Vermont town draws ‘Beetlejuice’ fans to iconic horror movie site

By AMANDA SWINHART and KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

EAST CORINTH, Vt. (AP) — For nearly 40 years, a tiny town in Vermont has attracted hordes of “Beetlejuice” fans eager to visit where the whimsical horror movie’s most famous scenes were filmed.

With a population hovering just around 1,500, “Beetlejuice” mania has helped put East Corinth on the map not only for fans of the movies but also those looking for a spooky-themed road trip.

“It was like one of those coming-of-age films for me,” said “Beetlejuice” fan Lisa Pinkerton, who traveled with her family from England and decided to include a stop in East Corinth. “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” was released in 1988, where it was set in the fictional town of Winter River, Connecticut. The story is centered around a recently deceased couple, played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, trying to scare a family out of their home. When their attempts fail, the couple hires “bio-exorcist” Beetlejuice, played by Michael Keaton, but quickly regrets that decision.

But in reality, director Tim Burton chose East Corinth, located near the New Hampshire border, for many of the 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.”

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Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.