Tim Burton directs this fantasy comedy starring Michael Keaton. Barbara and Adam Maitland (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) are a happy couple who, when killed in a car crash, return as ghosts to their beloved Connecticut home to wreak havoc on the ghastly Deetz family who have moved in. Being novices at haunting, their efforts go unnoticed by the house’s new inhabitants, with the exception of Goth daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder), who doesn’t mind one bit. At their wit’s end, the ghostly couple call on a despicably disgusting demon named Betelgeuse (Keaton) for help.

Before making Batman, director Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton teamed up for this popular black comedy about a young couple (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) whose premature death leads them to a series of wildly bizarre afterlife exploits. As ghosts in their own New England home, they’re faced with the challenge of scaring off the pretentious new owners (Catherine O’Hara and Jeffrey Jones), whose daughter (Winona Ryder) has an affinity for all things morbid. Keaton plays the mischievous Beetlejuice, a freelance “bio-exorcist” who’s got an evil agenda behind his plot to help the young undead newlyweds. The film is a perfect vehicle for Burton’s visual style and twisted imagination, with clever ideas and gags packed into every scene. Beetlejuice is also a showcase for Keaton, who tackles his title role with maniacal relish and a dark edge of menace. –Jeff Shannon