Warning: Spoilers ahead for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!
WhileBeetlejuice 2takes Tim Burton’s supernatural tale in a few new directions, the sequel has a lot of fun with its various Easter eggs and references. With theBeetlejuicesequel arriving 36 years later, the movie had the tough task of catering to original fans seeking nostalgia as well as the new generation of fans. Adding Jenna Ortega toBeetlejuice 2’s castwas undoubtedly a great way to embrace the new era, considering the actress is one of Hollywood’s most popular rising stars, but any real success heavily relied on staying true to the original.
A lot has changed since the firstBeetlejuicedebuted in 1988, and the same can be said for in-universe changes withthe Deetz family. Returning figures like Lydia, Delia, and even Beetlejuice are still the beloved characters that helped shape Burton’s movie into a classic, but they are also at very different points in their respective lives from when we last saw them. That said, with various Easter eggs and clever connections to the original movie,Beetlejuice 2succeeds in serving as an exciting legacy sequel that mixes nostalgia and modern pop culture references.
25The Town Model In The Opening Credits
Winter River Was Back On Display
When the originalBeetlejuicebegan,the opening credits displayed an overhead view of Winter River before switching to Adam’s model of the small town.Beetlejuice 2opens similarly, presenting a look at the town before flipping to the miniature recreation in model form. The shot ends on the house on the hill, but familiar figures can be seen just before the home comes into focus (more on that later).
Where Was Beetlejuice 2 Filmed? Tim Burton Sequel’s Filming Locations Explained
Just like the original, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice combines elaborate studio sets with an array of real filming locations around the world.
Mirroring the original movie,Beetlejuice 2uses the same text for the opening credits sequence. The title card is also inspired by the 1988 version, but it’s understandably updated a bit to celebrate the arrival of the modern sequel.
24Lydia’s Ghost House Show
Lydia Took A Surprising Career Path
Beetlejuice 2officially with Lydia on the set of her talk show,Ghost House, where she uses her powers to communicate with the dead and help the living with various hauntings. When a short clip of her investigation is shown, it’s clearGhost Houseis meant to poke fun at paranormal investigation shows likeGhost HuntersandGhost Adventures.
Warner Bros. wantedHouse Ghoststo be the title of the original 1988 movie.
However, the talk show aspect allows Lydia to film in front of a live audience, giving the program a more personal aspect. Based on Rory’s motivations for exploitation, he likely made most of the decisions surroundingGhost House. Whether or not Rory believes in Lydia’s powers, he primarily focuses on exploiting her supernatural gifts for his own gain.
23The Schitt’s Creek Nod In Delia’s Art Studio
A Return Of The Crowening
Upon hearing about Charles' death inBeetlejuice 2, Lydia heads to Delia’s posh New York City art studio. The location is full of various art installations, including giant video screens of Delia. One of the screens featuresDelia wearing a white long-sleeve shirt with her arms out as black birds fly around her.The image might remindSchitt’s Creekfans ofThe Crows Have Eyes 3:The Crowening, Moira’s movie filmed in Bosnia during season 5.
Moira notably played a doctor in the movie that involved mutant crows, with hopes the release would revive her acting career. The character gets a surge in popularity as an actress when her movie premieres inSchitt’s Creekseason 6 alongside a red carpet that goes viral. Funny enough, fame and notoriety for her work are always on Delia’s mind in theBeetlejuicefranchise.
22Tim Burton’s Stop-Motion Recreation Of Charles' Death
Burton Has A Lot Of Experience With Stop-Motion
Tim Burton is no stranger to stop-motion after his work onCorpse Bride, Frankenweenie,andThe Nightmare Before Christmas(which he wrote and produced). In a pleasant surprise,Beetlejuice 2features a stop-motion sequence to detail the events ofhow Charles Deetz died. The recreation depicts Charles' plane to South America crashing into the ocean, where he’s attacked and killed by a shark before getting to safety.
Tim Burton Officially Gets The Redemption He Deserves After $353 Million Flop 5 Years Ago
The early reviews and box office projections for Beetlejuice 2 are in, and it gives Tim Burton a welcome redemption after his last movie’s misfires.
The stop-motion sequence is short, but it’s a nice touch for a filmmaker already celebrated for his use of practical effects. Though fans were expecting some Burton trademarks in the long-awaitedBeetlejuicesequel, the use of stop-motion is a fun element in the movie.
21Charles' Love Of Bird-Watching
Charles Died From His Hobby
Tim Burton’s 1988 movie made it abundantly clear that Charles was a big bird-watcher. He even had a multitude of stuffed dead birds and bird paintings displayed throughout his study, which he wouldn’t let Delia redesign. Ironically,bird-watching is what ends up killing Charles inBeetlejuice 2since he was on a bird-watching trip when his plane went down in the South Pacific.
Delia makes sure to blame Charles' love of birds on his death since a shark wouldn’t have eaten him had he not gone on a trip to bird-watch. Not only are the birds still in Charles' office when Lydia and Rory are in there later, but “bird watcher” is included on Charles' gravestone.
20Danny DeVito’s Cameo
Beetlejuice 2 Reunites DeVito & Burton
Beetlejuice 2reunites Danny DeVito with Tim Burtonand Michael Keaton after working on 2019’sDumbo. Before that, the trio notably worked together onBatman Returns, where DeVito played Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin.DeVito has a cameo as a Neitherworld janitor inBeetlejuice 2and is the first person to encounter Delores' soul-sucking powers before succumbing to her wrath.
Interestingly, DeVito’sBeetlejuice 2character drinks from a bottle of floor varnish in the janitor’s closet, hinting that he died by suicide doing the same thing. As the liquid spills out of his mouth, it’s very similar to The Penguin’s death sequence, with dark liquid coming out of his mouth.
19Delia’s Iconic Sculptures
There’s More Than One
Delia was known for her eccentric art from the first movie, including her very odd sculpture designs that she proudly displayed in the Winter River home. The sculpture that almost killed her in the original film makes a comeback in the sequel. While picking up Astrid at her boarding school,one of Delia’s spiked sculptures can be seen on the campus grounds outside the Deetz art building.
The prop statue of Delia’s sculpture outside of the Winter River home was stolen fromBeetlejuice 2’s set in East Corinth, Vermont, while the movie was filming.
While it’s possible the Deetz family donated the original version of the sculpture design as part of their funding effort for the school, the same sculpture can be seen outside the home of the Winter River house. It seems like Delia kept a lot of her art back at Winter River to focus on new designs at the Soho gallery.
18"Day-O" Song At Charles' Funeral
The Harry Belafonte Song Is A Big Element Of The Original Movie
The Deetz family has Charles' funeral in Winter River, a detail first confirmed inBeetlejuice 2’s initial teaser trailer. Like the trailer footage,an iteration of Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” plays during Charles' funeral, with a children’s choir performing the song in the cemetery as part ofBeetlejuice 2’s soundtrack.
The headstone for Charles is in the shape of a shark fin to poke fun at the way he was killed in the movie.
The “Day-O” song sequence fromBeetlejuicewas a beloved moment in the 1988 movie, so it makes sense why the sequel used it to say goodbye to that form of the character. Instead of the original upbeat version, the movie chose a much different tone.
17Little Jane Makes An Appearance
There’s Also A Third Jane Butterfield
In the original movie, Jane Butterfield was Barbara’s family member trying to sell the Maitland house. She succeeded after Adam and Barbara died, but apparently, the interest in reality stayed with the family. Jane always had her daughter with her in the first movie, andBeetlejuice 2confirms that Little Jane remained in Winter River and followed in her mother’s footsteps.
Little Jane has grown up with her own daughter (also named Jane) and has an interest in selling the Deetz home after Charles' death. The returning character also fills Lydia in on some town lore, specifically the story surrounding Jeremy, ultimately proving that Astrid is in grave danger.
16Maxie Dean Gets A Mention
Maxie & Sarah Dean’s Fate Was Always A Mystery
For years, it has been speculated that Beetlejuice killed Maxie and Sarah Dean when he sent them flying into the air with the carnival game in the first movie. However,Beetlejuice 2may have finally revealed the fates of the Dean couple after Delia mentions Maxie’s name at Charles' wake.
By asking if Maxie Dean has arrived,Beetlejuice 2seemingly confirms that the couple survived theend of the originalBeetlejuice. Oddly, Sarah isn’t mentioned, but the name drop implies Maxie is still around in 2024. The other scenario points to Delia wondering if Maxie would show up after Charles' death to finally reveal if the man himself is still alive.
