How to describe a Tim Burton movie? The writer, director, producer, and illustrator has been sharing his visions of love, children, fear, and beauty with moviegoers for three decades now. His stories are equal parts juvenile and macabre. His characters are dark but whimsical, haunting yet delicate. His affinity for thematic binaries is what makes him such a singular visionary.

Burton shows off each of his unique and recognisable cinematic strengths in his latest blockbuster, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, out September 30. The movie blends the romance of Burton's Big Fish, the animation of Frankenweenie and Corpse Bride, the oddities of Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the hauntingly homey mansions of Beetlejuice and Dark Shadows. The motley crew of children is also reminiscent of the brave creatures in James and the Giant Peach.

The film stars Eva Green (who also appeared in 2012's Dark Shadows, a remake of the 1960s television series with the same name) as well as Hollywood stalwarts like Samuel L. Jackson and Judi Dench. The film also acts as an introduction to a slew of child actors (like Hugo's Asa Butterfield) who perfectly marry the darkness of Addams Family kids with the curiosity of X-Men students. The heroic quest of Butterfield's character, Jake, takes him on a journey through which he discovers time travel, treachery, and true love. The visuals are intoxicatingly dreamy, especially when seen in 3-D.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is the director's 18th movie in 30 years, and just as Burtonesque as his first. In preparation for his latest release, let's revisit 15 of his most iconic moments on the big screen.