Where was Beetlejuice filmed?

This scene takes place right before Adam and Barbara’s car takes a dive into the river. There was something profoundly sad about this scene, the couple’s lack of interaction with the local people because they are in a hurry, being all lovey-dovey driving to their hardware store. Only to crash and die. Ironically while watching the movie we can see that on their rear bumper there is a sticker that says “I brake for dogs”.

We still remember this scene vividly, as Adam and Barbara drive into the red bridge, they swerve while trying to save the dog. Just moments before their final time, the car half hangs out of the bridge, only balanced by the dog. The canine jumps back and the car pitches forward into the river. It was as if the dog was giving them the ‘so long’ look as they crashed and died. Still gives us goosebumps. Poor Adam and Barbara, taken so soon!

Unlike most of the scenes that were shot in the hill house, the first part of the scene takes place in the General Store, East Corinth, Vermont. In the film, it was known as the Maitland Hardware Store. You can visit the store even to this day and buy a few items as well! Take a little souvenir with you!

After Adam and Barbara die, they are transported to the Netherworld waiting room where all the souls of the dead come.

Both Adam and Barbara look scared and apprehensive as they still try to come to grips with their unfortunate circumstance. Barbara sits beside the same ‘shrunken head man’ that we see at the end of the scene and Adam gets asked by a charred guy ‘want a cigarette’ to which Adam declines. Well, that paints a pretty morbid picture in our heads about the risks of smoking!

They are soon asked to meet their caseworker who goes by the name Juno. There they are informed that they need to stay at their home for the next 125 years. They meet all kinds of dead people. People who died of smoking, and many more. In fact, if you look closely you can see even Juno has her throat slit! When she smokes the smoke billows out from her throat as well. Freaky!

Here we also get a glimpse of the creativity of director Tim Burton. We get to see the way he envisions the world of the dead, complete with skeletons, worms, and weird waiting rooms!

This scene is the one that comes to mind when anyone who’s anyone thinks of the movie Beetlejuice. It was and still is the most iconic scene in the whole movie. Later it became one of the most iconic scenes in film history! Many actors still pay tribute to this scene with the same particular song playing in the background.

The scene starts with a dinner party at the Deetz’s home. Charles and Delia invite some guests over and are trying to be the good hosts when Lydia, their daughter drops the ghost bomb by saying, “I saw ghosts”. Lydia plays it cool and tries to maneuver the talk when suddenly she starts singing the Banana boat song by Harry Belafonte. She really did a beautiful rendition of the song! The lip-syncing, dancing, and, acting were spot-on!

Suddenly all the guests except Lydia start dancing and flailing. We can tell that the Maitlands are messing with them. Lydia the life-hating emo is laughing her head off as the adults do embarrassingly-yet cool moves to the song. Just when the song stops, and the guests have been seated again, the shrimps from their plates turn into claw-hands and grab their faces.

It was a good jump scare we have to admit, made us jump in our seats and rethink ordering shrimps from the menu!

The house shown in the movie was actually not a real house but a set that was later taken down. The actual filming of this scene took place in East Corinth, Vermont. And the interiors were created at the Culver Studio, California, in their soundstage.

Visit the town of East Corinth and overlook the hill where they set up the white house!

After Otho performs the exorcism of Maitlands instead of séance, they start fading away. Lydia, who is distraught does not want them to go away so she does the unthinkable. She calls Beetlegeuse back by calling his name three times.

Betelgeuse says that he will bring them back on one condition. If Lydia marries him, he will free them.

What follows is the forced marriage between Lydia and Beetlegeuse and the battle of wills between the evil spirit and the Maitlands as they try to stop the wedding from taking place. The whole scene is freakishly weird and all the actors, especially Michael Keaton, perform amazingly.

Lydia’s parents are tied by live objects as the ceremony progresses and Betelgeuse brings a dwarf minister that looks awfully dead to perform the marriage ritual. Keeping the Maitlands from interfering, Betelgeuse transports Barbara into the sand world. However, she comes to the rescue, riding on a sandworm that devours Betelgeuse, and finally, the wedding is called off and the Deetz’s are freed as well.

Afterward, the relieved Maitlands and Deetz’s look at each other and share a happy moment, finally concluding that they should probably live together and try to coexist with each other. After the whole Betelgeuse fiasco!

This scene also takes place in the house where the Deetz family now lives, which is located in East Corinth, Vermont.

This was the last scene where we get to see what actually happened to Betelgeuse after he was devoured by the sandworm.

We see him sitting in between two weird um ‘things’ as he looks at his coupon which shows a 7-8 digit long number. The TV in the underworld, however, reads ‘now serving 3’.

We guess Betelgeuse got what he deserved after what he put the Maitland and Deetz couples through!

Betelgeuse still does not fix his ways and starts antagonizing a witch doctor who is sitting beside him. In retaliation, he shrinks his head, to which Betelgeuse replies, “Hey, this might be a good look for me”. Just as his head shrinks it looks as if his voice does as well! It takes on a weird pitch like he just inhaled a balloon full of helium.

The third ‘shrunken head guy’ watches on as Betelgeuse goes through the fate he did!

Still, it’s an iconic ending scene that makes us laugh! Visit the location where this Beetlejuice film scene was shot! Note down the address right now, Culver Studios, Culver City California.

A happy ending to a sad story for Adam and Barbara. Or perhaps a new beginning for them all? We see a happy Lydia ride her cycle as she exits her school, Miss Shannon’s School for Girls.

She comes home where Adam, Barbara, Charles, and his wife Delia are cleaning up the house.

An excited Adam and Barbara ask her about her test to which Lydia replies ‘I told them it was against my religion so I got a C’. Barbara pointedly looks at her and asks about the math test for which they studied for the whole week. After a brief pause, Lydia chirps ‘I got an A!’. All of them celebrate as the magical “Shake, shake, shake senora” starts playing out of nowhere!

Lydia levitates and dances and we glimpse the last scene as they all live happily together!

Try not to get this song stuck in your head, it is annoyingly good!

The school scene takes place in the Masonic Hall, East Corinth, Vermont. You can easily visit by local bus or personal car. Simply ask ‘where was Beetlejuice filmed’ when asking for directions and the town will surely point you to it!