Beetlejuice Beetlejuice & beyond—top Tim Burton movies and aesthetics

For fans of the strange and unusual, September brings one of our favorite directors to the forefront of our spooky-loving minds—Tim Burton and his hotly anticipated new movie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Burton’s unique mix of gruesome macabre and playful whimsy has made him household name, resulting in series of frightening—yet iconic—classics for kids and adults alike. From Tim Burton’s animated movies to his live-action flicks, there’s no denying he’s some kind of creative (mad) genius.

Want to recreate the Tim Burton aesthetic? Buckle up for a tour of the best Tim Burton movies—from classics like Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas to modern masterpieces like Wednesday—to emulate his iconic color palettes, font choices, and more.

First, let’s go back in time to pay homage to the original 1988 movie—and those iconic Beetlejuice colors. The combo of the character’s black and white striped suit against bold, bright backgrounds creates an unnerving contrast throughout the film. The main color palette consists of nausea green, mauve purple, blood red, and black, however the film uses a saturation of one color to guide the viewer through scenes and evoke an emotional reaction.

The vertical stripes Beetlejuice wears are found in many of Burton’s films and have become an integral part of his style. The Beetlejuice colors and visual themes are even more clear when looking at the movie collabs: vertical black and white stripes, checkerboard patterns, and neon green abound in Vixen by Micheline Pitt, Killstar, and BlackMilk Clothing.

Iconic creatures, objects, and scenes are highlighted as essential parts of Beetlejuice branding in the forms of sandworm plush toys, “Handbook for the Recently Deceased” book bags, and “Dante’s Inferno Room” themed clothing.

In a fantastically spooky collab, Fanta and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice have combined supernatural forces to release a limited edition of “Fanta Haunted Apple x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” flavor in a can sporting black and white vertical stripes, neon green, and Beetlejuice himself.

The limited edition collab extends to the full Fanta range of flavors and features Beetlejuice Beetlejuice characters including Orange for Astrid (played by Jenna Ortega), Strawberry for Lydia Deetz (played by Winona Ryder), Pineapple for Delia Deetz (played by Catherine O’Hara), Grape for Delores (played by Monica Bellucci), Lemon for Wolf Jackson (played by Willem Dafoe), and Strawberry Kiwi for Bob the Shrinker.

As for the Beetlejuice logo and Beetlejuice fonts, the 1988 font is Caslon Antique, and the 2024 font is closer to Adorn Serif. Check out some similar fonts below!

In the macabre romance movie The Corpse Bride, the worlds of the living and the dead are differentiated by the near grayscale, colorless living and the beautifully colored dead.

Día de los Muertos played an important role in influencing The Corpse Bride aesthetic, with its cheery personalities and setting of the dead world. With brilliant blues, neon greens, and hot pink shades, the dead come alive, singing and dancing to songs by Bonejangles, the resident skeleton entertainer.

The only bright color in the second palette of The Corpse Bride aesthetic, moonlight blue, is carried over into the land of the living through Emily, the corpse bride. The moonlight blue indicates freedom, especially when paired with butterflies for ethereal scenes. Selective color is a powerful tool that can help focus and guide the eye.

Soft-hearted Edward Scissorhands leaves his creator’s castle, joins society, and falls in love with a young woman in this light-colored gothic romance by Tim Burton. As Edward navigates residential life, he becomes an outcast due to his sharp fingers.

The juxtaposition of a person with scissors for hands in a community where people usually have flesh and bone parallels the juxtaposition of the grayscale character in a pastel suburban utopia.

Along with the delicate title font, the color scheme of 60s suburbia yellows, baby pinks, mint greens, and lilac purples combines with the mechanical textures and steampunk gears found in Edward’s castle to create an uneasy balance. And it’s all accentuated by the stark contrast of the theatrical lighting.

The perfect combination of Halloween and Christmas, The Nightmare Before Christmas combines both season’s traditional colors into a rainbow assortment enhanced by the contrast of Jack Skellington’s black and white color scheme.

The film runs the gamut of colors, and The Nightmare Before Christmas aesthetic is also a treasure trove of mix-and-match elements from snowflakes to chalkboard textures to Christmas lights.

Aside from The Nightmare Before Christmas colors, part of what makes this movie so memorable is the German expressionist title font. Balanced between frightening, off-kilter, and holiday flourishes, The Nightmare Before Christmas font does its job of introducing the film as a blend of the two seasons.

The horror mystery show starring student, detective, and writer Wednesday Adams has quickly become the most-watched show on Netflix, and for good reason. The Wednesday aesthetic is a beautiful study of gothic Victorian themes brought into modern times.

The surprisingly bright color palette found within the dark and moody hues of the forest surrounding Nevermore Academy supports the connection between modern and Victorian. Blues ranging from ice to phantom, reds ranging from scarlet to blood, and splashes of canary yellow create an atmosphere of emotional highs and tragic lows.

Tim Burton movies are always a visual feast, and now you know how to bring his striking aesthetic into your own design work with the help of assets from Envato. With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice likely to be one of the most talked-about movies of the season, it’s a great time to start experimenting with those famous colors and patterns in your own work.

For the diehard Tim Burton fans, we’ve got even more insights into the Beetlejuice design aesthetic from brand designer Dena Nguyen on Instagram:

If you’re looking for more movie design inspiration, read on to discover how to leverage the “rom-com effect” in your creative work and how to recreate the Barbie aesthetic.