For nearly 40 years, a tiny Vermont town has been drawing hordes of Beetlejuice fans eager to visit the real-life locations of the whimsical horror film.
East Corinth, home to just 1,500 residents, has found itself firmly on the map, not only for movie enthusiasts but also for those seeking a spooky-themed road trip.
“It was like one of those coming of age films for me,” explained Lisa Pinkerton, who journeyed from England with her family to include East Corinth on their itinerary.
“It brings back all those memories of watching it with friends at the time. It’s nice to put it all into place and see the sort of Hollywood magic that happens.”
The original Beetlejuice, released in 1988, is set in the fictional Winter River, Connecticut.
It centres on a recently deceased couple, played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, who attempt to scare a new family out of their home, eventually hiring “bio-exorcist” Beetlejuice, portrayed by Michael Keaton.
Despite its fictional setting, director Tim Burton chose East Corinth, located near the New Hampshire border, for many of the movie’s iconic scenes.
This includes shooting the 100-year-old building that serves as the movie’s Miss Shannon’s School for Girls, where Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder, attends school, as well as the red covered bridge where the main characters Adam and Barbara Maitland drive off and plummet to their death.
East Corinth resident Sarah Polli lives beside the bridge used in the film, and her garage was converted into the Winter River Fire Department, with the rest of her home serving as Jane Butterfield’s Real Estate and Travel Agency. Her uncle, Maurice Page, was the only local who scored a role in the film.
“He was supposed to be the barber, but he kept ad libbing, which frustrated Tim Burton,” Polli said. “So, he gave him a nonspeaking part basically and he became Ernie dusting off the statues in front of the library.”
Page can be seen in the film saying, “Hi, how are you?” to the Maitlands as they drive by in their yellow Volvo.
“I think it was a lot of fun for everyone, but a lot of the older people in town, I think they thought that this was going to be a pleasant, bucolic movie about the countryside. There was some shock when the movie came out,” said Polli.
Burton, a moody gothic hero, returned to the Vermont town to film the sequel —Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — which has only helped spark more tourists flocking to East Corinth.
Polli says the town welcomes fans, who residents affectionately refer to as “juicers,” from all over the world.
“It’s just been a continuous stream. I’ve met people from France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Great Britain, all over Canada and all over the United States. It’s just amazing,” she said.
Wade Pierson, who grew up in East Corinth, created a walking tour for fans like Pinkerton, highlighting the various filming locations that can be seen around town.
Because some of the scenes incorporated a bit of movie magic, Pierson’s roughly 10-minute, self-guided tour helps enthusiasts visualize the films’ iconic sets with the use of large signs featuring screenshots from the films.
“People say, ‘Where’s the house?’ It was a movie set, so it was taken down,” Pierson said.
“We do have a picture on a pole that if you stand in the right place and squat down, you can line it up with the hill across the river, take a pretty realistic-looking photo of what it looked like when they shot the film.”
Meanwhile, the schoolhouse building has since been sold to a Beetlejuice enthusiast who hopes to restore and transform it into a community center that can serve as a Beetlejuice museum and theater.
Decked out in Beetlejuice-themed Halloween decorations, Pierson’s home is located directly across from the schoolhouse, where he says he’s had a front row seat to the filming of both movies.
“I literally have the honor of living across the street from Miss Shannon’s, which is a living, standing movie set,” he said. “The more people that enjoy it, the better.”
