“I myself am strange and unusual.”

(Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice)

With the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice just weeks away, an excited and nostalgic buzz is making its way through the horror-loving community, each of us eager to see if this long-awaited sequel will once again “make our millennium.”

Because who of us here has not related to the gloomy and angst-ridden Lydia Deetz? For so many original viewers in the 1990s, Lydia’s dark sarcasm and gothic aesthetic was the first time we’d resonated with a fictional role. Within her character, darker themes such as loneliness, suicide ideation, and a sense of belonging were explored in a palatable way—and in a way that made many of us feel seen.

And it was all thanks to the incredible portrayal by the actress behind that role, and the star of this month’s column: Winona Ryder.

To newer fans, her name might look familiar due to her award-winning role as Joyce Byers in the Netflix series Stranger Things, but Ryder has been no stranger to the horror genre throughout her entire career.

“Maybe I’m crazy! Maybe I’m out of my mind!”

(Winona as Joyce Byers in Stranger Things)

Born Winona Laura Horowitz in 1971 in Winona County, Minnesota—yes, she was named after her birthplace!—to author parents; her stage name is a nod to singer Mitch Ryder of whom her father was a fan.

At age ten, her family relocated to California and by twelve, Ryder had beguntaking acting lessons. Described as “intense and intelligent,” she was subject to bullying during these years and suffered a near death experience in a drowning incident the same year she began acting lessons.

Ryder used these experiences to draw on range and emotion and began to secure “quirkier” roles almost immediately, with her breakout role in Lucas(1986). It was through this role that Ryder would catch the eye of a director who would cement her status in the history books as a bonafide horror starlet.

Throughout the late 1980s and into the ’90s, she continued to portray more of these “strange” roles such as Veronica in cult favorite Heathers (1989), Mina Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1994), and an android in Alien: Resurrection(1997).

And though not specifically described as within the “horror” genre, Ryder’s role in Girl, Interrupted (1999) certainly should get a special mention here—the depths of one’s mind hounded by mental illness is horror. Her character Susanna is played respectfully—understated, even—in a role that could have easily been depicted in the opposite way, a true testament to her skills, and thus earning this particular mention.

But it was her many roles in director Tim Burton films that earned her a solid place in the hearts of horror fans everywhere. Playing not only Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice (1988), Ryder would play Kim Boggs in Edward Scissorhands (1990) and later voice Elsa Van Helsing in Frankenweenie (2012).

“I welcome death”

(Winona as Elsa Van Helsing in Frankenweenie)

Her work as these characters were all stand out and standalone—Lydia for her strength, Kim for her morality, and Elsa for her dark hilarity. Even as a young actress, Winona had that wonderful ability to step into many different roles and captivate the audience through each one. Her personal interest in the ‘alternative’ produced an authenticity that cannot be replicated without having lived it.

There’s no question another actress could have played these roles. But could they have done it with Winona’s profundity and reticence? Could anyone else have produced multiple characters the public so desperately wants to collectively own over multiple decades?

Could another have continually starred in films which are repetitively viewed and consistently enjoyed, earning themselves a rank among the cult classics?

That is the power of Winona Ryder, quietly and humbly making her place within our hearts. There’s a notable collective pride throughout the horror community to see her continue to take on these quirky roles.

As we eagerly countdown to the premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice on September 6^th, 2024, we can be thankful Ryder’s past filmography includes such horror greats as Black Swan (2010), Haunted Mansion (2023), The Crucible(1996), and Gone in the Night (2022) to rewatch and keep us busy in the meantime.

From the ‘Queen of Strange’ to Stranger Things, we can rest assured that Ryder’s roles will continue to delight us for decades to come.

Or at least remind us, “There is no beauty without a little strangeness.”