One of the perennial complaints about modern-day movie trailers is that they often give away too much—most of the plot, the best lines, and the most thrilling stunts tend to be revealed during the two-minute blitz. Fortunately, this is not the issue with Tim Burton’s highly anticipated sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” The teaser for this follow-up to the 1988 classic “Beetlejuice” has been tantalizing audiences without revealing its secrets, serving just enough to make you eager for the main event.
The sequel revisits the life of Lydia (Winona Ryder), the goth teenager from the first film who discovered her unique ability to see ghosts and almost wedded the chaotic bio-exorcist, Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton). Now an adult, Lydia hosts a popular TV show called Ghost House, in which she explores reportedly haunted houses. Adding a layer of tension to her life is her rebellious daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who is skeptical about her mother’s ghostly abilities. Astrid doubts her mother especially because Lydia cannot see the spirit of Richard (Santiago Cabrera), her deceased husband and Astrid’s father.
Lydia’s life continues to be complicated by relationships; she is romantically involved with her producer Rory (Justin Theroux), though she cannot shake the eerie feeling that Betelgeuse is lurking around, an uneasy presence especially evident when she sees him among the audience during one of her tapings. The story takes a familial turn when Lydia’s father, Charles, passes away, prompting her, her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), and Astrid to return to their ancestral ghostly abode in Winter River.
Betelgeuse’s afterlife is chaotic as ever, made worse by his vengeful ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci), a soul-stealing witch responsible for Betelgeuse’s demise during the plague. In a subplot that enriches the film’s tapestry, Astrid meets Jeremy (Arthur Conti), a bookworm dwelling in his treehouse, diving deep into tomes of Dostoevsky. Their budding friendship offers some distraction from the eerie setting, and as Halloween approaches, their plans to distribute candy to trick-or-treaters juxtapose against the dark backdrop of a planned midnight wedding.
This brings us to a Halloween set to be incredibly memorable. Lydia is set to marry Rory at the witching hour, an event that will be livestreamed to select influencers and even a Netflix executive. Meanwhile, Delia is busy capturing screams for her next macabre art installation.
. Every quirky, gothic note in Burton’s universe bursts to life in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
The film benefits massively from the returning cast. Michael Keaton channels the unhinged energy that made Betelgeuse a cult favorite, while Winona Ryder brilliantly conveys Lydia’s evolution from lost goth girl to an equally lost goth mother. Catherine O’Hara as Delia continues to provide comic relief with her over-the-top artistic endeavors.
New faces bring fresh energy, with Monica Bellucci’s portrayal of the malevolent Delores standing out particularly. Willem Dafoe adds another ingredient of delightful chaos as Wolf Jackson, a B-movie star with the rough charm of a hard-boiled detective straight out of a Dashiell Hammett novel. Danny DeVito also shines in his brief role as a janitor who becomes one of Delores’s first victims.
From a technical standpoint, the film’s visual design is nothing short of extraordinary. It mixes a wildly imaginative aesthetic that includes the bureaucratic labyrinth of the afterlife, the Soul Train designed to look like a locomotive ode to African American music, and various looks encapsulating different eras and stylistic choices. The backstory of Betelgeuse and Delores, told in a striking black-and-white segment, as well as the animated sequence portraying Charles’s shark-induced decapitation, are visual treats.
To say that “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was worth the 36-year wait is an understatement. Tim Burton has crafted a sequel that captures the anarchic spirit of the original while adding new layers of dark whimsy and visual splendor.
Currently running in theaters, this film is sure to be both a critical and commercial triumph, much like its predecessor. For those looking for a perfect blend of horror, humor, and Halloween charm, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” delivers an experience that is as hilarious as it is haunting.
