For nearly four decades, Tim Burton has proven to be one of Hollywood’s most eclectic directors. And while not all of Burton’s movies are created equal — especially his ill-fated Planet of the Apes reboot — he does have a pretty terrific track record. And since his latest film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, is now out in theaters, this is the perfect time to share our picks for the 10 best Tim Burton movies.
Note that only movies that were directed by Burton appear on this list. The stop-motion animated classic The Nightmare Before Christmas would have had a high place among these films if it had actually been directed by Burton. Henry Selick is the director of record, but that movie was adapted from a story created and written by Burton. But even without that film, there are some truly unforgettable cinematic tales among Burton’s best movies.
10. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Johnny Depp has starred in a lot of Burton’s movies, but he was never more sinister than he was in the title role of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In this darkly funny musical, Depp’s Benjamin Barker had a wife and child that he loved dearly before the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) had him exiled so he could steal Barker’s family as his own.
When Barker returns to England, he assumes the persona of Sweeney Todd and enlists Nellie Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) to help him enact his revenge no matter how many people he has to kill along the way. And he seems to delight in his new dark passions.
Watch Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on Prime Video.
9. Big Fish (2003)
Big Fish may be Burton’s most sentimental film, as it revolves around a man, Will Bloom (Billy Crudup), who is fed up with the tall tales told by his father, Edward Bloom (Albert Finney). But as Edward lies on his deathbed, Will gets a second chance to connect with his dad as he learns more about his father’s exploits as a young man.
Ewan McGregor plays Edward in the flashback scenes, and we see that he was torn between his love for Sandra Bloom (Alison Lohman) and a promise he made to a woman named Jenny (Helena Bonham Carter). By taking the time to explore his father’s past, Will learns that some of his tales weren’t so tall after all.
Rent or buy Big Fish on Prime Video.
8. Mars Attacks! (1996)
Mars Attacks! isn’t as widely loved as most of Burton’s best movies, and it’s a bizarre film even for him! The movie is based upon the trading card set of the same name, and these martians definitely do not come in peace. Jack Nicholson has a dual role as President James Dale and casino owner Art Land, both of whom have a lot to lose when the Martian’s unleash their brand of murderous chaos on the world.
Most of the all-star cast meet gruesome or even grotesque fates, especially Sarah Jessica Parker’s Nathalie Lake. But the President’s daughter, Taffy Dale (Natalie Portman), and her new friend, Richie Norris (Lukas Haas), may hold the key to kicking the martians off the planet.
Rent or buy Mars Attacks! on Prime Video.
7. Batman Returns (1992)
Following the success of his first Batman movie, Burton was given free rein to make things even weirder in the sequel, Batman Returns. For example, Penguin (Danny DeVito) wasn’t grotesquely hideous in the comics as he is in the film, nor is Catwoman supernaturally empowered. Yet, Michelle Pfeiffer is so terrific as Catwoman that it’s hard to care that she isn’t more like her comic book counterpart.
Batman (Michael Keaton) is outmatched by facing three villains at once, including Christopher Walken’s Max Shreck. And as both Bruce Wayne and Batman, he’s very attracted to Selina Kyle/Catwoman, even though she’s as likely to scratch him as she is to kiss him.
Watch Batman Returns on Max.
6. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
Tim Burton made his directorial debut with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and it has almost all of the director’s signature flourishes. It has a weird, yet charming hero in Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens), the story plays fast and loose with the rules of reality, it features dancing interludes, and there’s even a single moment of horror when Large Marge (Alice Nunn) appears.
Following the theft of his beloved bicycle, Pee-wee goes on a cross-country trip to recover it and finds himself in a series of misadventures. This movie not only made Ruebens’ signature character into a pop culture icon, it also established Burton as a fan-favorite director.
Rent or buy Pee-wee’s Big Adventure on Prime Video.
5. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
If you don’t already know who plays the Headless Horseman in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, don’t look it up. The silent cameo is one of the film’s best surprises and, of course, that actor would be the one picked by Burton. Unlike the cowardly figure of Washington Irving’s original story, Johnny Depp’s Ichabod Crane is a brilliant police investigator at the end of the 18th century who uses cutting-edge methods for the era.
Crane’s courage only fails him when he realizes that the Headless Horseman truly is a supernatural killer who science can not explain. Christina Ricci also has a strong turn as Katrina Anne Van Tassel, a young woman who unknowingly has ties to the Horseman and to the evil person who summoned him from beyond the grave.
Watch Sleepy Hollow on Prime Video.
4. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
You can always tell when Tim Burton had a hand in the script. Who else would come up with a riff on Frankenstein where the creature gets scissors for hands? Screen icon Vincent Price has one of his final roles as the inventor of Edward (Johnny Depp). But with the inventor’s demise, there’s no one left to take care of Edward except a caring stranger, Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest).
Edward falls hard for Peg’s daughter, Kim Boggs (Stranger Things star Winona Ryder). Yet, despite getting some initial acceptance from the townspeople, they turn against Edward due in part to Kim’s boyfriend, Jim (Anthony Michael Hall). The story plays out like a modern fairy tale, and it remains one of Burton’s most charming films.
Watch Edward Scissorhands on Disney+.
3. Batman (1989)
There may be better Batman movies than Tim Burton’s take on the Dark Knight. But in the historical context of comic book movies, Batman was a huge game-changer. The Adam West Batman was still lingering in the public consciousness prior to the summer of 1989, but he was quickly supplanted by Michael Keaton‘s take on the character. Fans and journalists openly questioned and even mocked Keaton’s casting as Bruce Wayne/Batman until the actor proved them wrong. He’s terrific in the role.
Jack Nicholson gets top billing as The Joker, and it’s easy to see why. There were definitely some liberties taken with Nicholson’s Clown Prince of Crime, but he’s more true to the comic book Joker than either of his Oscar-winning successors, Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix. Kim Basinger’s Vicki Vale is occasionally a classic damsel in distress, but she’s also a good foil for both of Keaton’s personas and for Nicholson’s Joker. There wouldn’t be so many superhero movies without this one to pave the way.
Watch Batman on Max.
2. Ed Wood (1994)
It seems pretty clear that Tim Burton identifies a lot with Ed Wood, although few would call Burton the worst director of all time. The real Ed Wood directed some of Hollywood’s most infamous flops, including Plan 9 From Outer Space, and he didn’t let his lack of talent get in the way of making movies.
Burton’s Ed Wood biopic cast Johnny Depp as the late director, who struggles to maintain his career. Ed’s also a pretty strange guy even when he’s not making movies, but he’s got the passion and the drive to make himself an admirable figure. Martin Landau won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his turn as Bela Lugosi, the famous Dracula actor who had fallen on hard times when he was befriended by Wood. This is an oddly touching film, and Burton even made the decision to film it in black-and-white. That’s fitting, and makes it seem even more like a real Ed Wood picture.
Rent or buy Ed Wood on Prime Video.
1. Beetlejuice (1988)
It may be biased to go with Beetlejuice as the No. 1 Tim Burton film when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is currently out in theaters. Regardless, Beetlejuice is the director’s most consistently hilarious and bizarre, and it’s the strangest movie in his library. It’s immaculately put together, and doesn’t give into temptation to overuse Michael Keaton as the title character.
Instead, the heart of this movie is about the friendship between an admittedly weird teen, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), and a recently deceased couple, Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis). The Maitlands don’t know quite what to make of the afterlife, and aside from Lydia, they don’t really like the Deetz family. But Beetlejuice’s offer to rid them of their home’s living inhabitants comes with too high of a price. The film is also swiftly paced, at a brisk 92 minutes. Yet, it’s such a great movie that audiences are already lining up 36 years later for the sequel.
Watch Beetlejuice on Max.