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Beetlejuice movie cover Movie Locations Guide

Where was Beetlejuice filmed?

1988

City Locations

East Corinth, Vermont; Culver Studios, Washington Blvd, California

Location Types

American, Artsy, House

Location Styles

Gothic, Americana, Dated

About Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice may feel freaky and an oddball at first, but it soon grows on you. It’s a Halloween classic that is loved by kids and adults and has become a part of the Halloween marathon.

The film features an ensemble cast with Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as the Maitlands, the recently deceased young couple who want to rid their home of the new living tenants. Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O’Hara are the new couple moving into their home from New York with their gothic daughter Lydia, played by Winona Ryder.

The Maitlands, while driving, have an accident, and their car pitches into a river. They don’t make it out alive and it takes a little while for them to discover that they are part of the dead. They find a ‘handbook for the recently deceased, which tells them how to live as ghosts.

The whole story revolves around how the Maitlands plot and plan, later joining hands with the cantankerous Betelgeuse, a malicious spirit, brought to life by none other than Michael Keaton, who promises them exorcism of the living out of their home.

However, Betelgeuse wreaks havoc on the Deetzes, who are forced to hire their interior designer Otho as the ‘Seancer’. He performs the séance using the deceased handbook to summon the Maitlands but they start fading away, as he actually performed an exorcism.

Lydia who is horrified to see them fade away contacts Betelgeuse who asks her to become his ‘child bride’ to which she agrees. What ensues is utter chaos as Betelgeuse disposes of people and is about to marry Lydia when the pair intervene by riding on the ghastly sandworm which devours Betelgeuse once and for all.

Finally, the Maitlands and Deetzes agree to live in the same home in harmony. As the ending credits roll, we see Betelgeuse stuck in an after-life waiting room awaiting his punishment with a shrunken head!

Beetlejuice has Tim Burton written all over it! We can see the director’s wit, invention, and ghoulish sarcasm combined with a morbid environment that gives you the heebie-jeebies while at the same time being hilariously, utterly insane! Definitely, one of Tim Burton’s finer works up there.

Beetlejuice Locations

Since Beetlejuice revolves around the afterlife, the underground, and the dead, the filming location of Beetlejuice needed to be perfect.

Most of Beetlejuice’s production and filming took place in East Corinth, Vermont, and Culver Studios, Culver City, California. Because Tim Burton is notorious for his creative ideas, a studio was needed where all of his wild imaginings were brought to life. All those weird scenes were shot on special sound stages made for the film. Though some visual effects were later added.

Some of the scenes were shot in the local buildings situated in Esat Corinth. The real buildings that make an appearance in the film include the General Store and Masonic Hall. East Corinth is a small town located in Orange County, Vermont.

It was the perfect town to film the (short) lives of Barbara and Adam Maitland who die while saving a dog. In the movie, the Maitlands live in a fictional village of Winter River which is shown as an idyllic, country place. East Corinth perfectly portrays the small-town country spirit required in the movie.

Below we have compiled some of the best scenes in Beetlejuice and the specific addresses of the places where they were shot. So, you as a Tim Burton fan can easily visit the Beetlejuice filming locations!

Fun fact:

It was suggested by Warner Studios to use the title House Ghosts. Tim Burton, as a joke suggested why not name it ‘Scared Sheetless’. He was horrified to discover that the studio actually considered his option. Imagine Beetlejuice being named Scared Sheetless!

Unfortunate drive to the hardware store scene in Beetlejuice

General Store, East Corinth, Vermont

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!

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Neitherworld waiting room scene in Beetlejuice

Studio, Culver Studios, California

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!

Locate Culver City Filming Locations

Day-O Banana at the dinner table scene in Beetlejuice

East Corinth, Vermont

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!

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The wedding scene in Beetlejuice

Former Location of Beetlejuice ‘house’, East Corinth, Vermont

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.

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The waiting room scene in Beetlejuice

Culver Studios, 9336 W. Washington Blvd, Culver City, California

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.

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Shake, shake, shake senora scene in Beetlejuice

Masonic Hall, East Corinth, Vermont, Beetlejuice ‘house’, East Corinth, Vermont

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!

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Conclusion

Beetlejuice is a classic Tim Burton movie that was a critical success at the time of its release. It received favorable reviews and was a family favorite. This brilliantly bizarre, funny, and unsettling film is an odd recipe for laughs and frights. Plus the score by Danny Elfman does wonders for the film.

Beetlejuice is a must-watch, classing Hollywood movie loved by all!