Edward Scissorhands is one of Tim Burton’s most beloved works, but it leaves a huge question regarding its time setting. A year after exploring Gotham City in Batman, Tim Burton returned to horror fantasy stories with his unique visual style in Edward Scissorhands. Written by Caroline Thompson from a story by her and Burton, Edward Scissorhands introduces the audience to a one-of-a-kind lead character: a young man created by a lonely scientist who left him unfinished and with scissor blades instead of hands. As a result, Edward (Johnny Depp) lived in isolation at his father’s mansion for years.

When Edward is found by Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest), she brings him home and helps him integrate into society, which is a much bigger challenge than they could have anticipated. Edward ends up falling in love with Peg’s daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder), which earns him a dangerous enemy in the neighborhood. Although Edward Scissorhands was released in 1990, the story isn’t set in that year, but the movie doesn’t explicitly say when it’s set either, and deducing its time setting is actually pretty tricky.

Edward Scissorhands’ Time Setting Is Confusing

Edward Scissorhands Has Details From Different Decades

Edward Scissorhands has two different time settings. The movie begins with an old woman telling a bedtime story to her young granddaughter, and it’s the story of the man with scissors instead of hands. It then goes back in time to tell Edward’s story from the moment he’s found by Peg to Kim telling the town’s residents that he’s dead, though exactly how many years it goes back is unknown. Edward Scissorhands ends with the grandmother finishing the story, and she’s revealed to be an old Kim.

Some of the town’s women had more of a 1960s or even 1970s style, so the town in Edward Scissorhands is a combination of decades.

Now, in the story of Edward, there are many details in the neighborhood and inside the houses from different decades. Details like the house’s designs and colors, along with the dresses and hairstyles of many of the town’s women look as if Edward Scissorhands was set in the 1950s, but there are other details like the VCRs and aerobics classes that are reminiscent of the 1980s. However, some of the town’s women had more of a 1960s or even 1970s style, so the town in Edward Scissorhands is a combination of decades.

The time setting of Edward Scissorhands can’t be deduced by when the beginning and end with old Kim are set, either, as if it was set in 1990, the town is still a mix of elements from different decades. It’s generally assumed that Edward Scissorhands is set in the 1970s, but there are details that can contradict this idea.

Edward Scissorhands’ Unspecified Time Setting Benefits The Movie

Edward Scissorhands’ Confusing Time Setting Is For The Better

Despite how confusing Edward Scissorhands’ time setting is, it ultimately benefits the movie. Edward Scissorhands not fitting into a specific decade and instead being a mix of different ones helps give it a timeless quality, as it can be set in, at least, four different decades. Even if many elements are now outdated, such as landlines with a rotary dial and the style of cars, Edward Scissorhands doesn’t feel like an old movie. That’s in big part thanks to its core themes, such as discrimination and bullying, which were relevant decades ago and, unfortunately, still are.