Say his name three times and he reappears. Call it a spiritual successor, if you will, but the 80s Tim Burton classic, Beetlejuice is getting a direct sequel. And Michael Keaton is reprising his role as ‘the ghost with the most.’
In case you’ve forgotten, here is a quick summary on Tim Burton’s trippy, anarchic horror-comedy. In the film that made Wynona Ryder an emo poster girl of the 80s and beyond, Beetlejuice of the title is a swear-fueled, pervy malevolence that is incanted from his eternal rest by saying his name three times, an act committed by the newly dead couple Adam and Barbara Maitland (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) upon the arrival of the new inhabitants of their New England home, a ghastly New York art couple, the Deetz, and their teen daughter Lydia (a then 15 year-old Ryder). As it turns out Lydia can see dead people and Beetlejuice (Keaton) will cause havoc, and dark comedy chaos ensues as the spirits attempt to scare the living away. The film was a deliberately lo-fi concoction that tapped into Burton’s love of B-Movies and quickly became an 80s classic, and one that seemed to resist all ideas of sequels (including a toyed with surf-inspired sequel). That is, until now.
So where are we now (As Keaton reprises his titular role)
Although complete plot details are under wraps, we do know that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will follow similar form to other recent franchise revisits such as Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F in that the point will be to capitalize on the time that has passed since the original film and will explore where we find the characters decades later. Widowed Lydia, in the time since her haunting as a teen, has built a career as a TV medium on her own show, Ghost House with Lydia Deetz, a vocation that is not a hit with 16 year-old daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega of Wednesday fame). The gap between mother and daughter widens even more so when ponytailed Rory Kincaid (Justin Theroux) comes into the picture as Lydia’s manager and fiancé.
The emotionally estranged mother and daughter are forced to reevaluate their relationship when a family tragedy brings them back to Winter River, Connecticut. It is there that three generations of Deetz women, including the returning Catherine O’ Hara as artist matriarch Delia, will be forced to deal with Beetlejuice again when Astrid inadvertently opens a portal to the afterlife. Also along for the ride are Monica Belluci’s Delores, who is a mysterious corpse bride figure trying to track down Beetlejuice, and Wolf Jackson (Wilem Dafoe), the former star of a 70s cop movie series, Hardballer, who died on set during a stunt and now heads up the Afterlife Crimes Unit.
So What Should We Expect From The Sequel?
Again, if recent franchise revisits have taught us anything, is that Burton will attempt to honor the creativity and story of his first film, without being just a lazy retread. So audiences should plan on being genuinely surprised.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Premieres at The Venice Film Festival on August 28th and Opens Stateside on September 6th.
