One of the recurring frustrations with modern movie trailers is that they often reveal far too much—showing nearly the entire plot and all the best lines and stunts within a mere two-minute promo. Thankfully, this is not the case with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the highly anticipated sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 critical and commercial classic, “Beetlejuice.” The trailer for this much-awaited follow-up has been around for quite some time but succeeds in providing just enough to tantalize audiences without giving away the core of its treasure trove of humors and horrors.
The film sees the return of Lydia (Winona Ryder), the Gothic teenager who once saw dead people and almost married the irreverent ghost and bio-exorcist, Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton). In the years that have passed, Lydia has matured but remains very much in touch with the supernatural. She now hosts a show called “Ghost House,” where she visits various haunted houses. Her rebellious daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), however, is skeptical of her mother’s paranormal abilities, especially given that Lydia cannot see the ghost of her deceased husband, Richard (Santiago Cabrera), who is also Astrid’s father.
Lydia’s current companion is her producer, Rory (Justin Theroux), but she can’t shake off the eerie feeling of Betelgeuse’s lingering presence. Matters take a strange turn when Lydia thinks she catches a glimpse of Betelgeuse in the audience during a taping of her show. The plot thickens when Lydia’s father, Charles, passes away, forcing Lydia, her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), and Astrid to return to their ancestral home, the original Ghost House in Winter River. Simultaneously, in the afterlife, Betelgeuse finds himself on the run from his malevolent ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), a soul-sucking witch who once poisoned him during a plague.
As Lydia battles her own internal ghosts, Astrid seeks solace in friendship and meets Jeremy (Arthur Conti), a young boy enamored with classical literature who spends his time secluded in a treehouse reading Dostoevsky. With Halloween around the corner, numerous events are set in motion, including Lydia’s impending marriage to Rory at the witching hour, witnessed by “select influencers” and a probable Netflix executive.
. Parallelly, Astrid and Jeremy plan to celebrate Halloween by distributing candy to trick-or-treaters as Delia records blood-curdling screams for her grief installation project.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” offers an enticing blend of comedy, horror, and vivid visual design. The original cast members slip effortlessly back into their iconic roles. Michael Keaton as the chaotic Betelgeuse brings an unruly energy to his performance, while Winona Ryder perfectly embodies the goth girl who has grown into a goth mom. Catherine O’Hara reprises her role as Delia, the quirky installation artist, providing ample comic relief.
The movie’s new cast members add vibrant flair, with Monica Bellucci standing out as the nefarious Delores. Willem Dafoe also earns a special mention, starring as B-movie icon Wolf Jackson, who exudes the gritty demeanor of a Dashiell Hammett-inspired detective, and Danny DeVito appears as the hapless janitor who becomes Delores’ first victim.
Visually, the film is an imaginative feast. It showcases everything from the bureaucratic chaos of the afterlife to the evocative imagery of the Soul Train to the Great Beyond, which whimsically resembles an actual locomotive infused with the spirit of African American music. The movie’s style takes viewers on a surreal journey from classic black-and-white scenes narrating Betelgeuse and Delores’s tragic romance to animated sequences depicting Charles’s unexpected and gruesome death—not from a plane crash or subsequent drowning but through decapitation by a shark.
The sequel proves to be a delightful continuation, blending Tim Burton’s signature whimsical horror with contemporary humor and pizzazz. It celebrates the nostalgia of the original while bringing fresh and exciting elements to the table, making the 36-year wait for its release more than worthwhile.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is currently delighting audiences in theaters, reaffirming Tim Burton’s mastery in delivering spectral scares and sidesplitting laughs.
