Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)!Beetlejuice Beetlejuice writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar explain the reasoning behind Lydia's nightmare at the end of the movie, revealing the reason why it transpired the way it did. The end of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sees the titular ghost (Michael Keaton) defeated, with Lydia (Winona Ryder) and Astrid (Jenna Ortega) seemingly moving away. Astrid is also shown marrying a boy and giving birth in the hospital, only for a baby Betelgeuse to pop out. Lydia awakens, realizing it was a nightmare, but is briefly visited by Betelgeuse before waking up again.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Gough and Millar explained the reason Lydia's nightmare happened in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, revealing it was done on purpose to keep the story from being neatly wrapped up. Millar in particular revealed it was the last scene written before the 2023 Hollywood writer's strike, made to be as wild an ending for the movie as possible. Check out what Gough and Millar had to say below:

Alfred Gough: We didn’t want the movie to feel like it got wrapped up in a bow, so we had the idea with Tim of Lydia giving up on her show and she and Astrid [Jenna Ortega] go off on this trip that she was going to take with her dad. It was Tim’s idea to do this sequence and make it looks like she gets married and everything is going great — and then she has this Betelgeuse baby and you realize it’s a dream. It was the end-of-the-movie curveball, so you realize nothing in the this world ever gets wrapped up in a bow.

Miles Millar: That was the last scene we wrote before the strike. We initially turned that scene in the hospital hours before the strike was called. It was the last thing we wrote for the movie at all. It just felt bonkers and inspired to have it seem like it’d be this nice, warm, cuddly feeling and then the Betelgeuse baby comes back and it’s too perfect.

What Lydia's Nightmare Means For Beetlejuice Beetlejuice's Ending

The Movie Keeps A Door Open For More

While the most memorable sequence might be when the cast of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was forced to dance to "MacArthur Park" during Betelgeuse and Lydia's wedding, her nightmare was also an important part of the story. It delivered on the mixture of goofiness and horror director Tim Burton is well known for, while also showing how the main character will continue to be haunted by the bio-exorcist. The ending appears to play on the wild nature of the movie's universe, with surprises always happening around every corner.

The final scene also set the stage for a possible Beetlejuice 3, as it seems the powerful ghost isn't done pursuing Lydia quite yet. While it's unclear if her nightmare came from anxiety over events from the movie or Betelgeuse himself, it opens the door for more in the future. However, given the rather definitive ending of the film, it remains to be seen if a direct follow-up will happen, with the ending likely just another memorable moment for the movie.

When asked at the Venice Film Festival about a possible Beetlejuice 3, Burton denied plans for a continuation.

Our Take On Lydia's Nightmare In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

It's The Perfect Ending For The Dark Comedy

Although there could be another movie based around the aftermath of Lydia's nightmare, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does a good job of wrapping up its story in a definitive, final way. This makes it unlikely another movie in the franchise will be made anytime soon, as the nightmare sequence works best as a tease for a future left up to the imagination. However, with the movie's major box office success so far, a sequel could still happen regardless of Burton's plans.

Source: THR