The works of Tim Burton have transformed the horror world, especially for younger audiences. His imagination has transformed numerous classic stories and borne brand-new worlds as well, applying his unique artistic touch as a director, producer, writer, animator, and more. After getting his big break through Disney's Character Animation Program, he's remained a household name in the realm of things that go bump in the night ever since. Marked by his iconic calling cards, such as creepy claymation, dark, yet comedic period pieces, and a familiar cast of main characters, Tim Burton is a true auteur. His movies have found fans across the globe, many of whom are eagerly anticipating the release of his new Netflix series, Wednesday, on the platform this fall.
While all of his works incorporate the trademark dark atmospheres typical of a Burton movie in some way, they also find ample room to champion the underdog of each story, illuminating dark corners where others don't want to look. Despite Tim Burton's track record of releasing mostly family-friendly films, some of them contain iconic spooky happenings that audiences just can't forget. Here are the top seven scariest moments from Tim Burton's movies, ranked.
7
Mr. Whiskers Becomes a Vampire - Frankenweenie (2012)
Frankenweenie is the tale of a boy's love for his dog, which can't be separated by death... for long. When Victor's pup Sparky dies unexpectedly in an accident, Victor harnesses his affinity for science to resurrect his best friend. The experiment works, much to the excitement of the other schoolchildren, who ransack Victor's lab while the family is gone. After finding his scientific process, they decide to try their hand at resurrection on their own animals.
Victor's neighbor, known only as Weird Girl, receives a dead bat from her cat, Mr. Whiskers. Electricity flies as Weird Girl hooks the bat up to her scientific wires, but Mr. Whiskers is caught in the crossfire as he puts the bat in his mouth while the current is running. Peering through the smoke, Weird Girl asks tentatively, "Mr. Whiskers?" He begins to make gurgling sounds as he sprouts fangs and black fur. His limbs lengthen with gross crackling sounds as huge black wings pop out from his back. Weird Girl watches in horror as her hissing pet becomes a vampire cat-bat hybrid.
6
Barnabas Collins Wakes Up Hungry - Dark Shadows (2012)
Based on the sitcom of the same name from the '60s, Tim Burton's Dark Shadows is a campy homage to the vampire genre with plenty of blood and angst to go around. In the town of Collinsport, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) enjoys his lavish life of riches in the 18th century, until he breaks his witchy ex-girlfriend's heart. She buries him alive, and he awakens when two centuries have passed, after she cursed him to life in fangs. He reconnects with what used to be his family home and with his extended relatives who live in it now.
In this new century, Barnabas' grave is dug up at a construction site, where he is rightfully hangry. Throwing other workers and their equipment to the side, he grabs a man by the throat and says, "I am terribly sorry. You cannot imagine how thirsty I am," before sinking his teeth into the man's neck. When he's had his fill and blood drips from his mouth, Barnabas tosses the man's body to the side, where he hits electrical equipment and sends sparks flying. This is the first moment we see really Barnabas come into his own as a vampire, making it a memorable scare for sure.
5
"What Are You Going to Do to Scare Them?" - Beetlejuice (1988)
Beetlejuice is nothing short of a cult classic, thanks to Tim Burton's genius direction. Johnny Depp is in talks to potentially appear in an upcoming sequel. Following their newly received Handbook for the Recently Deceased, Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) end up in the waiting room of the Netherworld among their fellow lost souls. Their afterlife caseworker, Juno, tells them that unless they freak out the Deetz family and cause them to move, the Maitlands are required to haunt their old home for 125 years. Juno poses the question, "What are you going to do to scare them? I want to make sure it's not some silly parlor trick."
"I'll go first, honey," Adam says as he removes his glasses. He pulls on the end of his nose as his face contorts into an elongated shape with two gaping eyeholes. He reaches inside and plucks them out like grapes. "Not bad, not bad," says Juno, looking at Barbara. "Now what about you?" She rolls her eyes to the back of her head, flicks them back, and peels her face open like a dolphin smile, as the eyes pop out in the back of her throat. Juno says she looks great.
4
Martians Cross Out Congress - Mars Attacks! (1996)
In Mars Attacks!, the world has welcomed Martians from beyond as they make appearances in various cities. The United States decides to treat their otherworldly guests with high esteem, inviting them to enter a session of Congress. At the direction of Professor Donald Kessler's (Pierce Brosnan) scientific expertise, President James Dale (Jack Nicholson) believes that they mean no harm. The Martian Ambassador, given a chance to speak at the podium, enters the meeting room flanked by two others marching in time to eerie music.
Instead of imparting some ancient wisdom, the Ambassador manages a few "ack ack ack"s before producing a ray gun and aiming it into the crowd. The flesh of senators and representatives is instantly liquefied, reducing them to red-tinged skeletons in a split second. Chaos ensues and the battle between earthlings and Martians begins. The status of Mars Attacks! as a cult classic begs the question, will there be a sequel? Signs point to: possibly.
3
Judge Turpin's Death - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Tim Burton's adaptation of the classic Sweeney Todd story is a sweeping retelling of this timeless tale. A New York Times Review of the film called it "as dark and terrifying as any motion picture in recent memory, not excluding the bloody installments in the Saw franchise" and "as much a horror film as a musical." In Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Johnny Depp plays the titular character opposite Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin.
The tension of this scene has been mounting long before Turpin sits down in Todd's infamous chair. Todd has been hiding his identity as Benjamin Barker, out for revenge against Turpin for the crimes he committed against Todd's wife. As Turpin, ready for a shave, exposes his throat, he looks deeply into Todd's face and finally makes the connection. He utters, "Benjamin Barker." Todd repeats him with a shriek in his voice and brings his straight razor down on Turpin's throat, spraying blood everywhere (including the camera lens) as violins wail in the background.
2
The Horseman Visits the Killians - Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Sleepy Hollow is arguably Tim Burton's spookiest and most immersive work. Based on Washington Irving's haunting short story, the legend of the Headless Horseman falls on the nervous shoulders of Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp). Crane arrives in the town of Sleepy Hollow to track down the mysterious figure after the town fell victim to multiple mysterious beheadings. Rolling Stone praised the film: "The director of Batman and Edward Scissorhands gives his film the fine burnish of a Bruegel canvas, topped only by eye-popping visual effects..."
One night, the Horseman rides up to the farm of the Killian family. First, he attacks Killian (Steve Waddington) himself, and his wife Beth (Claire Skinner) takes their son Thomas (Sean Stephens) into the back room and hides him in the cellar bellow. The Horseman (Christopher Walken) slowly enters with Killian's severed head hanging from one hand and quickly decapitates Beth. We watch from Thomas' point of view as her head rolls over the floorboards, her dead eyes locking with his through the gap in the boards with a swell of music.
1 A Ride from Large Marge in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
While Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is definitely one of Tim Burton's lighter works, it does contain one of the most memorable jump scares in a non-horror movie. This film is actually Burton's feature film directorial debut, which has also become a cult classic. The story follows the childlike Pee-wee Herman on his adventure across the United States after his precious red bicycle is stolen from him.
The scene starts off innocently enough, if you don't count the fact that Pee-Wee gets into a car with a stranger. Standing on the side of the road, he accepts a lift from a woman named Large Marge in a semi truck. Pee-wee thanks her for stopping, and Marge begins to tell a story involving a horrific car accident as darkness and fog swirls around them. She intones, "And when they finally pulled the driver's body from the twisted, burning wreck, it looked like THIS!" Marge lets out a capricious cackle and pulls the iconic face that haunts the memories of so many poor '80s kids.