One of the common frustrations of modern-day movie trailers is that they often reveal practically the entire story, spoiling the best lines and stunts within a two-minute promo. Fortunately, this is not an issue with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the much-anticipated sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 cult classic, which was both a critical and commercial success. The trailer for this sequel, which has been in circulation for quite some time, successfully teases the movie’s myriad delights without giving too much away.
The narrative picks up with Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), the Goth teen from the first film who had an eerie ability to see dead people and almost married the irreverent ghost Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton). In the sequel, Lydia has evolved into a woman with her own show called “Ghost House,” where she explores haunted houses. Her rebellious daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), is skeptical of her mother’s ghost-seeing abilities, especially since Lydia can no longer see the ghost of her husband, Richard (Santiago Cabrera), who also happens to be Astrid’s father.
Adding layers to this complex family dynamic, Lydia is dating her producer, Rory (Justin Theroux). Despite moving on with her life, she still feels Betelgeuse’s omnipresence, including at a live taping of one of her shows where she sees him in the audience. When her father, Charles, passes away, Lydia, her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), and Astrid return to the original haunted house in Winter River where it all began. On the other side of the veil, Betelgeuse is contending with his malevolent ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), a soul-sucking witch who had poisoned him during the plague.
As tensions build, Astrid finds unexpected solace in her new friend Jeremy (Arthur Conti), a young boy who spends his days immersed in Dostoevsky novels from his treehouse perch. With Halloween only two days away, the stage is set for a series of supernatural and fantastical events.
. Lydia plans to marry Rory at the witching hour, inviting “select influencers” and a potential Netflix executive to bear witness. Meanwhile, Astrid and Jeremy plan on hanging out and distributing candy to trick-or-treaters, as Delia records blood-curdling screams for her avant-garde grief installation.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” offers a variety of delights for viewers, from its stark visual design to the magnetic energy of its stellar cast. Michael Keaton returns with a gloriously unhinged performance as Betelgeuse, Winona Ryder embodies the essence of a lost Goth girl turned lost Goth mum, and Catherine O’Hara is irresistibly fun as Delia, the installation artist.
The new cast members also shine brightly, particularly Monica Bellucci as the insidious Delores, and Willem Dafoe who makes a standout appearance as Wolf Jackson, a B-movie star who epitomizes the hard-boiled detective archetype à la Dashiell Hammett. Danny DeVito also makes a hilarious cameo as a hapless janitor who unfortunately crosses paths with Delores.
Visually, the movie is a testament to Tim Burton’s limitless imagination. The portrayal of the afterlife as a bureaucratic labyrinth, as well as the Soul Train to the Great Beyond—a locomotive that embodies the spirit of African American music genres—are all visual treats that leave viewers spellbound. The film’s visual style varies from classic black-and-white sequences recounting Betelgeuse and Delores’ ill-fated romance, to animated scenes illustrating Charles’s bizarre demise—not by plane crash or drowning (though his plane did crash into the sea), but by a predatory shark that decapitates him.
These visual elements are the cherry on top of what is already a psychedelic and thoroughly engaging cinematic cake. The film’s blend of nostalgia and innovation makes it a fitting sequel, one that was worth the 36-year wait for fans of the original.
Currently showing in theaters, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” promises to deliver a spooky, thrilling ride that will leave audiences both laughing and cringing in delight.
