All 20 Tim Burton Movies, Ranked from Worst to Best

Praise Betelgeuse: Tim Burton is back, baby.

For fans of the goth icon and his own peculiar vision of blockbuster filmmaking, the past few years have not exactly been an easy time to shake senora and jump in the line. Once one of popular cinema’s most distinctive auteurs, producing populist hits like “Beetlejuice” and “Batman Returns” that truly could only have been made through his distinctive lens, Burton’s output became increasingly scattershot in the 21st century. But even failures like his “Planet of the Apes” retelling were balanced out by more successful efforts (“Big Fish,” “Corpse Bride,” etc.)

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It was around 2010 when Burton increasingly became subsumed in passionless, frictionless franchise fare, from his pointless “Alice in Wonderland” take to his baffling 2019 remake of “Dumbo.” Along the way, all of the signature elements that make a Burton film so distinct — gothic architecture and aesthetics reminiscent of German Expressionism, suburban kitsch, quirky black comedy suitable for adults and children alike, Danny Elfman scores, and Johnny Depp as a wide-eyed leading man — curdled into parodies of themselves.

So it’s a pleasant surprise that Burton revisiting one of his most beloved films has been exactly what the director needed to get his mojo back. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a direct sequel to the original 1988 movie, which starred Michael Keaton as a mischievous spirit who wreaks havoc upon an idyllic country home haunted by ghosts. Bringing back Keaton along with stars Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder (whose original teen performance inspired many an emo phase), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is an easy movie to be skeptical of, as a sequel over 30 years in the making and an opportunity to cash in on the nostalgia that has built up around the film.

And yet, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is Burton’s best movie in years, a funny, joyous recapturing of the original manic spirit that made the original film such a favorite for many. It also sees Burton tap into what makes him a great filmmaker beyond the aesthetics: A talent for producing a certain poignancy and sadness beyond the quirk, a sense of groundedness that can give even a silly romp through the afterlife like this macabre comedy some real emotional (beetle)juice. Does this creative triumph signal a second wind for Burton’s career? Who knows. But at the very least, we can treasure finally getting another film from the director worth screaming for.

With “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” kicking off scary season in theaters, IndieWire revisited Burton’s filmography to determine the best — and the worst — of his droll creations. This list sticks to Burton’s feature films, omitting shorts like the original “Frankenweenie” or his production credits (so yes, “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” is not on here). Read on for all 20 of Burton’s movies ranked from worst to best.

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