Edward Scissorhands (1990) on Netflix
PG-1319901h 45mDramaFantasyRomance
Edward, an unfinished humanoid with scissor blades for hands, lives alone in a Gothic mansion. Peg Boggs, a door-to-door saleswoman, brings him home to her family, and the neighbors grow curious.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.8/10570,593 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes90%
Trailer
Plot summary
An old inventor builds a humanoid in a Gothic mansion on a hill above a pastel suburb, but dies before he can finish the hands, leaving Edward with scissor blades. Peg Boggs, an Avon saleswoman working door to door, drives up to the mansion, finds Edward living alone and invites him to her house. He meets her husband Bill, their son Kevin and their teenage daughter Kim, and falls in love with Kim. The neighbors are curious, so the Boggses hold a barbecue to introduce him. Most of them take to Edward, and he trims their hedges into shapes. The religious fanatic Esmeralda and Kim's boyfriend Jim keep their distance, and Jim dislikes the attention Kim gives the new arrival.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Gary Oldman was on Burton's shortlist for the part but neglected to pursue it, as the "quirky, strange" script did not resonate with him; he came to appreciate the story "within two minutes" of watching the completed film.
- Tom Hanks, William Hurt, Robert Downey Jr. and musician Michael Jackson all expressed interest in playing Edward, although Burton did not converse with Jackson.
- Johnny Depp prepared for the part by watching many Charlie Chaplin films, studying the idea of creating sympathy for a character without dialogue.
- Edward Scissorhands was the fourth collaboration between Burton and film score composer Danny Elfman, and it was Vincent Price's last film role to be released in his lifetime.
- Burton employed Stan Winston to create Edward's scissor hands; Winston would later design the Penguin's prosthetic makeup for Burton's Batman Returns.
- The facade of the Gothic mansion was built just outside Dade City and most of the filming took place in Lutz, work that created hundreds of temporary jobs and injected over $4 million into the Tampa Bay economy.
SPOILER
Edward's killing of Jim shocked a number of observers, who felt the whole tone of the film had been radically altered; Burton himself referred to the scene as a "high school fantasy".
