“Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue,” Universal Studios Florida, 2010.
On this date in 1988, Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” opened in U.S. theaters. The film focuses on The Maitlands, a recently-deceased couple who still happily haunt the home they once lived in. When an irritating new family moves in, The Maitlands attempt to drive them away by calling on Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), a crass “bio-exorcist” spirit who specializes in scaring the living.
The film’s titular character (spelled phonetically as ‘Beetlejuice’) pops up several times in Halloween Horror Nights history. He was featured prominently in Orlando’s first HHN event, 1991’s Fright Nights (“Beetlejuice Dead in Concert!” and “Beetlejuice Graveyard Tours”) [wiki].
In 1992, “Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue,” a rock-and-roll show hosted by Beetlejuice and featuring the Universal Monsters, opened at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando. The Orlando venue (Hollywood’s version has since closed) has hosted Halloween shows such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute” and “Brian Brushwood: Menace and Malice” [wiki].
Photo by Emily McDonald.