Before becoming the comedy we all know and love, Beetlejuice was a much more mean-spirited character and film.
One scene in particular would have made it outright disturbing.
The Ghost With the Most.
An enthusiastic watcher ofThe Exorcist.
He does some nasty things like trying to force teen Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) to marry him.
But his exploits rarely rise beyond pranks.
All of that tracks with the movie we know.
He wants your body, one of Lydias friends observes.
And although she shushes him, the friend isnt wrong.
Thats because Danny Death is not, actually, Danny Death.
Its Beetlejuice in disguise.
Lydia invites Danny to visit her home and meet her family.
When she urges Danny to come meet her parents, he sneers, Theres plenty of time for thatlater.
According to the script, Danny then pulls LYDIA into her own bedroom and slams the door.
Behind closed doors, Beetle Danny attacks her right away.
BEETLE JUICE / DANNY DEATH leans over and gives her a kiss on her neck, the script reads.
At the same time, hes pushing her down against her desk.
I have a little friend I want you to meet first, he insists, unbuttoning his coat.
Lydia reacts with shock, but its even worse than she thought.
You read that right.
Indeed, Beetle Juice attacks Cathy at night, leaving her torn and bloody.
When he makes the Deetzs party guests dance, its not the delightful calypso seen in the finished film.
And its not just Beetle Juice who has this darker edge.
A piling has smashed through the window on the passenger side, crushing the upper part of BARBARAs arm.
She is wailing in pain and fright.
Adam tries frantically to save her, but the script describes his attempts as both frantic and fruitless.
We see the Maitlands drowning inside their car, watching the couple have a go at free themselves.
But when he came onto the project, Burtons love of all things strange and unusual took over.
The nastiness fell away, replaced by campiness.
Well never know ifBeetle Juicewould have been better thanBeetlejuice.
But given the excitement building aroundBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, its clear that Burtons take worked.
