‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Undoes the Ending of the Original Movie
Tim Burton’s classic movie Beetlejuice has a lovely ending. The sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, undoes that ending. And nobody seems to be angry! Here’s a look at all this supernatural nuttiness and the reactions it has inspired.
How ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ treated some characters from the 1st movie
The original Beetlejuice was one of the most original and memorable horror comedies of the 1980s. Considering how many beloved horror comedies came out during the 1980s, including An American Werewolf in London, Evil Dead II, and The Return of the Living Dead, that’s a huge compliment.
The film involves a ghost couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland, who are upset that a new family has moved into their house. Eventually, they make friends with the new family’s daughter, Lydia Deetz. The film ends with Lydia having fun with the Maitlands. In the sequel, the Maitlands decided to leave their old house and they no longer coexist with Lydia. It’s almost like the arc at the center of the original film was pointless.
Of course, when sequels undermine earlier films, that inspires backlash. For example, many Star Wars fans felt that The Last Jedi was a letdown because it made Luke Skywalker less heroic than he was at the end of Return of the Jedi. So one might expect fans of Beetlejuice or Burton’s work as a whole to decry the new film.
Why fans seem to be alright with this addition to the original film
However, that doesn’t seem to be happening. It appears that Burton fans are ecstatic about the new movie. Why are they overlooking the way that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice pulls the rug out from under the ending of Beetlejuice?
Context is key. For starters, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a good movie in its own right. It has a lot of funny jokes, some memorable characters (old and new), catchy tunes, and a breakneck pace that works for this kind of madcap comedy. Continuity isn’t everything. Maybe we all prefer a good sequel to a bad sequel that complies with canon.
On top of that, when people think of Beetlejuice, they think of the title character, of Lydia, of Harry Belafonte songs. They might not think of the Maitlands, even though they are a bigger part of the film than all of the other characters. After all, they just aren’t as interesting (or Gothic or funny) as the other people who inhabit the film.
What Geena Davis said about ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’
During a 2024 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Geena Davis explained why she didn’t reprise the role of Barbara Maitland in the new movie. “I’m not in the remake [sic],” she said. “Oh, you were expecting that I would be? Yeah, no, you know what? Because my theory is that ghosts don’t age. Not that I have.”
“
“Our characters were stuck the way they looked when they died forever, so it’s been a while, it’s been a minute,” Davis continued. Maybe she’s right. Or maybe some characters from the original film just didn’t fit well into the sequel. Or maybe a marketing department found out that nobody was waiting for a return of the Maitlands.
Whatever went on behind the scenes, we can all take pleasure in the fact that Burton is back and the best he’s been in years.
