110 Fun Facts About Edward Scissorhands

Who plays Edward?

It was his first collaboration with Burton.

Who plays Kim Boggs, the teenage daughter Edward falls for?

She had worked with Burton on Beetlejuice.

Who wrote the screenplay, from a story by her and Burton?

She later wrote The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride.

What is Peg Boggs's job when she discovers Edward?

She drives up to the mansion on her rounds.

Who plays Peg Boggs?

She was the first actress to sign on.

Who plays the Inventor, in his last film released in his lifetime?

He had narrated Burton's 1982 short Vincent.

Why was Edward left with scissors instead of hands?

He is an ageless, unfinished humanoid.

Who plays Kim's jealous boyfriend Jim?

A change of pace from his John Hughes geek roles.

Who plays Bill Boggs, Kim's father?

He said nothing made sense until he saw the sets.

Who plays Joyce, the neighbour who tries to seduce Edward?

She saw the part as a chance to break into comedy.

What is the name of the religious fanatic neighbour who distrusts Edward?

Played by O-Lan Jones.

How does Edward first repay the neighbourhood's kindness?

He moves on to grooming dogs and styling hair.

What business does Joyce offer to help Edward open?

The bank refuses him a loan.

What lie does Joyce tell the neighbourhood women about Edward?

It reduces their trust in him.

Why does Jim get Edward to pick the lock on his parents' house?

A burglar alarm traps Edward inside.

Why do the police decide Edward cannot be criminally charged for the break-in?

He still takes responsibility, saying Kim asked him.

What does Edward carve at Christmas, causing 'snow' in the town?

The shavings fall like snow and Kim dances in them.

How does Kim get injured during the ice-carving scene?

Kim then breaks up with Jim.

What does Kim ask Edward to do when he returns to the house?

She arranges his scissor hands so they can embrace.

Whom does Edward save from a drunk driver, inadvertently cutting him?

Witnesses accuse Edward of attacking the boy.

How does Jim die?

Only after Jim strikes Kim.

What does Kim tell the gathering neighbours after Jim's death?

So Edward is left alone.

Who is the elderly woman telling the story to her granddaughter?

She never saw Edward again.

Why does the elderly Kim believe Edward is still alive?

'Sometimes you can still catch me dancing in it.'

What inspired the character, according to Burton?

It reflected his isolation and inability to communicate.

During pre-production of which Burton film was the screenwriter hired to write Scissorhands?

She was then a young novelist.

Which Thompson novel, 'about an abortion that came back to life', impressed Burton?

He felt it had the same psychological elements.

Thompson described her screenplay as what to Burton?

'Every detail was so important to Tim because it was so personal.'

Which studio sold the film rights to 20th Century Fox within months?

Fox gave Burton complete creative control.

What was the film's budget originally projected to be?

The final budget was $20 million.

What form did Burton originally want the film to take?

'It seemed big and operatic to me.'

Newly A-list in 1989, Burton chose Scissorhands over which two options at his old studio?

He had become an A-list director.

Which Universal Horror films influenced the storyline?

Along with King Kong and fairy tales.

Which star did Fox insist Burton meet about playing Edward?

He asked for a 'happier' ending.

What did the star Fox pushed for ask for when discussing the role?

Burton said 'it worked out for the best'.

Which actor on Burton's shortlist found the script too 'quirky, strange' but loved the finished film?

He came round 'within two minutes' of watching it.

Whom did the screenwriter favour for Edward?

Jim Carrey was also considered.

Which musician expressed interest in playing Edward, though Burton never spoke to him?

Tom Hanks and William Hurt were also interested.

Which TV series had made Depp a teen idol before Scissorhands?

Burton was unfamiliar with it.

Whose films did Depp study to learn sympathy without dialogue?

Edward speaks very little.

Why did Fox keep pictures of Depp in costume under wraps before release?

The look was considered risky.

Which actress had auditioned for Kim before Ryder was cast?

Burton chose Ryder after Beetlejuice.

Which actor auditioned for Jim before the eventual choice was cast?

Hall was returning after a two-year break.

Where was the suburban neighbourhood filmed?

Burbank had changed too much since Burton's childhood.

On which street in Lutz was the neighbourhood filmed?

In the Carpenter's Run subdivision.

Which four colours did production designer Bo Welch use to repaint the houses?

Window sizes were also reduced to look 'more paranoid'.

Where was the facade of the Gothic mansion built?

Interiors were shot in Century City.

Where were the mansion interiors filmed?

After three months in Florida.

Roughly how much did filming inject into the Tampa Bay economy?

Along with hundreds of temporary jobs.

Who created Edward's scissor hands?

He later designed the Penguin's makeup in Batman Returns.

How long did Depp's wardrobe and prosthetic makeup take to apply?

The hands were by Stan Winston.

How were the giant topiaries made?

Thousands of small plastic plant sprigs.

Who composed the score?

His fourth feature with Burton.

How many musicians were in the orchestra for the score?

Elfman calls it his most personal work.

Songs by which singer appear in the film?

'It's Not Unusual', 'Delilah' and 'With These Hands'.

Which later Burton film reused 'It's Not Unusual'?

Also scored by Elfman.

Which two themes did Burton say the film mainly deals with?

Edward lives alone in a castle attic.

Which classic film's climax does the mob-at-the-castle ending echo?

And Burton's own Frankenweenie.

Burton called the killing of Jim what?

Some saw it as revenge on Burbank jocks.

What was the film's budget?

It grossed $86 million worldwide.

How much did the film gross worldwide?

$56.4 million came from North America.

What did Fox president Joe Roth consider marketing it as, before deciding not to?

'We want to be careful not to hype the movie out of the universe.'

When did the film go into wide release in the US?

After a limited release on December 7.

What grade did CinemaScore audiences give the film?

Rotten Tomatoes has it at 92%.

Which critic gave it a mixed two-out-of-four-star review?

He said Burton lacked storytelling strength to match his pictorial flair.

In which category did the film earn its only Academy Award nomination?

They lost to Dick Tracy.

Which BAFTA did the film win?

For Bo Welch.

Depp lost his Golden Globe nomination to which actor?

In the Musical or Comedy category.

Which two genre awards did it win?

Elfman was also Grammy-nominated.

Which network bought the television rights in October 2008?

Burton cites the film as his most personal work.

Which metal band recorded 'Scissorhands (The Last Snow)' in homage to the film?

Ice Nine Kills wrote 'The World in My Hands'.

In which animated series did Depp reprise Edward in a 2012 cutaway?

Edward takes a babysitting job with grim results.

What extinct creature is named Kootenichela deppi after Depp's role?

'Chela' is Latin for claws or scissors.

Which publisher released a ten-issue Edward Scissorhands comic sequel from 2014 to 2015?

Written by Kate Leth with art by Drew Rausch.

Which car was advertised in a 2021 Super Bowl ad based on the film?

Ryder returned as Kim, mother to Edward's son Edgar.

Who played Edgar, Edward's son, in the Super Bowl ad?

With Winona Ryder as Kim.

Which video game added an Edward Scissorhands skin in October 2024?

A sign of the character's enduring pop-culture status.

Which choreographer created a dance adaptation that premiered at Sadler's Wells in 2005?

It toured the UK, Asia and the US after an 11-week season.

Which Bourne production famously used all-male swans?

His 1995 restaging.

Into what did Depp alter his Winona tattoo after their 1993 split?

They split in 1993.

What was Depp's feature film debut?

He said he 'ended up acting by accident'.

How many films did Depp and Burton make together, starting with Scissorhands?

Ending with Dark Shadows in 2012.

Which John Waters film did Depp also star in during 1990?

It lampooned his pin-up image.

What was the Kim Boggs actress's birth surname?

She was named after Winona, Minnesota.

At which 1989 premiere did Ryder first meet Depp?

They began dating in February 1990.

For which two Woody Allen films did the Peg Boggs actress win Academy Awards?

Both for Best Supporting Actress.

Which pop megahit did the Inventor's actor narrate?

He also voiced Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective.

In what year did the actor who played the Inventor die?

Of lung cancer, aged 82.

Which John Hughes films made the actor who played Jim famous?

He joined Saturday Night Live at 17.

Why had the actor who played Jim taken a two-year break before Scissorhands?

He returned as the film's villain.

Which CBS series won the Joyce actress three Emmys as small-town doctor Jill Brock?

It ran from 1992 to 1996.

For which film did the Bill Boggs actor win his Academy Award?

As a foul-mouthed grandfather.

Which band was the film's composer the lead singer of before scoring films?

Burton and Paul Reubens hired him for Pee-wee's Big Adventure as fans.

Which TV theme is among the composer's most famous?

He also wrote the Desperate Housewives theme.

How many Academy Awards did the film's scissor-hands maker win in his career?

For Aliens, Terminator 2 (two) and Jurassic Park.

Which Danny DeVito character did the scissor-hands maker design prosthetics for next?

In Batman Returns, 1992.

Which actress, met on an earlier Burton set, did production designer Bo Welch marry?

They married in 1992.

Which poorly received 2003 film was Bo Welch's directorial debut?

It earned him a Razzie nomination.

Which two later Burton films did cinematographer Stefan Czapsky shoot after Scissorhands?

Ed Wood was their most critically successful.

Which Ryder film had producer Denise Di Novi made before Scissorhands?

She produced six films with Burton.

In which California city was Tim Burton born and raised?

His father worked for the Parks and Recreation Department.

Which studio gave the young director an animator's apprenticeship?

After his short Stalk of the Celery Monster.

Which cast member was the first to formally sign on to Edward Scissorhands?

Ryder was attached first, but Burton said Wiest's stamp of approval got other actors interested.

Besides Lutz, which Florida location provided a retail setting for the film?

Burton rejected his native Burbank as a location because it had changed too much since his childhood.

How long was the shooting schedule in the Tampa Bay area?

The crew shrank the houses' window sizes to make the suburb 'look a little more paranoid'.

Edward Scissorhands was which numbered feature collaboration between Burton and Danny Elfman?

Elfman has cited the film as his most personal and favourite work.

Besides 'It's Not Unusual', which two Tom Jones songs appear in the film?

The vain neighbour Joyce is the character most associated with the crooner's music.

How much did Edward Scissorhands earn in its opening weekend of wide release?

It opened in 1,372 theatres on December 14, 1990, a week after a limited release.

What score does the film hold on Metacritic, based on 19 critics?

That reads as 'generally favorable'; Rotten Tomatoes lists 92% of 71 reviews as positive.

Where did Richard Crawford's stage adaptation of the film have its world premiere in June 2010?

It ran only until July 3, five years after Matthew Bourne's dance version opened at Sadler's Wells.