The Creator of Beetlejuice Had an Acclaimed but Tragically Short Life

After years of rumors and speculation, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The highly anticipated sequel to the original 1988 film finally hits theaters this week. But will it live up to the beloved first film? Beetlejuice Beetlejuice There's definitely a lot of work to be done. For many fans, Beetlejuice It's a classic horror comedy that works perfectly as a standalone film.

Many pieces came together to make this film a success: the outstanding cast, led by Michael Keaton's iconic performance as the film's eponymous character; the instantly recognizable and iconic soundtrack by composer Danny Elfman; and the creative vision of director Tim Burton. But there is another hero behind it. Beetlejuice Who often goes unmentioned: The film's writer, Michael McDowell..

But who is Michael McDowell? With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice The film is just out in theaters, and there's no better time to delve into this writer's life and find out.

How McDowell Became an Author and His Early Successes

Born in 1950, Michael McDowell was an outstanding student, earning his BA and MA degrees from Harvard College and his Ph.D. in English from Brandeis University. He pursued his passion for writing, and just one year after earning his Ph.D., he became a published author with his first novel, The amuletBetween 1979 and 1987, McDowell wrote several novels and short stories, including the 1985 film adaptation. an idea.

Although he dabbled in psychological thrillers, mysteries, and historical works, McDowell was best known for writing Southern Gothic horror.. This interest in horror extended to McDowell's hobby of collecting death memorabilia, which included over seventy-six boxes filled with items such as death pins, photos, and paintings of children's coffins. The master of horror himself, Stephen King, has described McDowell as “the best original paperback writer in America today.” He has also written for a number of television shows such as Amazing stories and Alfred Hitchcock presents.

Beetlejuice and McDowell's Rise to Stardom

So how did the idea for “The Ghost With the Most Votes” come about? According to the story, Michael McDowell, screenwriter Larry Wilson, and entertainment attorney Michael Binder founded Pecos Productions. Beetlejuice It was their first project.

The original text was very different. Given McDowell's penchant for horror, the film is much darker than what we end up getting. The Maitland family's car crash is graphically depicted, and Beetlejuice is a winged demon, taking the form of a small Middle Eastern man. He also wants to kill the Dietz family. Instead of scaring them, he wants to sleep with Lydia instead of marrying her.

McDowell and Wilson showed their script to a young filmmaker, who directed an episode they had written for Alfred Hitchcock presents. A promising young director named Tim Burton.At the time, Burton was frustrated by the lack of imagination in the scripts he was receiving. But then he read Beetle juice. This script had all the originality Burton was looking for, even though it wasn't quite ready.

After McDowell and Wilson sold the script to Geffen, writer Warren Skaaren was hired to handle the rewrite. It was Skarin who turned the tone of the story into a horror comedy. He also toned down Beetlejuice's more sinister behavior, developed the afterlife, and softened the atmosphere surrounding the Maitland family's death. Skarin's draft underwent further revisions, until it became the story we all know today.

From there, the rest is history. Beetlejuice It was a critical and commercial success, and both McDowell and Skaaren received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Writing.

Continued success is cut short by tragedy.

After success Beetlejuice In 1988, McDowell shifted his focus from fiction to film and television writing.He has written episodes for various horror-related shows, such as: Tales from the Crypt and Monsters. He has contributed greatly to Tales from the Dark Side, Wrote 11 episodes of the TV series and two different segments for the 1990 film adaptation.

One of McDowell's most notable contributions was the 1993 stop-motion animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Tim Burton hired McDowell to turn his three-page poem about a skeleton who kidnaps Christmas into a screenplay. Unfortunately, the pair had creative differences—or maybe that was a good thing.

These creative differences inspired Burton to make the film a musical. They brought in Danny Elfman to write the lyrics and songs, a move that undoubtedly changed the The Nightmare Before Christmas to a timeless Disney classic. Caroline Thompson was eventually hired to write the screenplay, although McDowell received credit for the film adaptation.

Just one year later, in 1994, McDowell was diagnosed with AIDS. After his diagnosis, he went on to teach screenwriting at Boston University and Tufts University. While he continued to write screenplays, McDowell's life was tragically cut short on December 27, 1999, when he died of an AIDS-related illness. He was only 49 years old. His partner of thirty years, theater historian and director Lawrence Senelek, remained with him until his untimely death.

Unfinished business and modifications

McDowell's last completed film was the 1996 film Thinner, Which he adapted from Stephen King's 1984 novel. His latest novel, candles are burning The book was completed by author Tabitha King, Stephen King's wife. The book was published in 2006, several years after the author's death..

Ironically, one of McDowell's last projects, which he was working on at the time of his death, It was a sequel to BeetlejuiceIt's comforting to know that the original film's writer actually intended this. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Hopefully Michael McDowell is watching the premiere somewhere in the afterlife, free of sandworms and creepy ghosts.