The March/April 85th anniversary issue of Weird Tales features our big list of “The 85 Weirdest Storytellers of the Past 85 Years.” We’re breaking it down online, too: one honoree per day, in no particular order, for 85 days!

Skulls and curlicues collide in rickety Victorian mansions while pale outsider heroes encounter terrible yet cuddly beasties. Mired in death but bathed in amusement, the films of TIM BURTON (1958– ) transform a singular gothic vision into something universal. While quite a few folks make strange movies, what sets him apart is that he makes strange blockbusters, from Beetlejuice to Batman to Edward Scissorhands. Sure, there’s some Edward Gorey in there, but admit it, there’s some Spielberg, too.