Beetlejuice (film)/Trivia

And You Thought It Would Fail: When this film was made, Tim Burton was a near-unknown, having only directed one movie, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, so as you might imagine, many were skeptical about the... weird story when they saw the screenplay. Michael Keaton turned the role down twice before Burton convinced him, and Alec Baldwin was worried he might be in a Star-Derailing Role by agreeing to it. Reportedly, only Geena Davis agreed to it right away. Needless to say, the doubters were all proven wrong.
Hey, It's That Guy!: Robert Goulet as Charles Deetz's boss.
- The art dealer who (attempts to) sell Delia's work is Dick Cavett.
  - The actor wearing the costume of the undead preacher is Tony Cox (though it's obviously not his voice).
Mid-Development Genre Shift: In the original script, the film was imagined to be more like a graphic horror film rather than a comedy, and instead of marrying Lydia, Betelgeuse was originally going to rape her.
Throw It In: The bit where Betelgeuse knocks over a tree in the model town was a genuine accident on Michael Keaton's part, and he ad-libbed "Nice fuckin' model!"
What Could Have Been:
- Originally, the movie was to have Lydia be a minor character and was to be your typical movie teenager. She would also have a sister named Cathy who befriends the Maitlands. Somewhere along the planning process, Tim Burton decided to take character traits from both and make Lydia a Composite Character.
  - Likewise, Betelgeuse himself was a lot more sinister, being a demon with an Arabian appearance. This version of the script had an ending where Betelgeuse perished via an exorcism (as in, the fate Barb and Adam are saved from) and Lydia dying via Heroic Sacrifice as a fire destroys the house.
  - This early script also had Betelgeuse having something along the lines of a Good Twin named Swallowtail. Though it was with a different name, that plot point was eventually used in the animated adaption.
- Also, originally, Tim Burton wanted Sammy Davis Jr. to play the role of Betelgeuse. Other names that were considered included Sam Kinison and Dudley Moore.
- Wes Craven was the first choice to direct before Tim Burton got involved.
- Warner Bros initially had problems with the title, suggesting House Ghosts, while Burton half-jokingly suggested Scared Sheetless. When the suits actually started to seriously consider that one, he said he'd jump out the window if they went with it. In the end, most would agree his original idea was the right move.
- Laura Dern, Sigourney Weaver, and Goldie Hawn were all on the list as possible actresses to play Barbara; Kirstie Alley was at the top of the list, but she had at the time just signed onto the role of Rebecca in Cheers and couldn't get out of the contract for the movie role.
- Angelica Houston (later known for playing Morticia Addams) was initially cast in the role of Delia Deetz, which makes a lot of sense, as Houston's style is very in sync with Burton's. But she got sick and a replacement was needed, and as a result, it's hard to picture anyone but Catherine O'Hara in the role.
- The epilogue with Betelgeuse in the afterlife waiting room was added at the last minute; test audiences loved the character so much, he felt he couldn't end the movie with a Never Found the Body hook, so he decided to add him in an epilogue scene so everyone would be assured he had survived, and seeing as the same test audiences also loved the first waiting room scene, he put it there.
- The most famous scene of the movie - referring of course to the dinner scene where Barb and Adam possess everyone and make them sing "Banana Boat (Day-O)" - was almost cut! Reportedly, Burton didn't like it much and didn't find it funny, but test audiences thought otherwise, and he kept it in.
  - Also, the score used for that scene was initially intended to be the 1939 song "If I Didn't Care"; Catherine O'Hara was the one who suggested switching to Calypso music and "Day-O" was a natural choice.