Nobody does strange and spooky quite like Tim Burton. With his unmistakable gothic style, offbeat humor and fascination with the obscure, Burton has created a filmography that, while not always traditional horror, feels right at home during the Halloween season.
From Beetlejuice and Corpse Bride to Sleepy Hollow and Edward Scissorhands, these 12 Tim Burton movies are perfect for your next Halloween movie marathon.
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‘Beetlejuice’ (1988)
Death is only the beginning for Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), a recently deceased couple who discover that being dead doesn’t mean they have to give up their beloved home. When an obnoxious new family moves in, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away, only to discover that haunting isn’t quite as easy as it looks.
When their attempts to scare away the new residents fail, the Maitlands enlist the help of Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), a bio-exorcist who supposedly specializes in getting rid of the living. But his unconventional methods quickly spiral out of control, leaving the couple to deal with even bigger problems.
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ (2024)
More than three decades after the original film, the ghost with the most is back and he’s still causing trouble. Following a family tragedy, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) returns to Winter River with her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who has little patience for her mother’s supernatural experiences.
But when Astrid accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife, Lydia finds herself turning to the one ghost she’d rather never see again. Michael Keaton returns as Betelgeuse, alongside Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, for another trip into Burton’s wonderfully twisted world of the dead. The long-awaited sequel is just as outrageous as the original, bringing back the bizarre humor and over-the-top antics that made Beetlejuice a household name.
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993)
Jack Skellington has everything a Pumpkin King could want. He has an entire town that worships him, a talent for terrifying people and the most important job in Halloween Town. Unfortunately, he’s having something of an existential crisis. After stumbling upon Christmas Town, Jack becomes obsessed with the unfamiliar holiday and decides that Halloween Town should take over Christmas this year.
Naturally, kidnapping Santa Claus and putting a Halloween spin on Christmas doesn’t go quite as planned. Featuring an iconic and catchy score by Danny Elfman and some of the most recognizable stop-motion characters in animation, The Nightmare Before Christmas has become a holiday tradition for Halloween and Christmas fans alike.
‘Corpse Bride’ (2005)
Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) is already nervous enough about his arranged marriage to Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson). But while practicing his wedding vows alone in the woods, he accidentally places his ring on what he believes is a tree branch, only to discover that he’s just proposed to a dead woman.
Suddenly, Victor finds himself married to Emily (Helena Bonham Carter), a lonely corpse bride who whisks him away to the surprisingly lively Land of the Dead. With Victor caught between his accidental marriage to Emily and his commitment to Victoria, he must find a way back to the Land of the Living before it’s too late. But as he learns more about Emily’s tragic past, his situation becomes more complicated than simply escaping the Land of the Dead.
‘Sleepy Hollow’ (1999)
In 1799, New York City constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is sent to the secluded village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of grisly murders. The victims have all been decapitated, and the townspeople insist that the culprit is the ghost of a Hessian mercenary who rides through the woods searching for his missing head.
A firm believer in science and rational explanations, Ichabod initially dismisses the legend as superstition. That confidence doesn’t last long once he encounters the Headless Horseman himself. Sleepy Hollow is one of Burton’s most atmospheric horror films, just don’t expect this version of Ichabod Crane to be particularly brave.
‘Frankenweenie’ (2012)
When young Victor Frankenstein loses his beloved dog Sparky in a tragic accident, he refuses to accept that his best friend is gone forever. Inspired by a science lesson about electricity, Victor conducts an experiment that would make his famous namesake proud, successfully bringing Sparky back from the dead.
Unfortunately, keeping a resurrected dog a secret proves difficult, especially when Victor’s classmates discover what he’s accomplished and decide to try a few experiments of their own. Before long, the quiet town of New Holland is overrun with some seriously unusual creatures. Based on Burton’s own 1984 short film, Frankenweenie pays tribute to classic monster movies while telling a surprisingly sweet story about a boy who simply isn’t ready to say goodbye to his dog.
‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ (2007)
Revenge is a dish best served with a straight razor in Burton’s bloody adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical. Johnny Depp stars as Benjamin Barker, a barber who returns to Victorian London under the name Sweeney Todd after spending years imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit.
Determined to get revenge on the corrupt judge responsible for destroying his family, Todd reopens his barbershop above Mrs. Lovett’s (Helena Bonham Carter) struggling meat pie shop. When his plans take a murderous turn, the two discover a rather disturbing solution to Mrs. Lovett’s business problems. Packed with dark humor and no shortage of classic horror-style gore, Sweeney Todd is easily one of Burton’s most gruesome films.
‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990)
What happens when a man with scissors for hands moves into a neighborhood where everyone is obsessed with appearances? Johnny Depp stars as Edward, a humanoid left unfinished by his creator, who is taken in by a kindhearted woman and her family, and is introduced to suburban life.
At first, the neighbors are fascinated by his unusual talents, particularly when it comes to haircuts and elaborate topiary sculptures. But their curiosity quickly turns to suspicion when Edward’s differences become harder to overlook. Beneath its whimsical exterior, Edward Scissorhands is a surprisingly heartbreaking story about loneliness, acceptance and the cruelty of fitting in.
‘Dark Shadows’ (2012)
After breaking the heart of a witch in the 18th century, wealthy playboy Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) finds himself cursed, transformed into a vampire and buried alive for nearly 200 years. When he’s finally freed in 1972, Barnabas returns to his family’s once-grand estate, only to discover that his descendants are broke and dysfunctional.
Determined to restore the Collins family fortune, Barnabas attempts to reclaim his place in society while adjusting to the questionable fashions and cultural changes of the 1970s. Unfortunately, the witch who cursed him is still around and hasn’t gotten over their relationship. Based on the gothic television soap opera, Dark Shadows mixes vampire horror with Burton’s signature brand of absurd comedy.
‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ (2016)
After the mysterious death of his grandfather, teenager Jake Portman (Asa Butterfield) travels to a remote Welsh island in search of answers. There, he discovers Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, a seemingly abandoned orphanage with a rather unusual history.
As it turns out, the home is anything but ordinary. Its residents possess extraordinary abilities, from controlling fire to floating through the air, and live under the protection of the mysterious Miss Peregrine (Eva Green). But their abilities also make them targets for monstrous creatures known as Hollowgasts, which feed on Peculiars. Based on Ransom Riggs’ bestselling novel, the film brings the peculiar world of Miss Peregrine and her extraordinary children to life.
‘Alice in Wonderland’ (2010)
Nineteen-year-old Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) finds herself tumbling down the rabbit hole once again, returning to the fantastical world of Underland with little memory of her previous visit. There, she reunites with a collection of characters, including the eccentric Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the mischievous Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) and the tyrannical Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter).
As Alice searches for a way home, she finds herself caught in a conflict between the Red Queen and her younger sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). To restore peace to Underland, Alice must confront the fearsome Jabberwocky and discover whether she’s capable of becoming the hero everyone expects her to be.
‘Batman’ (1989)
Before superhero movies dominated the box office, Burton brought a considerably darker version of Gotham City’s masked vigilante to the big screen. Michael Keaton stars as Bruce Wayne, a wealthy and mysterious billionaire who spends his nights fighting crime as Batman.
When notorious criminal Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) falls into a vat of chemicals during a confrontation with Batman, he emerges as the Joker, a disfigured villain determined to unleash chaos across the city. As the Joker terrorizes Gotham with increasingly elaborate schemes, Batman must stop him while protecting his secret identity. Burton’s take on the DC Comics superhero trades the colorful, campy style of earlier adaptations for a darker Gotham filled with gothic architecture and dangerous criminals.
Watch More Halloween Movies With DIRECTV
Tim Burton’s films offer plenty of ways to celebrate the spooky season. Start your Halloween movie marathon with DIRECTV!
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