Edward Scissorhands

Did You Know?

• The film's climax, with a mob confronting Edward at his castle, was influenced by James Whale's Frankenstein and Burton's own Frankenweenie.
• A theatrical dance adaptation by Matthew Bourne premiered at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London in November 2005.

Plot

An elderly woman tells her granddaughter the story of Edward, a young man with scissor blades for hands. Peg Boggs, an Avon saleswoman, discovers Edward living alone in a decrepit Gothic mansion on a hill overlooking her pastel suburban neighborhood. Edward was created by an old inventor who died of a heart attack before giving him hands, leaving him unfinished. Peg brings Edward home to her family: husband Bill, son Kevin, and teenage daughter Kim, with whom Edward falls in love.

The neighbors are initially fascinated, except for religious fanatic Esmeralda and Kim's boyfriend Jim. Edward trims hedges into topiaries, grooms dogs, and styles women's hair. Joyce, a neighbor, tries to seduce him and later falsely claims he raped her. Jim exploits Edward's naivety to rob his parents' house; Edward is arrested but not charged due to his lack of common sense. The neighborhood shuns him except for the Boggs family.

Production

The film originated from a drawing by a teenage Tim Burton reflecting his feelings of isolation in suburban Burbank. During pre-production of Beetlejuice, Burton hired Caroline Thompson to write the screenplay as a spec script, impressed by her novel First Born. Thompson wrote the script as a love poem to Burton. Warner Bros. initially developed the film but sold the rights to 20th Century Fox, which gave Burton complete creative control with an $8–9 million budget projection. Burton and Thompson were influenced by Universal Horror films like Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera, as well as King Kong and fairy tales. Burton originally wanted to make it a musical but dropped the idea. After the success of Batman, Burton chose to make Edward Scissorhands for Fox instead of sequels to his earlier films.

Reception

Test screenings were encouraging, but Fox president Joe Roth decided not to market the film as an E.T.-sized blockbuster. The film had a limited US release on December 7, 1990, and wide release on December 14, earning $6,325,249 in its opening weekend. It grossed $56,362,352 in North America and $29,661,653 internationally, totaling $86.02 million against a $20 million budget. The New York Times noted that the real-life relationship between Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder drew younger audiences. The film received acclaim, with a 92% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 74 out of 100. CinemaScore audiences gave it an A− grade. Critics praised Depp's performance and Danny Elfman's score.

Legacy

Burton cites Edward Scissorhands as his most personal work. It was his first collaboration with Johnny Depp and cinematographer Stefan Czapsky. In 2008, the Hallmark Channel purchased television rights. The film has inspired songs by metal bands Motionless in White and Ice Nine Kills. Depp reprised his role in a 2012 Family Guy episode. An extinct lobster-like creature, Kootenichela deppi, was named after Depp for its scissor-like claws. IDW Publishing released a comic book sequel from 2014 to 2015. A 2021 Super Bowl ad for the Cadillac Lyriq featured Ryder reprising her role as Kim, now mother to Edward's son Edgar, played by Timothée Chalamet. In October 2024, Fortnite released an Edward Scissorhands character skin.