Summary
A teaser forBeetlejuice 2confirms how Michael Keaton’s iconic character died, which was left a mystery in Tim Burton’s 1988 original movie. Bringing back Keaton as the titular demonic ghost,Beetlejuice 2dives deeper into his personal backstory and origins as he’s summoned by theDeetz family membersfor the first time in over 30 years. While the originalBeetlejuiceonly hinted at who he was prior to death, the 2024sequel actually gives a glimpse at Keaton’s iconic character when he was alive– including a scene of the moment he dies.
Beetlejuice’s origins were more vague in the 1988 movie, but it was revealed that the ghost had been around for over 600 years, ashe mentioned living through the Black Plague. His original backstory also includes a past marriage and serving as Juno’s assistant before going out on his own to do “freelance bio-exorcisms,” the latter of which could be complicated by the newly revealed context of Beetlejuice’s death. Themanner of his death is shown during a flashback scene about his marriage to Delores inBeetlejuice 2, which doesn’t align with his implied demise from the original film.
Delores Killed Beetlejuice By Poisoning Him During The Black Plague
Beetlejuice Was Murdered By His Wife At Their Wedding
A new TV spot teasing thestory ofBeetlejuice 2(viaX), which has seemingly since been deleted by Warner Bros. Mexico, reveals that the sequel features a black-and-white scene of Keaton and his ex-wife, Delores, before they marry. In addition to showing Beetlejuice as a grave robber during the Black Plague, the scene depicts his fateful wedding with Monica Bellucci’s Delores. During the wedding, it’s revealed thatDelores fatally poisoned Beetlejuice’s wine glass. In retaliation, Beetlejuice kills Delores by hitting her with an axe, explaining her facial scars in the afterlife.
Therefore,Beetlejuice 2finally explains the manner of his death by confirming thatBeetlejuice was killed by his ex-wife. It’s still unclear exactly why Delores killed Beetlejuice, but his fatal revenge against her before succumbing to the poison led to her becoming a “soul sucker” spirit in the afterlife. She can even be seen sucking the soul from Danny DeVito’s custodialBeetlejuice 2character, suggesting she intends to do the same to Beetlejuice. The original movie revealed that becoming a “lost soul” after an exorcism is “death for the dead,” which may be what Delores intends to inflict on Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice 2 Finally Explains A Gross Detail From Lydia’s Original Wedding Scene
It took 36 years, but Beetlejuice 2 finally solved a mystery presented during Beetlejuice and Lydia’s wedding scene from the original movie.
Since it’s suggested that Delores and Beetlejuice murdered each other within a matter of moments, it’s unclear how the two went through a divorce in the afterlife. Whether divorces exist in that realm or their separation for six centuries simply led them to be referred to as ex-spouses, Beetlejuice and Delores’ reunion inBeetlejuice 2begs some questions about the logistics of their marriage. Furthermore, it’sunclear when and why Beetlejuice decided to chop off Delores’ fingerto keep her wedding ring, which he later tried to give Lydia inBeetlejuice’s 1988 movie ending.
Beetlejuice’s Death Repeats Another Tim Burton Movie’s Death Twist
Beetlejuice 2 Shares Even More Similarities With Corpse Bride
While there were already exciting thematic overlaps andsimilarities between Tim Burton’sBeetlejuiceandCorpse Bridemovies, his 2024 sequel makes these comparisons more difficult to ignore. Beetlejuice’s death and origins now share even more similarities to the death of Emily, the titular dead character inCorpse Bride. BothBeetlejuice and Emily were killed by their intended spouses at their wedding, respectively condemning them to fates in the realm of the afterlife and the Land of the Dead.
Theend ofCorpse Bridereveals that Emily was previously engaged to Lord Barkis, who killed her on their wedding day. Lord Barkis survived and later attempted to marry Victoria instead, until several residents from the Land of the Dead descended upon him at his second wedding and vengefully killed him. Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice is now revealed to have suffered a similar fate, as he was poisoned by his wife at their wedding. However,Delores is arguablyBeetlejuice 2’s version of the “corpse bride,”as she remains in the black dress she wore at their wedding for eternity.
BeetlejuiceandCorpse Bridealso share the plot point of the murdered titular character later trying to marry a living person; Beetlejuice tries to marry Lydia, while Emily tries to marry Victor.
Is Beetlejuice’s Death A Retcon? How The Original Movie Hinted At A Different Fate
Beetlejuice’s Former Civil Servant Position Implied A Different Dark Demise
How Beetlejuice died before the 1988 Tim Burton movie makes sense, but it may conflict with the implications behind his death from the original.Beetlejuice 2appears to be expanding on and adding some twists to the rules outlined about the afterlife in the first movie, which includes what ghosts are forced to work in the afterlife’s bureaucracy. In the 1988 movie,Otho (Glenn Shadix) mentions that ghosts who die by suicide become civil servants in the afterlife. This claim is corroborated by theghosts seen working in the Neitherworld, who all appear to have died by suicide, including Juno.
Therefore,since Beetlejuice once worked as a civil servant in the afterlife when he was Juno’s assistant, it was believed that he also died by suicide. There weren’t any visible marks that revealed how exactly he would have died in that manner, unlike the other civil servants, but it contributed to a darker, mysterious conception of his character. However,Beetlejuice 2reveals that he didn’t die by suicide – he was murdered, begging the question of why he was presumably forced to be a civil servant.
It’s implied that Beetlejuice was a grave robber and criminal while still alive, so his positions in the bureaucracy may be a punishment for his crimes.
Since Tim Burton’s original movie didn’t have a clear-cut explanation for who can work in the afterlife’s bureaucracy,Beetlejuice’s death in the sequel isn’t necessarily a retcon. While it may be the case that all ghosts who die by suicide become civil servants, the afterlife may force ghosts who died in alternate ways to this eternal fate as well. It’s implied that Beetlejuice was a grave robber and criminal while still alive, so his positions in the bureaucracy may be a punishment for his crimes. Alternatively, Beetlejuice may have simply elected to take a position as a caseworker after death.
Beetlejuice 2 May Have Just Confirmed Exactly How Charles Deetz Dies (It’s Absurd)
A subtle detail in the official trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice seems to have confirmed the tragic circumstances of Charles Deetz’s death.
It wasn’t clear how ghosts who had committed heinous crimes while still alive were punished, butBeetlejuice 2implies that the titular ghost’s homicide forced him into an afterlife of civil service. Considering Willem Dafoe stars inBeetlejuice 2as the afterlife detective Wolf Jackson, his investigation and search for both Beetlejuice and Delores will likely divulge more information around these rules. Without Sylvia Sidney’s Juno in the sequel, another character will have to provide more clarity about the rules that govern the afterlife and its curious bureaucracy.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Cast
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
Beetlejuice
Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stars Michael Keaton as the titular “bio-exorcist”, an obnoxious spirit who specializes in driving living occupants out of homes. When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die suddenly, they pass into the spirit realm, and must stay in their home. However, in the living world, the Deetz family purchases the house and moves in, prompting the Maitlands to enlist the help of Beetlejuice to drive them away.
