Cliff Notes – Absolute masterpiece Halloween film called ‘greatest of all time’ now streaming for free

Streaming Availability: Tim Burton’s iconic film Edward Scissorhands is now available for free on BBC iPlayer, making it a perfect choice for Halloween viewing.
Critical Acclaim: The film has received high praise from audiences and critics alike, boasting impressive scores of 90% from critics and 91% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Cultural Impact: Described as Burton’s most personal work, Edward Scissorhands was a commercial success, grossing over $86 million and earning multiple award nominations, including an Oscar for make-up.

Absolute masterpiece Halloween film called ‘greatest of all time’ now streaming for free

A Tim Burton classic considered a masterpiece by many is streaming now (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)

A masterpiece movie that’s considered one of the best of its popular director’s career, and perfect viewing for this time of year, is now streaming for free.

With Halloween at the end of this week, no other filmmaker is more synonymous with the spooky festivities than Tim Burton thanks to his mastery of the gothic and macabre in movies like Sleepy Hollow, Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

And now, Burton’s seminal 1990 classic Edward Scissorhands is available for your viewing pleasure – free of charge – on BBC iPlayer.

It’s been described as ‘an epic masterpiece’ and ‘absolutely 5 stars’ by fans who have been enchanted by it over the past 35 years.

The first of eight films Burton has made with actor Johnny Depp, Edward Scissorhands is an original story Burton came up with, inspired by his suburban Californian upbringing, about an ageless humanoid created by an eccentric inventor with scissors for hands.

Edward (Depp) is left unfinished and alone in a decrepit gothic mansion on a hill overlooking pastel-hued suburbs when his creator (Vincent Price, in his final film role) dies.

Johnny Depp stars as Edward Scissorhands in the first of eight films he’s made with director Tim Burton (Picture: Moviestore/Rex)

But he is taken in by a kind local family when Avon saleswoman Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest) knocks on the door, and later falls in love with her teenage daughter Kim (Winona Ryder).

While Edward is initially accepted by the neighbours, who admire his gentle soul and artistic abilities with scissors, he also attracts unwanted attention, fear and jealousy due to his uniqueness.

The film also stars Anthony Michael Hall, Alan Arkin and Kathy Baker.

‘This has to be a classic; one of my favourite hobbies is watching this and sobbing my heart out,’ enthused one viewer on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, where Edward Scissorhands boasts very impressive scores of 90% and 91% from critics and audiences, respectively.

Fans describe it as an ‘absolutely 5-star’ film and love its poignancy and quirkiness (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)

Jerry R described the movie as an ‘enduring fairytale—a real delight,’ while another fan insisted: ‘You cannot stop watching it.’

‘I think this is the greatest film of all time, Tim Burton is my favourite filmmaker ever. His work has always had a special place in my heart but Edward Scissorhands is my all-time favourite,’ shared Jacks Kraftt in a five-star Google review.

‘Overall, a remarkably beautiful and poignant film that had me speechless. My advice to anyone who hasn’t seen it, and is planning to, have a box of tissues at the ready, it is that sad,’ praised (and warned) Kyle Ellis, while Husker Heathen declared: ‘IMO, a true masterpiece that will stand the test of time.’

‘From the bottom of my heart, I loved every minute of this film… Absolutely 5 stars, I will stand by this until the end of time,’ chimed in Cielo Soria Escobar with another full-mark review, while Kenny Anderson revealed: ‘I can’t imagine my life without this movie.’

Winona Ryder plays neighbour Kim, with whom outside Edward falls in love (Picture: 20th Century Fox/Everett/Shutterstock)

The movie was a critical and commercial triumph (Picture: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock)

Another fan went even further, with IMDb user Illdesq simply announcing: ‘If Tim Burton never did anything else, this film would be enough to call his life worthwhile.’

Edward Scissorhands was a critical and box office success upon release, grossing over four times its initial budget of $20million (£14.99m) with more than $86m (£64.5m) at the box office.

Described by Burton as his most personal work, the movie was Oscar-nominated for the incredible make-up on Depp by Stan Winston and Ve Neill, while it was also a multi Bafta Award nominee, winning for Colleen Atwood’s stunning costumes.

You ca watch it over the Halloween period on BBC iPlayer (Picture: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock)

Depp also clinched a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a motion picture (comedy or musical) for his performance.

Other films that could fulfil your Halloween yearnings on iPlayer currently include Stephen King adaptation Carrie, the 2020 version of Roald Dahl’s The Witches with Anne Hathaway, Aliens and John Carpenter’s iconic horror Halloween.