It’s showtime! Beetlejuice is back in Irish cinemas this week

Paul Moore

He’s the ghost with the most, babe.

If you’re looking for something to watch in your cinema this week, it could be time to turn on the juice and see what shakes loose because Tim Burton’s beloved cult-classic Beetlejuice is returning to Irish cinemas with a new 4k version.

In terms of iconic introductions to characters, very few films can rival the madcap energy of Michael Keaton’s beloved bio-exorcist. The fact that he only had 18 minutes screentime is a marvel because there isn’t a single line, scene, or moment when Beetlejuice isn’t funny.

Ok, hand on heart, who else has memorised this entire monologue?

“Ah. Well… I attended Juilliard… I’m a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I’ve seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT… NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU’RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY… NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I’m qualified?” – pure genius.

All this without mentioning the superb soundtrack, litany of wonderful ideas and incredible production design.

At present, Tim Burton’s film has an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re in for a treat.

Thanks to the carelessness of a cute little dog, newlyweds Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are killed in a freak auto accident.

Upon arriving in the outer offices of Heaven, the couple finds that, thanks to a century’s worth of bureaucratic red tape, they’re on a long celestial waiting list. Before they can earn their wings, Davis and Baldwin must occupy their old house as ghosts for the next fifty years.

Alas, the house is now owned by insufferable yuppies Catherine O’Hara and Jeffrey Jones. Horrified at the prospect of sharing space with these obnoxious interlopers, Davis and Baldwin do their best to scare O’Hara and Jones away, but their house-haunting skills are pathetic at best. In desperation, the ghostly couple engage the services of a veteran scaremeister: a yellow-haired, snaggle-toothed, profane, flatulent, gonzo spirit named Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton).

At present, the film is showing at a number of cinemas over the Halloween weekend.

Go ahead, make my millennium…and watch Beetlejuice in these cinemas:

· Brunswick Moviebowl, Derry

· Odyssey Cinemas, Belfast

· Cineworld, Dublin

· The Stella Theatre, Rathmines

· Vue Cinemas Liffey Valley, Dublin

· Eye Cinema, Galway

· The Light House Cinema, Dublin

· Pálás Cinema, Galway

· Movies @ Dundrum, Dublin

· Movies @ Gorey, Wexford