Beetlejuice is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren, based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson. The film stars Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the title character. The first installment of the Beetlejuice franchise, the plot revolves around a recently deceased couple. As ghosts, they are not allowed to leave their house. They contact Betelgeuse, a charismatic "bio-exorcist" from the Netherworld, to scare the home's new inhabitants away.