Has watching Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice ever made you want to summon a wisecracking ghost in your own home? While you may not have the proper tools to contact the supernatural, Sideshow Collectibles has the next best thing with their incredibly detailed, eerily lifelike sixth scale figure of Betelgeuse. With the new figure being released this month, they’ve given us a special look at the collectible that’s sure to please longtime fans of the iconic Michael Keaton character.
In the past, the talented team at Sideshow has given horror fans the goods with sixth scale figures that really bring out the creepiness of notable characters from the genre, including Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. Their Beetlejuice sixth scale figure is no exception, bringing the nightmarish side of the Tim Burton character to life, but also making sure that his manic sense of humor isn’t lost in translation from screen to sculpture.
Before you even see the sixth scale figure, the box just screams “Betelgeuse” with the character’s trademark black and white pinstripe design. Daring to see the bio-exorcist ghost for myself, I remove the lid to find the iconic character laying flat beneath a banner that reads, “here lies Betelgeuse,” and he is not buried alone. In addition to the two already attached to his limbs, nine interchangeable hands can be found in the box, their veins and long nails lending the figure a realistic quality. The collectible also comes with a stand, but rest assured, this figure can easily stand tall on his own two boot-clad feet.
Raising Betelgeuse from his cardboard tomb, I’m amazed at how alive he looks as the light catches his wide-open eyes, his mouth partially open with an expression that perfectly captures Michael Keaton’s constantly amused performance. It’s the hair that really catches my eye, though. His green, mossy mane has a life of its own, spilling back from his brow and protruding into the air like a porcupine’s quills. There’s no doubt that this is the face of the Betelgeuse fans remember from Burton’s movie. J Park’s sculpting and Wan Lee’s detailed painting perfectly capture the likeness of Keaton’s mischievous ghost.
Not willing to be outdone by the work of art above its shoulders, the rest of the figure’s body is equally enthralling thanks to expert costume fabrication by Mijin Namgung. The pinstripe suit is seemingly straight off the screen, with the white undershirt appropriately given a black tint in areas to make it seem like Betelgeuse just woke up from the earthen grave. The black tie is slightly askew and the suit itself has just the right amount of rumple in the fabric to match the ghost’s eternally frazzled appearance. The pinstriped pants are tucked into boots that look amazingly lifelike, the creases in their sides giving the illusion that Betelgeuse has walked many miles in the afterlife with this footwear.
Green hair to toe, this figure is a sight to behold for both diehard fans of Burton’s 1988 film and casual collectors. The $239.99 price tag may keep some people from saying “Betelgeuse” three times, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more loving and lifelike depiction of the character than what Sideshow has done with this sixth scale figure. And while it doesn’t come with the incredible amount of accessories that have accompanied some of their previous releases (such as their Ichabod Crane sixth scale figure), you can purchase a Betelgeuse tombstone separately to give this collectible a place to rest when he’s not scaring your houseguests.
To learn more about Sideshow’s Beetlejuice sixth scale figure, visit their website, and check out our photo gallery below.