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“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” hits theaters this Friday. So it’s a perfect time to look back on the 1988 original.
Here are some facts about “Beetlejuice” you might not know:
1. It won an Oscar in 1989 for Best Makeup.
2. Anjelica Huston was originally cast to play Delia Deetz. She had to back out because of an illness, so the role went to Catherine O’Hara.
3. It was almost called “Scared Sheetless” after Tim Burton jokingly suggested it to Warner Brothers execs who didn’t like the name “Beetlejuice”.
4. Beetlejuice is named after a star called Betelgeuse, that’s in the Orion constellation.
5. Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” played at Glenn Shadix’s funeral in 2010. He played Otho, the interior decorator.
6. Beetlejuice only appears on screen for 17.5 minutes out of the 92-minute runtime.
7. In 1990 there was development for a sequel called “Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian”. Burton was too busy with “Batman Returns” so it didn’t go anywhere.
8. Burton wanted Sammy Davis Jr. to play Beetlejuice. Producer David Geffen was the one who suggested Michael Keaton.
9. Some of the actresses who turned down the role of Lydia Deetz include Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Connelly, Molly Ringwald, Brooke Shields, and Diane Lane.
(You can see more facts at MentalFloss.com.)
