5 Creepy Winona Ryder Films to Watch Beyond 'Beetlejuice'

Lydia Deetz made her a goth icon twice, in 1988 and again in 2024. But Winona Ryder's career is far stranger and richer than a single Tim Burton franchise. As good as Beetlejuice is as a cozy horror staple, there are so many other films to explore.

She was born October 29, 1971, in Winona, Minnesota, so today's her birthday. Here are five films that show a different side of her. For filmmakers, each one also offers a lesson in casting, collaborating with directors, and how an actor's age and image shape the roles she gets.

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Heathers

Starting with a favorite film of mine. I remember being with my good friend at Amoeba Music in Hollywood and finding Heathers on DVD, and somehow that was my first exposure to this film. Ryder plays Veronica, a reluctant member of a popular high school clique. Written as almost an antidote to John Hughes teen movies, Heathers gets dark fast but stays hilarious.

Director Michael Lehmann told VICE that Beetlejuice co-writer Michael McDowell slipped her the script during that shoot, she loved it, and her agents tried to stop her from taking it.

"They were shooting Beetlejuice. [McDowell] said, 'Oh my god, Winona Ryder would be perfect in this role,' and he gave her the script. She read it, and she flipped for it. She told her agent, and her agents said, 'I'm not gonna let you do this movie,'" Lehmann said.

Screenwriter Daniel Waters told The Irish Times:

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