Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetle-
Grace Acevedo (9) states, “My favorite Halloween movie is Hocus Pocus” citing a love for lighter, comedic Halloween movies–a sentiment that isn’t unpopular. Demand for such movies has extended many, like the mentioned Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters, and Hotel Transylvania, to multiple sequels and even remakes. Beetlejuice joined their ranks on September 6th, 2024, when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the second movie in the Beetlejuice franchise, made its theater debut.
This continuation of the first movie follows a new generation of Deetz as well as two old ones. Lydia Deetz and her daughter Astrid Deetz return to Winter River, Connecticut for the funeral of Charles Deetz, Lydia’s father. Astrid and Lydia remain estranged due to Lydia’s apparent inability to see Astrid’s late father, Richard, which Astrid believes to be a spiteful lie from her mother. While in Winter River, a fateful encounter with a disguised ghost leads Astrid into the Great Beyond–and into the danger of permanent death. Lydia is forced to make another deal with demonic entity (and titular character) Beetlejuice to bring her daughter back to life safely (IMDb).
As a Wednesday fan, I found my interest piqued when I realized that Jenna Ortega would be starring in this film as Astrid Deetz in the interim between Wednesday season two filming. I knew I had to watch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as soon as possible when I found out that Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, and Catherine O’Hara would be reprising their roles as Lydia Deetz, Beetlejuice, and Delia Deetz, respectively (Rotten Tomatoes).
The special effects in the movie were perfectly creepy and beautifully crafted, which brought back a sense of nostalgia from the original movie’s special effects (Slash Films). These effects range from bloody, gory half-eaten bodies to women pulling their own body parts back together. And speaking of the first movie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sold the continuation aspect of its production with little tidbits of information and references that viewers will only understand if they’ve already watched the first movie. Moving on to the performance of the actors, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton played their roles with the same amount of wit and consistency as they did thirty-six years ago in the first movie. New cast additions, like Jenna Ortega and first-time actor Arthur Conti, shined in their own way, portraying the roles of a moody teenage girl and a desperate ghost perfectly.
Overall, fans of wild special effects, spooky entities, and a little dash of comedy will love this movie.
