The Corner Penthouse

Warner Brothers just released a quartet of classic films onto 4K UHD disc. Today, I'll take a look at the Beetlejuice 4K/Blu-ray Combo Pack, which was one of those released. Read on to find out more about it...


In Beetlejuice (1988), Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) are a couple of likable, home-loving ghosts, whose New England home is taken over by trendy New Yorkers (Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Winona Ryder). The Maitlands call on Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), the afterlife's freelance bio-exorcist, to scare off the family, which results in everyone getting more than he, she or it bargained for!


I've been a fan of Tim Burton's black comedy since I was 11 years old, and not just because the Ghostbusters "busted" Beetlejuice at Universal Studios. I remember getting the Beetlejuice: Beginner's Guide To Seeing Ghosts promotional booklet from a friend in elementary school back in 1988. Rewatching the movie thirty-two years later, I am reminded of why I love it so much. The characters and performances are so much fun, especially Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, the ghost with the most who flings one-liners, spins into grotesque forms, gobbles insects, and who just can't leave the ladies (living or dead) alone. The score by Danny Elfman, supported by Harry Belafonte's calypso music, is one of his best. The visual style is amazing, and is brought to life by one of the best 4K transfers I have ever seen for a library title. Without a doubt, this is the best Beetlejuice has ever looked and is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED upgrade.


Beetlejuice is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:32:05. Audio languages include English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Czech. The film includes English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian, Swedish, and Thai subtitles. The first print run includes a beautiful slipsleeve.


Here's a list of all of the bonus features that can be found on the included Blu-ray disc. The UHD disc only contains the movie. Warner Bros. didn't port over the music only audio track to go along with the movie, much less add any new bonus features.

• Music Only Audio Track - Watch the movie with Danny Elfman's score isolated from the dialog and effects, and encoded in 640kbps 5.1 Dolby Digital audio.
• Beetlejuice Animated Series Stories (12:15 each) - Includes "A-Ha!", "Skeletons in the Closet", and "Spooky Boo-tique", all presented in the original 4:3 aspect ratio and encoded in 480p. These are not full 22-minute episodes, but only one story out of two-story pairs.
• Theatrical Trailer (1:27)

The Music Only Audio Track is not mentioned on the back of the case (the other special features are), which had me worried that this would have been a new Blu-ray disc that dropped that feature, which has been present since the original 1997/1998 DVD release (the first DVD I ever purchased, along with Mars Attacks). Thankfully, since WB is just recycling the old disc, it's still here.


Also included in the 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack is a second standard Blu-ray disc (originally released back in 2008), which contains the movie (opened to a 1.78:1 aspect ratio) and all of the bonus features listed above. Audio languages include English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese. The film includes English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles.


A digital copy code voucher is also included in the standard two-disc black UHD Blu-ray case. The case features new artwork, unlike every previous home video release, going all the way back to the VHS in 1988/1989, which used the movie poster artwork. This is the first time Warner Bros. used different artwork, not counting specialty collector's releases (like exclusive steelbooks). While this new artwork isn't bad, I prefer the original poster artwork and wish they stuck with that. Furthermore, the original VHS and DVD releases included a critic quote which likened the movie to Ghostbusters. It's a shame WB changed to a different quote starting with the Blu-ray.


Beetlejuice is available on 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo Pack and in a 4K UHD/Blu-ray Gift Set with a lot of pack-in bonus items. If you don't have a 4K UHD player, the movie is still available on Blu-ray, but it's the same disc included in this 4K/Blu set, so you might as well just get this new set and have the 4K disc in case you buy a 4K UHD player in the future. Also be sure to pick up the Beetlejuice: The Complete (Animated) Series DVD set, which renders the three half-episodes included on the Blu-ray disc pointless.


All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the film. The item was provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.