Film Review • Edward Scissorhands (1990)

recreation of the movie poster

Edward Scissorhands is a Tim Burton imagined film about an outsider and mob mentality. Not fitting in, a brief moment of acceptance for it to be torn away from the ‘American Dream’.
As this is a review on the film with a focus on its environments. We shall start with the town.

The Towns Topiaries

The town is a suburbia, if we look through time at suburban housing which had started in the 1950s, which can be considered an era of conformity and routine. The houses were built close and the environment was ‘safe’ children could walk around after dark with nothing to fear.
Suburbia was made for commuting to work easier and a safe secure feeling. The whole idea of a suburbia is a two-parent household with the father working, the mother staying at home doing housework and whatever she wanted.
In Edward Scissorhands this is shown, the father goes off to work the mother is at home, she has taken up the roll of the ‘Avon’ lady, going door to door to sell make-up products. The kids are seen to be out after dark and the garden gates appear to be left wide open. This is even used for a plot point near the end.

The Castle in the distance with the Town in the Foreground

Necco wafer

The castle, referred to as a mansion in the film, sticks out.
It is the shadow covered outsider in a town of Necco wafer colours.
It was made to stand out as this was a way to show it wasn’t truly accepted in the community, the film sticks on these lines.
‘Everyone could be a version of Edward Scissorhands. You know, you’re the only ‘this’ in a sea of ‘that’.’ - The film’s casting director, Victoria Thomas

The Castle

The castle itself has a pretty outside and an ‘ugly’ abandoned interior, you can say that the opposite is for Edward, a dark unusual exterior but a beautiful mind.
He only wanted to create and be accepted, which is commented as being an autobiography of Burton’s by the film’s art director, Tom Duffield.

The Fumigated house

Two rather interesting facts about the film is that the colourful neighbourhood, is a real neighbourhood in Florida, almost all the houses were lived in and the occupants were paid to paint their houses these pastel sweet colours. The fumigated house was unplanned, as these were real homes there must have been an infestation.
The house had to be sorted which seemed to be around the time filming was planned.
Looking at it during the film you wouldn’t give it a second thought as Burton has used stipes in multiple films, often askew.
The topiaries were based off toys, which mixed with the pastel colours gives the whole neighbourhood a more innocent feeling, despite the unsavoury people who live there.

Edward in the attic

Sketches/storyboard found in the special features of the Edward Scissorhands Dvd

Even in the sketchy stages some things were set, the castles roof having its hole and Edward staying up there, considering some of the concept drawings were from Burtons 'Angsty teen' phase it is rather interesting to see that went through further production to become a feature length film.

Refs
https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/28715/1/the-secret-history-of-edward-scissorhands
https://www.forbes.com/sites/fredpeters/2019/08/14/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-suburbs/#180c89085499

Images
Recreation of poster https://mondotees.com/blogs/news/edward-scissorhands-robocop-posters-pins
Neco wafers https://www.spanglercandy.com/our-brands/necco-wafers
Screenshots - Self taken from the film and special features of the disk