March 31, 2022

Earlier this year, while flying to Mexico, I watched All The President's Men and absolutely loved it. I found myself frequently pausing the film to jot down the exact minute so I could later revisit and study the interior design. We all know how crucial set design is to a movie's overall impact, but it’s frustrating how little dedicated photography exists for these incredible sets. Instead, we're often left with blurry screen grabs as our only aide-memoire. I hope this changes in the future, and more filmmakers take inspiration from Luca Guadagnino, who beautifully documented the rooms in Call Me By Your Name. Those photographs have become cherished references for many.

In celebration of films that have shaped our world and inspired our interiors, I decided to start an interiors movie club. Rather than beginning with All The President's Men, I opted to revisit an old favorite that I've been thinking about lately—Tim Burton's Beetlejuice. This film has resurfaced in recent conversations as we've seen a resurgence of that "so-bad-it’s-great" aesthetic from the '80s and early '90s in recent projects and collections.

Bo Welch, the production designer for Beetlejuice and many other Tim Burton films, brilliantly captured the quintessential Laura Ashley '80s vibe in the early scenes where Barbara and Adam Maitland, played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, inhabit their home. Then, he masterfully shifts gears to an almost grotesque yet incredibly edgy aesthetic when the Deetz family, complete with their designer, moves in. These transformations are interwoven with papier-mâché sets, moments of stop-motion, and several nods to German Expressionism. Warner Bros. initially had little faith in the film, considering it a low-budget and frankly bizarre production, which allowed Bo Welch and Tim Burton the freedom to push boundaries and explore any wild idea that came to mind. The result is a cult classic with far more depth than I remembered. If you're looking for inspiration, I highly recommend a rewatch. And if you haven’t seen it yet be warned—spoilers are ahead.

All images below belong to Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Pictures, FilmFlex

'Oh Look An Indoor Outhouse'

'Deliver me from L.L Bean'

Tim Burton At The Time Of Filming Beetlejuice, Was Going Out With The Legs

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