In Beetlejuice 2, Lydia Deetz returns as an adult, making her living by speaking with ghosts on television. Yet, when Lydia's daughter gets into paranormal trouble, she must reunite with her old enemy Betelgeuse to save her from the afterlife.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice begins with Lydia filming her show, Ghost House, which successfully throws audiences right into the movie's updated world. However, considering how Beetlejuice ended, there is another (potentially better) way for the film to start. At Beetlejuice, the green-haired demon is preparing to marry Lydia when Barbara Maitland flies through the ceiling on a sandworm which eats Betelgeuse. While Lydia and the Maitlands make up, Betelgeuse is sent back to the afterlife. In particular, he is in the iconic waiting room, where he impatiently waits for his turn.
Beetlejuice 2 Missed The Opportunity To Pay Off The Original Movie's Waiting Room Ending
Why The Waiting Room Reference Would Have Been Great
Because Beetlejuice ends in the afterlife waiting room, it would have made sense for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to pick up right where it left off - sort of. In the first movie, the Maitlands go to the afterlife waiting room to get a case worker, only to find that they were away for three months. In this way, Beetlejuice 2 could have made it so that Betelgeuse's case wasn't taken for literal years. His freedom from the waiting room could have coincided with Lydia's plea for help. Yet, this gag never reached its full potential, and was essentially forgotten.
Although the movie introduces new characters like Jenna Ortega's Astrid, a vast majority of the film's greatness is in the ways it reconfigures and harks back to old bits from the original movie.
It would have been great to reuse the waiting room gag in this way because so much of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice rides on nostalgia. Although the movie introduces new characters like Jenna Ortega's Astrid, a vast majority of the film's greatness is in the ways it reconfigures and harks back to old bits from the original movie. For example, the waiting room does come back into play in Beetlejuice 2, as Charles and Delia both have to wait their turn there. Therefore, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice could have lined up its timeline with that of Beetlejuice, but chose not to.
Beetlejuice 2 Should Have At Least Referenced The Waiting Room Gag
Why Beetlejuice 2 Ignored The Waiting Room Gag
What makes the loss of the waiting room gag even worse is that the movie never even references it. Beetlejuice 2 never explains how long Betelgeuse was there for, and in fact, it seems as though the demon didn't have to pay much of a price for what he did to Lydia and the Maitlands. The entire end of Beetlejuice seems to be forgotten. The movie easily could have made a reference to Betelgeuse's previous fate, and the fact that it didn't is quite disappointing.
Tim Burton's Original Beetlejuice 2 Plans Explains Why The Maitlands Were Never Likely To Be In The Sequel (& It's The Right Choice)
The Maitlands were not part of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, with Tim Burton’s early ideas for the sequel proving why - and that it was the right choice.
Ultimately, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice probably skipped over the waiting room gag in order to differentiate itself from the original movie. Beetlejuice 2's references are definitely important, but the movie had to stand on its own as well. Perhaps merging the two Beetlejuice timelines would have made the movies feel too similar. All in all, this is a small detail that doesn't make or break Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, but could have been a fun addition.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Release Date
- September 6, 2024
- Runtime
- 104 Minutes
- Director
- Tim Burton
Cast
Beetlejuice
Lydia Deetz
WHERE TO WATCH
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now ed by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
- Writers
- Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Mike Vukadinovich, Seth Grahame-Smith, Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson
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