Review : Beetlejuice (NECA, Cult Classics Series 7 - 2008)

I grew up in the 1980's, the decade of numerous horror franchises like Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser and Friday the 13th. Sadly, and probably rightly, I didn't see any of these till much later in life - but the one film I did watch as a young teenager was 1988's Beetlejuice and it remains a favourite to this day. NECA released their first Beetlejuice figures in 2001. There was 5 figures to start with, including Adam, Barbara and Shrunken Head Guy. These are very very difficult to find and highly sought after by collectors. NECA returned to the Beetlejuice movie in 2008 as part of their Cult Classic range of Movie Icons. Beetlejuice was released as part of Series 7 in his white & black suit, the figure we are reviewing here. He showed up again in Series 8 in the less iconic maroon suit. Like most NECA figures, Beetlejuice was packed in a standard NECA clamshell with a promo shot from the movie. He was re-released in 2011 on a more basic blister card. At the time of receiving this figure and writing this review the figure is 7 years old, and yet the sculpt is one of the best I have seen on a 7" scale action figure. The likeness to Michael Keaton is uncanny and the prosthetic, particularly the teeth, have been captured in tremendous detail. The hair is sufficiently "all over the place" and is cast in a clear plastic which has then been partially painted, giving him a real ethereal look. The rest of the paint on the head is very crisp and clean picking out the eyes, which are looking to his left, and the teeth. The body is sculpted to give Beetlejuice the paunchy stomach you see in the film and the suit then hangs around this in a "messy" manner with the tie sloping off to one side. The paint on the suit is reasonably tidy but there is some bleed between the stripes, although in places ths almost looks deliberate to make the suit dirty and unwashed rather than crisp and clean which wouldn't be accurate at all. Both hands are sculpted in an open palm gesture and include mould, rings and long dirty finger nails, all painted really well. The outfit is finished with a pair of black boots, sculpted with the laces and straps all in place. So yes, this figure is a stunner. But back in 2008 the one thing NECA didn't get into their figures was articulation. The figure has 10 points of articulation. The head rotates at the neck, but is not on a ball joint. The shoulders are ball jointed and can extend out to 90 degrees from the body. Elbows just rotate rather than bend, as do the wrists - although here there is a bit of side to side play. The waist (and this is pushing the term articulation) there is a joint but the figure barely move on its mid-drift. The legs, like most NECA figures of this era are essentially static and the only leg articulation is a rotating joint on the top of the boots. You are never going to get loads of poses out of Beetlejuice, or indeed any NECA Cult Classic figure of that era. However, what NECA did very well is give the figure the right articulation to achieve some of the iconic pose from the movie, particularly the "it's showtime" stance - and it is here you realise how clever NECA have been in getting the eyes looking to the left to support this pose. The figure comes packed with three accessories. Two of them are snakes, these are simple one mould pieces that are painted as a green snake and a red & black serpent. Neither of these (that I have found) can sit on the body of the figure so do nothing but sit at his feet. The third accessory is a scaled version of the book of the dead. This is nicely sculpted, but be warned it is fragile on the corners if dropped. Like the snakes, the book can't be held by the figure - unless you manage to balance it on one of the open palms - so like the snakes this will sit on the shelf under the figure, or more likely in the general figure accessory box we all have. If you are a fan of the film, the 1980's, or both then I recommend this figure for any 7" collector. Don't get hung up on the articulation, it really doesn't need it as once you hit that pose you will probably never display him any other way. Articulation aside the only other niggles are the paint finish on the suit in areas and the accessories which don't add much at all to the figure. So there we have it, a solid 3 stars, and if you are going to get him I would act soon as the rumoured sequel will almost certainly send prices upwards. Sadly, getting hold of him isn't as easy as saying Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice...