Vogue's guide to the best Tim Burton films
Beetlejuice (1988)
Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder (in one of her first roles) are brought together in this cult horror comedy full of dark humor in which a ghost couple, who recently died in a car accident, hire a "bio-exorcist" to try to scare away the new owners of their old home. Beetlejuice, played by a delirious Michael Keaton, became a cult character. A hybrid of horror, comedy and fantasy perfectly mixed together.
Batman (1989)
Of all the cinematic adaptations of the Batman, the first one from Tim Burton in 1989 is perhaps the most cult. With Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger at their best and an unforgettable Jack Nicholson in the role of the sadistic Joker who destroys an art gallery to music of Prince, in a representation of Gotham that is both dark and vibrant, this film is the perfect blend of Tim Burton's cinematic universe and that of the original comics.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
In this half-comic, half-dramatic gothic fable, Johnny Depp plays Edward, a man created from scratch by an inventor who left him unfinished, with long scissors instead of fingers. Gathered by the mother of a family, he fell in love with her daughter Kim, played by Winona Ryder, and gradually enjoyed the charm of the ideal small suburb where he had settled. Touching, disconcerting, funny and deeply human, Edward Scissorhands is one of Tim Burton's most personal films, a tale of great poetry that, at the time, revealed Johnny Depp's talent to the audience.
Mars Attacks (1996)
Martians invade Earth in this delirious comedy where all the stars of the small and the big screens of the time come together, from Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close and Tom Jones to Annette Benning, Natalie Portman, Christina Applegate and Danny DeVito. A true star-studded cast contribute to this crazy parody of 1950s science fiction films (which Tim Burton particularly likes), which became a cult for its Martians with pink heads and bulging eyes. Unforgettable.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the often forgotten short story by Washington Irvin was freely adapted by Tim Burton in 1999. Johnny Depp plays a police inspector investigating a series of murders committed by a mysterious headless horseman in the village of Sleepy Hollow, with the villain being remarkably played by a Christopher Walken who is more frightening than ever. As a great fan of Hammer Film Productions's horror films, Tim Burton was inspired by them to develop what was his first horror film, a reflection on life and human reason tinged with the grim but aesthetically sublime.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
It may still be the most cult film Tim Burton has ever worked on. Whilst he was busy shooting Batman Returns, he entrusted Henry Selick with the direction of this adaptation of a tale written when he worked for Disney Studios. It features Jack Skellington, a scarecrow tired of playing evil tricks in the Halloween world. When he discovered the enchanted world of Christmas, he decided to take part in it, capturing Santa Claus and, despite of him spreads terror in the land of the snow. The film features a cult figure, often repeated, which is an integral part of Tim Burton's universe as an evil character full of good heart.
