The recently deceased couple haunting their former home in Tim Burton’s 1988 film Beetlejuice are the Maitlands.
Adam and Barbara Maitland die in a car accident and return as ghosts tied to their Connecticut house. They soon discover that the property has been purchased by the Deetz family, whose dramatic renovations and interest in the supernatural disturb the couple’s afterlife.
Alec Baldwin plays Adam Maitland and Geena Davis plays Barbara Maitland. The couple eventually seeks help from Betelgeuse, a troublesome “bio-exorcist” who promises to drive the living occupants away but creates increasingly dangerous complications.
The Maitlands are sometimes confused with the Deetzes because both families occupy the house. The Deetzes are the living newcomers; the Maitlands are the ghostly former owners. The film’s title character is officially spelled Betelgeuse, although “Beetlejuice” is the usual title spelling.