“It’s Showtime!” That is what “Beetlejuice” said 36 years ago. “Beetlejuice” was a smashing 1988 classic with a radical cast at the time. It broke box office records, earning $84 million on a budget of $15 million.
After the film was released, people would always ask if they would ever get a sequel, prequel or something in between. Well, from 1989 to 1991, we got an animated series, but that didn’t last long.
Now, after 36 years, we have a sequel. Fans of the original “Beetlejuice” and horror were happy to see another installment of this 1988 classic. The only question was, what would the story be about, and would all the original cast return?
Let’s start with the story. This is a direct sequel set 36 years after the first film’s events. Unlike the first film where we followed the happily married couple Mr. and Mrs. Maitland, played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, we follow the story of the Deetz family, the family that survived after Beetlejuice terrorized them by trying to get them to leave so the Maitlands could have their house back. In the movie, the book “Handbook for the Recently Deceased” is an existing book, and you purchase it on Amazon. I have read the book myself, and it’s very compelling.
Returning cast members are Winona Ryder, who played Lydia Deetz’s daughter of Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz. Jeffery Jones, who plays Charles Deetz, isn’t in a whole lot of this movie, but his role is still fun to watch. We do have some fresh new faces to the franchise starting with Lydia’s daughter, Astrid Deetz, played by the newest scream queen Jenna Ortega. Let me tell you she is a wonderful addition to the cast and franchise as a whole. She plays a sarcastic but caring teenage daughter.
Now here is something we didn’t get to see: Beetlejuice’s ex-wife, Delores LaFerve, played by Monica Bellucci. That was a killer reveal. I would hate to have her as my wife.
Now we can’t forget the most important character, Beetlejuice himself, played once again by the one and only Michale Keaton. What’s really crazy is that in 1988 he was only 37 years old when he played Beetlejuice for the first time, after reprising the role at 72, and his performance was just as good as the first film.
The biggest question for the film was who was going to direct? We were all surprised to hear Tim Burton was going to direct again, which made fans happy. I think “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was a surprisingly good sequel. I’m not sure if everyone is going to love it. It sure made the fans happy.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is now available on streaming services and DVD.