed by this idea, Burton jokingly suggested Scared Sheetless as an alternate name, and was appalled when Warner Bros. actually considered it.
We’re glad they settled in the title Beetlejuice, even though it didn’t make any sense until you met the character. You can read the rest of the 15 things about the movie at mental_floss.