As Tim Burton conjures Betelgeuse from the afterlife once again, we look at how the Letterboxd community ranks the director’s entire filmography, from fish to apes and beetles to bats.
We swoop into a model community, an imperfectly perfect suburban neighborhood. Curvy lines that should be straight; pale faces with kooky dark hairstyles. We’re greeted by familiar credits on the screen, legends in their craft: score by Tim Burton.
Burton is one of the first directors who young cinephiles will know by name, after Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese (for this writer, Big Fish on the big screen was the first film I ever logged on pen and paper), and he’s part of the coalition to bring funereal spookiness to the mainstream. Burton is a brand, an aesthetic of mass production, a gateway into horror tastes, but most importantly, he’s made the graveyard a safe space for everybody.
With a focus on the outcasts, the misfits, and the societies they’re rejected from, Burton is not immune from the same sense of exclusion and positioning as an underdog—even with his status as an infrequent box office behemoth. Albeit, fans will concede to his inconsistency, each decade of Burton’s near-forty-year career is not made equal, depending on where he’s landing in his “one for them, one for me” philosophy with major studios.
But it’s Burton’s love of the classic creature features, the B movies, and the kitsch that keeps his work endearing as he resurrects motifs, tropes, and clichés that shouldn’t be lost to time. He breathes an animated vitality into inanimate objects, and there’s deep comfort in the way that he depicts a life after death where the values of mortality don’t leave us. Though the blood may stop pumping, the heart stays beating.
As Beetlejuice Beetlejuice concludes Burton’s longest break between movies—and makes bank worldwide—here are your rankings and reviews of the gothic godfather’s filmography. Note that this list excludes short film work (we know you stan Vincent) and features that he wrote or produced but did not direct. That means you, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
“Hey, great make-up, the money’s on the screen, but even if Burton hadn’t been entirely checked out he’s exactly the wrong guy to make a hifalutin fantasy epic about once-dominant power structures terrified that there might be no return to the status quo. He’s actually just a bored little kid, so instead this is peppered with a lot of mugging and dipshit nostalgia and platitudes masquerading as commentary. The stupid ending is actually the only inspired part—arbitrary or not at least it’s amusingly weird. And Wahlberg wasn’t even this bad in The Happening.” —matt lynch
“Despite the intrigue of watching Michael Keaton play a more overtly evil version of Disney CEO Bob Iger, Dumbo has very little to offer. Tim Burton, one of the most inconsistent directors in the industry, will not be revitalizing his career with this one. The cast is generally wasted on badly written stock roles (only DeVito manages to come out unscathed), the visual effects are spotty when it comes to anything not involving our favorite flying baby elephant (though he hasn’t got even a tenth of the personality his hand-drawn predecessor has), and a massively overbloated story. Oh, the story.” —Cole Duffy
“When Dark Shadows does one thing, it’s proving that Tim Burton still has an eye for visual design. You can tell by the structure of the story and the characters, though, that there is a lack of originality and heart. Johnny Depp is obviously the highlight and carries the film on his back, while the other people in the Collins Family seem really lackluster and one-dimensional. Even the overall love story is more suggestive and barely shown, therefore lacking emotional weight.” —Ozano
“This is a really messy movie, a first draft served before it even went in the oven, a hard three-star flick if there ever was one. But fuck me, I love it. I love Goth Eva Green with her sculpted updo and cunty pipe. I love the absurdity of needle-toothed Samuel L. eating children’s eyeballs so he doesn’t turn into one of his Slenderman Cthulhu cronies (a creature design I found so disturbing as a kid). I love the fairy tale garden and haunted period house trapped in time travel limbo. And most of all I love the found family of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Gothic X-Men—especially those little sackhead twins. I just wish the first act was tighter so we could get to the orphanage earlier and explore these characters a whole lot more.” —orwelled
“I’m sorry guys but as always with Tim Burton’s creative nadir era, I still kinda like this one. In fact this is probably the only live action Disney remake I actively like. The script is as bland and generic as every other one of these things, but I’ll be damned if the actual look of the film wasn’t right up my alley. Using the entirely green screen backgrounds to make the world look like a child’s doodlings was a masterstroke, CGI is an amazing tool and it’s at its best giving us things we could never have imagined. I know this historically is viewed as an ugly looking film, which I respect and for whoever the visuals don’t work then this thing is undoubtedly an unmitigated disaster.” —Old Man Angelo
“It’s fun to see Tim Burton make the ultimate B-movie with the ultimate A-list cast, complete with gloriously rubbery CGI aliens. It’s basically Independence Day meets Gremlins, but not as unintentionally funny as the first, nor as purposefully funny as the second. It’s fun and campy, but not as fun or campy as it ought to be, considering the insane amount of talent on both sides of the camera.” —Wesley Stenzel
“This is actually kind of awesome??? A bunch of kids get tortured to Oingo Boingo songs in a nightmare realm. Also genuinely really funny in a way its ‘gritty reboot’ reputation never let on? Gets way too saccharine at the end but otherwise this is an Evil Dead movie for kids and I love it.” —Spencer
“It’s no Ed Wood, but it’ll do just fine. It may seem like an uncharacteristic piece for Tim Burton, yet it bears an exaggerated quality and quirky, charming atmosphere that could only come from his sensibility. An engaging if surface level pleasure at best, it is a simple, intriguing story that is well-told. I’m a big fan of the exuberant color scheme that is used to depict the environments. It makes it feel painterly and alive. There are also moments of Burton surrealism worked in. The performances from Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz are exquisite. Amy Adams is particularly amiable and emotionally complex as Margaret. Waltz chews up the scenery in a big way and is just a joy to watch. Won’t set the world on fire like the Big Eyes did, but it gets in and out efficiently enough to resonate its themes on truth, marriage, and art without distraction.” —Blain LaMotta
“A healthy chunk of this film is extremely banal fan service hackery. Then, as if by magic, a switch flips in the back of Burton’s monkey mind and it’s like the blinders on the IP regurgitation horse fly off sideways and we fall face first into beautiful full blown mayhem. The last 20 minutes of this film are the weirdest Burton has been in decades. It’s refreshing in ways that fill me with unending joy. Here Keaton is king and actually given a handful of decent one liners to go along with the plethora of gross-out gags and monumental karaoke dream sequence sing-alongs. I think my kids genuinely think I’m insane for laughing louder and harder than anyone in the theater whenever something outlandishly disturbing was fed into my eye sockets. That means little Timmy did something right.” —Swartacus
“Frankenweenie feels like classic Tim Burton—a mix of quirky charm and dark whimsy that pulls you in with its unique style. The black-and-white animation creates an old-school horror vibe that really works for a story about a boy trying to bring his dog back from the dead. It’s visually striking, with those typical Burton touches that make everything feel like a gothic fairytale. But while it has heart and some genuinely touching moments, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. The story starts strong, but it doesn’t always keep its momentum. At times, it feels like it's trying a bit too hard to be both spooky and sweet. Still, there’s enough to enjoy, especially if you have a soft spot for stories about kids and their pets.” —Mariana
“I’ve never really been sure where I stand with Pee-wee Herman. Paul Reubens is an incredibly talented performer and clearly had a vision for this character, but most times I can’t figure out whether I find him funny or infuriating. Maybe both? Probably both. Pee-wee himself is generally oblivious to peoples’ annoyance, but Reubens seems fully aware-and likes seeing how many buttons he can push. If that’s your thing, then you’ll enjoy Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. For my part, I was expecting to laugh a bit more than I actually did, but I did enjoy the production design (the tricked-out house in this movie is a worthy ancestor of the Playhouse) and Danny Elfman’s frenetic score. At first it’s hard to believe this was Tim Burton’s feature directorial debut, but in scenes like Pee-wee’s dreams and the infamous Large Marge sequence there are flashes of the spooky style that would become his trademark.” —Christina
“Do you ever just watch a movie and think to yourself: ‘you know what? Yeah this IS pretty fucking fun!’? This was that movie for me. It’s extremely campy and it knows it. It’s more concerned with being a fun homage to classic Hammer horror films than an adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Its silliness can be a bit off-putting at first, but after a while, it grew on me. It’s also highly elevated by its incredible production design and cinematography (courtesy of the always great Emmanuel Lubezki). This movie is just lots of fun and brutal gore. What else could you want? Also, Christopher Walken as the headless horseman? Fuck yes.” —Felipe
“This is a very mean spirited little movie, and I kind of love it for that. One of the songs is literally ing the dead as meat for pies, while the main characters pick out their next victims, so they can continue their trade. That’s like three different levels of fucked up, but it’s also kind of a blast. And somehow every kill that this movie managed to hold its shock value, which has to be some kind of achievement. My jaw was genuinely on the floor every time a ‘shave’ occurred on screen. I’m not saying it’s perfect, the pacing is all over the place, and no one in the cast can really sing. But I kind of don’t care, it was a really fun time, and I’d happily watch it again.” —AngierCorleone
“Batman straight up kills people in the Tim Burton movies. Like at one point in this he sets a guy on fire and drives away while the dude flails around, burning, in the rearview. If I'm being honest, I’m a little unclear as to exactly what happens to the Penguin at the end but Batman is on the hook for that too. Just carry a gun, dude. This is a good movie. So strange, so absolutely not about heroics, just early Burton doing his mopey misfits versus the vile intolerant normies thing. This is so much less restrained that the first one. Camera just swooping all over the art deco, the German expressionist-y angles, lots of Gorey vibes, Christopher Walken playing a guy named Max Schreck. Paul Reubens! You literally can’t make a superhero movie like this today. You couldn’t even make it back then because if you did you’d get fired and the sequel would be markedly worse but have a shockingly good ‘music from/inspired by’ album. And do you want that? You don’t.” —bombsfall
“Superhero cinema as a fairytale. A modern monster movie in which the spectacle is a flesh-and-blood manifestation of a dying, filth-infested city. He breathes whenever it breathes, and cries whenever it weeps; his body’s shattered heart is the desolate and decayed street corner which housed the murder of his parents. Look, I understand the complaints that this is not comic-accurate. I love Batman from the comics as well! It’s just that when it comes to films, I will always favour creativity over accuracy. As long as the new ideas are fun to me, I’m perfectly happy with a murderous Batman who can’t turn his head for the life of him. Tim Burton’s deviations are never dull, though; they’re to satisfy himself and bolster his vision, and I will always respect them.” —Noma
“Hadn’t seen this since I was a kid and I totally forgot how absolutely bonkers it is. Tim Burton’s knack for imaginative gothic surrealism is on full display here with extremely fun imagery carried by vintage practical effects inside a creepy yet comforting atmosphere. All the characters are entertaining and wonky but Michael Keaton clearly steals the show in the eccentric titular role. The dancing scenes were always the most memorable for me but upon a rewatch several years later I realize how creative, funny, and bizarre this entire experience is. Nothing else like it.” —K Gray
“The world of the dead is funner, colorful and filled with life. What a contradiction... When I was a kid I was really scared of this film, and every Tim Burton film tbh, this one gave me the chills. But now, taking advantage of the time of the year and the huge summer storm outside, I said ‘prendele cartucho mami’ which basically means ‘let’s give it a go’, and boy... I laughed, I cried, I was amazed the whole time. Burton uses this ‘kids movie’ to also talk to those parents next to their kids, the subtext sheds a light on the adult themes almost perfectly. The world can be a scary place, but we shouldn’t be afraid of the dark, we shouldn’t be afraid of death, it’s the universal epilogue.” —Valen Bonino
“You’ll notice at some points that Edward Scissorhands is more of a get-together of peculiarities and less of a 100% structured story. But that doesn’t matter at all. Fantasy story in one moment, drama in the next, and then social criticism: the movie dances almost carefree through all genres, like the snowflakes at the end. And that’s how it feels: gentle, sensitive, beautifully shimmering and yet so fragile.” —kat
“Anyone who has yearned to authentically connect with a parent will discover this emotional expedition grants the healing they never knew they desired. The movie’s secret sauce isn’t the razzle-dazzle. It’s the honest, empathetic exploration of the complicated yet unshakable love tying a father and son, and how making amends can make them whole again.” —Casper
“A life-affirming, empathetic work. This is as good as it gets in of Tim Burton, but it’s also one of the greatest films of the 1990s, so it’s no small feat. Watching it, all I could do was marvel at the glorious monochrome imagery, towering performances, and Burton’s warmth and care for the subject and the aesthetic. Best scene: Ed Wood sharing his secret to the woman who would become his second wife in the middle of a malfunctioning Dark Ride. Surrounded by the macabre is a person looking to be accepted as they are.” —SilentDawn
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ is in theaters now, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
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