The Unofficial Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Cookbook: 75 darkly delicious recipes inspired by the Tim Burton classic

by Thea James, Isabel Minunni

The Unofficial Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Cookbook is a one-of-a-kind cookbook that captures the flavor and feel of the hit movie Beetlejuice , with 75 delightfully dark recipes, from Deetz dinner party shrimp cocktail to delicious Harry Belafonte-themed “banana boat” milkshakes.

Drawing inspiration from the deceptively sunny home of the Maitlands and the gloomy bureaucracy of the afterlife, to the fantasy world of Beetlejuice himself and the sandworms of Titan, this cookbook finds inspiration in every corner, with recipes inspired by the creatures, characters, locations and plot points of the film and other sources.

Each recipe will be paired with an attractive full color photo and a humorous introductory note, plus fun bits Beetlejuice trivia, behind the scenes facts and more.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Halloween, Cooking

176 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2023

About the author

Thea is one half of the maniacal duo behind The Book Smugglers, a Hugo Award-winning sci-fi and fantasy book review blog. Thea is Filipina-American and lives in New York, but grew up in Hawaii, Indonesia, and Japan. COOKING FOR WIZARDS, WARRIORS, AND DRAGONS (available August 31, 2021) is her first cookbook.

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

How this book even passed for being Beetlejuice themed is the real horror! So many of these recipes were a stretch, and so many were so basic and relied on store-bought ingredients like cake mix and jarred sauces. I am glad I borrowed this from the library and didn't waste my money.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a decent collection of recipes loosely based on the movie.

There are Sandworm Soft Pretzels, Dancing Dentures Cookies, a Strange and Unusual Cocktail, My Life is One Big, Dark Mousse, and, of course, a shrimp cocktail that looks like a hand.

AND, if you REALLY don't want your guests to stay for the party, try plopping this creepy thing on the table . . .

(I kinda just lost my appetite.)

On the plus side, there are a lot of actually yummy looking goodies here that don't seem like they'd take too long to prepare, and most feature readily available ingredients.

Recommended for fans of the movie, and for all those who are still among the living.

Sorry, Harry. It also helps to be able to open your mouth.

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I was hoping for somehow. These are recipes inspired by the Beetlejuice movie, Broadway play, and animated series, as well as a couple recipes from other Tim Burton works. It is organized by breakfast, appetizers, mains, snacks, drinks, and desserts. Quite a few recipes could be used for Halloween, too, especially in the snacks and desserts sections. The photos of recipes are very well-done. Some of the recipes look quite tasty. Some are very simple...Graveyard Dirt Pudding Cups, for example. I've been making "dirt cups" and "sand cups" with various kids groups for over twenty years. Seems like there could have been a graveyard version and a sandworm version, maybe take up the layering a notch. And as another reviewer noted, some of these recipes are quite a stretch to relate to Beetlejuice at all. Lots of allergens. Still, a nice overall cookbook. Might try Shrunken Head Cider and the Sandworm Soft Pretzels. We'll see.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll own the fact we are proud Beetlejuice! nerds at our house--having enjoyed the movie countless times and the pre-Broadway run of the musical from the third row at the National Theatre. That said, it was only a matter of time before one of us was gifted The Unofficial Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Cookbook: 75 Darkly Delicious Recipes Inspired by the Tim Burton Classic. The book has chapters covering Breakfast, Appetizers, Mains, Snacks, Drinks, and Desserts and is peppered with Beetlejuice trivia. We have a delightfully macabre Halloween party we're invited to each year and this will generate some welcome additional fare for that event. While the cooking here is not likely to rock your world, the cleverness factor should provide enough to Shake, Shake, Shake Your Body. My Goodreads rating: three stars.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is without a doubt, the funnest cookbook I’ve ever been given (( favorite Christmas present 2024)) and full of both terrific recipes but Beetlejuice Trivia too.

Truly great gift to get for theater friends & movie buffs alike and Halloween trick or treater types will Love the presentations of all the recipes and fun drinks. It’s win win book!

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some cute names for some quirky foods and regular foods. Although I enjoyed it, I didn't see anything worth buying the book for.

[Sonja Isaacson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recipes we tried from this book:
The Big Adventure
Post Bio Exorcism Smoothie
Sandworm Soft Pretzels
Jane's Buttered Buns
14 1/2 Minute Chops
Chicken Noodle Soup
It's Chowtime! Chow Mein
Disembodied Spatchcocked Chicken (really just made the spice mixture and put on chicken breasts)
Orange (Juice) Chicken
Till Death Do Us Part Spaghetti and Meatballs
Graveyard Dirt Pudding Cups
Dead Mom's Apple Pie
Shakes, Senora

There's a couple more I plan to try but it's time to return the library book!