Things You Probably Didn't Know About Beetlejuice

#1 A Gruesome Tale

Beetlejuice wasn't supposed to be a comedy. In fact, it was originally written as a gruesome murder caper featuring a small part for the title character. He was depicted as a rapist with a vulgar tongue who pillaged the Deetz family. The car crash scene was originally written as very bloody, and our beloved Beetlejuice came in various forms, including a dog, an Indian man, and an African pigmy. After deciding that would not make for family fare, they switched writers and made the film more light-hearted.

#2 Sammy Davis Jr.

The part of Beetlejuice was written for comedian and song man, Sammy Davis, Jr. Luckily, David Geffen, who was overseeing the development of the film at Warner Bros, suggested Keaton, who eventually won the role. Other actors who were considered included Sam Kinison and Dudley Moore.

#3 Animatronic Snake Wasn't Keaton

The scene where Beetlejuice turns into a snake was actually shot before they cast Michael Keaton to play the role. As a result, the snake used didn't look like Keaton, so they later went back in and shot some stop-motion animation with the snake using Keaton's facial features and makeup so that the audience would know that the snake was meant to portray Beetlejuice.

#4 It Was Almost Title 'Scared Sheetless'

Warner Bros. executives didn't like the name Beetlejuice and pushed to have it changed to House Ghosts. Director Tim Burton jokingly suggested Scared Sheetless as an alternate name, hoping it would show them how ridiculous changing the name was, and was appalled when Warner Brothers actually considered it. Up until the last week of post-production, the studio believed that Scared Sheetless was the film's title.

#5 Beetlejuice’s Screen Time

Viewers don't realize it, but Keaton actually only appears briefly in the movie. In fact, Beetlejuice only appears in 17.5 minutes of the 92-minute film. Keaton filmed his entire set of scenes in less than two weeks, but later went back in and did the end scene just before the final editing was done just for laughs since the test audience loved the character so much.

#6 Day-O Come

Harry Belafonte's song "Day-O," which is in the film's memorable song and dance number, was the final song played at the memorial for actor Glenn Shadix (who played Otho in the film), who passed away in 2010. The song is also heard in the credits sung by the movie's composer, Danny Elfman. The original script called for R&B music, but Elfman persuaded Burton to let him choose calypso music like Harry Belafonte's hits "Day-O" and "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)."

#7 Nobody Wanted To Play Lydia

Wynona Ryder almost wasn't the famous character Lydia. Originally they were set to have Justine Bateman in the role but she declined the offer. The producers went on a hunt for the perfect actress to play the now infamous role and considered, Sarah Jessica parker, Diane Lane, Brooke Shields, and even Molly Ringwald before settling on Juliette Lewis after everyone else bailed. At the last minute, Lewis decided she didn't want the part either and someone suggested Ryder, who was free to fill in.

#8 Catherine O’Hara Was Second Choice

Hot off an Oscar win, Anjelica Huston was originally cast to play Delia Deetz but had to bow out due to an illness. Actress Catherine O'Hara initially declined Burton's offer for the part, but accepted after Burton flew out to meet with and personally to convince her to take it.

#9 Foreshadowing Upcoming Films

When Beetlejuice finally gets the chance to do his bio-exorcism he has those little bat wings on his ears which weirdly foreshadowed his upcoming role as Batman. Even on the very top of his hat, there are wings and what looks like a skull which looks a hell of a lot like director Tim Burtons next big movie featuring Jack Skellington, shot 5 years later.

#10 Sawed In Half

The magician's assistant in the waiting room scene who had a pretty tragic death when she was sawed in half while doing her magic act. Most people don't know that her lower half was played by Tim Burton's then girlfriend, which means that Burton had to watch as Keaton mauled and fondled his girlfriend's legs. His girlfriend also played six other uncredited roles in the film.

#11 Don't Say His Name Three Times

Everyone knows that if you say Beetlejuice's name three times he appears, and it's not always pleasant, but the number three is used multiple times in the film. Aside from Beetlejuice's name the Maitlands also say the word "home" three times to escape Beetlejuice, and it's the number of times they knock on the door to get to the After Life.

#12 Named After A Star

Beetlejuice is actually named after a star. The one that's the second brightest in the Orion constellation. Nobody is sure why the name was chosen for the ghost-like character, but it has a nice ring to it. However, it's good to point out that the stars name is actually spelled 'Betelgeuse' and not Beetlejuice.

#13 The Name Is Tricky

The name remains a sticking point throughout the entire move, even the characters end up making a mockery of its spelling and pronunciation. In the credits, his name is spelled like the star, and even on his gravestone, but on the title card it is spelled Beetle (space) Juice. Apparently, producers and executives at Warner Brothers thought people were too stupid to get the name spelled as it was and had it switched in post production.

#14 A Promised Sequel

Talk of a Beetlejuice sequel has been floating around since 1988 when the original came out and was a blockbuster hit. But, Burton switched gears and went on to do Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and other projects. New rumors of a sequel have recently surfaced after Burton told reporters that it would be fun to go back and revisit the characters, and then an IMDB page for 'Beetlejuice 2'. But fans are warning Burton not to use the original script for the sequel, which was secretly released in 1990.

#15 Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian

The script leaked was a little odd. That script traded the New England setting of the original for a tropical one, in what eventually became known as "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian." The Deets family opens a Hawaiian hotel that is built on top of a bunch of ancient Hawaiin locals who haunt the hotel. The family summons old pal, Beetlejuice, to help them scare away the ancient ghosts, and eventually, he transforms himself into 'Juice-ifer'. In the end, Lydia saves the day by calling for a tsunami to wipe out all of the island demons.

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