Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice won the Academy Award for Best Makeup at the 61st Oscars.
The 1988 fantasy comedy was recognized for the grotesque, imaginative designs created by makeup artist Ve Neill and her team. The work helped transform Michael Keaton into the striped-suited ghost Beetlejuice and supported the film’s eccentric collection of spirits, monsters, and supernatural characters.
Beetlejuice was released in the United States on March 30, 1988, and became a major commercial success. Its visual effects and makeup were central to its distinctive style, which mixed horror imagery with dark comedy and handmade-looking practical effects.
The award is sometimes confused with the film’s other honors. Beetlejuice did not win the Oscar for visual effects or costume design; its Academy Award was specifically for makeup. The film also helped establish a recurring creative partnership between Burton and composer Danny Elfman.