BEETLEJUICE (1988)

Helmer Tim Burton’s love for Grand Goofy Guignol was at its freshest in this, his 2nd feature. The basic set-up is a mash up of TOPPER/'37 & THE CANTERVILLE GHOST/'44, but the concept shifts into high gear when Michael Keaton is added to the familiar mix as a demon force of nature who tries to helps the ghostly couple (Geena Davis & a shockingly lean & young Alec Baldwin) scare the new living tenants out of their home. Fortunately, a modest budget forced Burton to keep his effects in line with the film’s scale (toys & limited animation are on hand for most of the scare effects) while the rest of the cast (the ones still alive) are even funnier than the dead ghouls. A lot of these themes would be revisited in Burton ’s THE CORPSE BRIDE/'05, but there the use of a fully animated technique smooths out the visual incongruities that nourish the gags.