Claim: Winona Ryder acts.

Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy-fantasy film directed by Tim Burton , produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros. . The plot revolves around a recently deceased young couple -LRB- Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis -RRB- who become ghosts haunting their former home , and an obnoxious , devious ghost named Betelgeuse -LRB- pronounced `` Beetlejuice '' , portrayed by Michael Keaton -RRB- from the Netherworld who tries to scare away the new inhabitants -LRB- Catherine O'Hara , Jeffrey Jones , and Winona Ryder -RRB- permanently .   After the success of Pee-wee 's Big Adventure , Burton was sent several scripts and became disheartened by their lack of imagination and originality . When he was sent Michael McDowell 's original script for Beetlejuice , Burton agreed to direct , although Larry Wilson and later Warren Skaaren were hired to rewrite it . Beetlejuice was a critical and commercial success , grossing $ 73.7 million from a budget of $ 15 million . It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and three Saturn Awards : Best Horror Film , Best Makeup and Best Supporting Actress for Sylvia Sidney , her final award before her death in 1999 .   The film spawned an animated television series that Burton produced and a planned unproduced sequel , Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian . In 2012 , new development on a sequel was announced .