Tim Burton’s films are often gems of escapist fantasy. Their subjects range from superheroes like Batman to fairy tale characters like Alice in Wonderland. So by now we can expect the unusual and are unlikely to be bored. His latest film is no exception. As the title indicates, this is a sequel to the original 1988 film and coming 36 years later it is perhaps a tad overdue.
In this sequel the Deetz family return to he house where the spooky stuff began all those years ago. Although Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis have ‘moved on’, two of the original cast are retained: Winona Ryder who played the daughter Lydia and Catherine O’Hara who played her step mother Delia.
Lydia is now a widow with a teenage daughter Astrid. As a result of her otherworldly experiences, Lydia has become a bit of a media sensation with her own TV talk show as a psychic medium. However, her teenage daughter Astrid thinks it all a con rejecting the idea of ghosts and the afterlife. Unsurprisingly she soon changes her mind.
Beetlejuice BeetleJuice directed by Tim Burton, 2024.
Although the comedic elements are just as prevalent as in the original movie, the film still has a reasonable story line with twists and turns to the main theme: the return of the dreaded Beetlejuice. However, unlike the first film, Beetlejuice is willingly summoned in an act of desperation.
Being a sequel, we discover what has transpired since the last instalment: Lydia’s husband died tragically years earlier; more recently, her father has perished in an accident. This untimely death necessitates a return to that haunted house for the funeral arrangements. We even get a glimpse into Beetlejuice’s distant past when centuries earlier, he was married to a rather intimidating woman. This being a film about ghosts and the afterlife she is not going to stay dead for very long. Worse still, she intends to get her revenge on her wayward husband.
There are scenes of tension and danger but these, while well acted, are surrounded by comic characters, witty banter and impressive special effects. There are a few sinister moments and a couple of very shady characters. In fact these spooks are more menacing than Beetlejuice himself and even he is intimidated by at least one of them (you can guess which one she is!).
Beetlejuice BeetleJuice directed by Tim Burton, 2024.
As a mix of gothic horror story and crazy comedy, this movie does not take itself too seriously. Nor should its audience. Like a fairground attraction, we ought to strap ourselves in and enjoy the ride from the not-so-sublime to the fantastically ridiculous. The story moves along at a brisk pace crammed with comic and sometimes gory special effects, But even the gore is usually veiled in witty subtext. Many of the ghosts and ghouls are more funny than ferocious. Similarly Keaton’s Beetlejuice is more comic than menacing and does not dominate the story at the expense of the mortal main characters.
Among all the supernatural shenanigans, there are some subtle, more serious messages. Firstly that media fame attracts all sorts of hangers-on and users. Furthermore. taking people at face value leads to all sorts of deceptions. For example, the young man that Astrid fancies turns out to be too good to be true and Lydia’s fiancé is nothing but shallow yes-man.
Basically a crazy comedy of the supernatural sprinkled with a few dark elements. This is a rollercoaster ride from contemporary life to the kaleidoscopic afterlife and back again and again and again.