Director Tim Burton’s dark comedy Beetlejuice was a critical and commercial success upon its release in 1988, and has attracted legions of devoted fans over the decades. For the film’s 30th anniversary, co-writer Larry Wilson reflected on its development, and revealed the modern classic nearly ended on a much somber note.
The Beetlejuice we remember ends when Winona Ryder’s teenage Lydia comes home after earning an A on her math test, and celebrates with ghosts Adam and Barbara (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) by dancing in midair as Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line” plays. It’s a happy ending where ghosts and living humans compromise on their living situation, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) has been conquered, and Adam and Barbara get to shower attention upon a girl with self-absorbed parents.
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However, Wilson revealed to Yahoo! Entertainment that the original ending he wrote with collaborator Michael McDowell was grim, even for a Burton film. “Our first ending was Lydia — she died in a fire and was able to join Barbara and Adam in the afterlife,” he said. “A couple of people said to us, ‘Do you really think that’s a good idea? Is that really the message you want to be sending to the teenagers of the world? Die in a fire?’ So, yeah, it probably was darker.”
As Burton’s second feature film, following Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, toeing that line of dark but not too dark was crucial. Thanks in part to a rewrite of the ending, Beetlejuice firmly established Burton as an artist adept at mixing heartfelt stories with grotesque and strange imagery.
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