ANNIVERSARY

Beetlejuice at 30: The Long Afterlife of Tim Burton’s Classic as One of the Great Fashion Movies


BEETLEJUICE, Winona Ryder,  1988. ©Warner Brothers / Courtesy: Everett Collection.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. Three decades later—this Friday, March 30, marks the 30th anniversary of its premiere—Beetlejuice is still a favorite nostalgia totem (naturally, it’s referenced in Steven Spielberg‘s 80’s trivia blockbuster Ready Player One) and still a favorite Halloween costume (of Gen Xers trick or treating with their kids mostly, but still). (It’s even coming to Broadway soon.) Maybe most trenchantly, the Tim Burton movie has acquired a reputation as a fashion classic, and for good reason. Think of all the indelible, wild style moments in this burlesque of a film that have influenced everything that came after: The romantic cobweb knits worn by Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz was basically the origin story of Rodarte; Catherine O’Hara’s iconic sartorial daffiness as Delia Deetz (remember, she actually wore her husband’s sweater as pants) was like a screen version, in the best way, of the late Isabella Blow; and of course Michael Keaton’s boldly-striped and dandyishly-cut suits as Betelgeuse begat waves of male street style sprezz, for better or worse. All that, and we haven’t even mentioned Ryder’s pre-Britney schoolgirl look. Here, let’s celebrate the movie that made goth glamorous.

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©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.

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Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of IMDB.

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Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of IMDB.

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Catherine O’Hara in Beetlejuice (1988). Courtesy of IMDb.

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©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, and Jeffrey Jones in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy Everett Collection.

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©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.

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Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of IMDB.

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Greena Davis in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of IMDB.

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Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of IMDB.

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Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of IMDB.

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Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of Giphy.

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Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of Giphy.

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Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of IMDB.

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©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice (1988). Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.