At The Movies: Beetlejuice is back and ghouls just wanna have fun

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (PG13)

105 minutes, now showing
★★★★☆

The story: More than three decades after the events of Beetlejuice (1988), Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), the girl whom the ghost Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) pursued romantically, is now the host of a popular paranormal show. The death of her father Charles causes her to return to where the terror began: her home town of Winter River. There, with her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), Lydia must confront her traumatic past after her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) lands in supernatural trouble.

This sequel was a long time coming, but now that it is here, it is with great relief that it can be pronounced worthy of the name. What is more, it brings genuine laughs in a time of a live-action comedy drought.

The creative team of original director Tim Burton and producers could have looked at the bottom line and made the sequel a Michael Keaton extravaganza. Thankfully, they did not.

While Keaton’s chaotic energy gave the first movie its crackle and snap, a little bit of him goes a long way. Part of Betelgeuse’s magic lies in the way he enters a scene. He never walks in, but pops into frame, causing a jump scare – and a laugh, because he is usually striking a silly pose.

Instead, as in the first film, the story’s main focus is the fractious Deetz clan. The family troubles have been updated to be very 2024, so much so that fans of the animated series Rick And Morty (2013 to present) will be able to pick out familiar themes.

Here is the child of a gifted parent who feels inadequate, and there is also the eccentric older relation whose superhuman abilities are the cause of the family’s problems – but also the key to saving the clan.

The pairing of older magic guy and young sidekick – the dynamic that drives Rick And Morty and the Back To The Future film trilogy (1985 to 1990) – will probably be explored in later sequels when Astrid becomes more familiar with Betelgeuse.

For now, that task of comedic co-dependency is handled by the duo of Betelgeuse and Lydia.

Their dynamic, at once wary but also warm, is handled with sensitivity by the actors. The reunion carries the emotional punch of seeing two feuding friends come together.

Visually, Burton leans on nostalgia. He brings back the gory prosthetics on the ghosts, showing how their mortal selves died, as well as the stop-motion monster animation.

Few can balance the disgusting-adorable equation the way Burton can.

Ortega’s youth appeal has been talked about, a factor that will draw viewers too young to remember the first movie.

She is, after all, the star of supernatural comedy series Wednesday on Netflix (2022 to present), directed and executive produced by Burton. This makes her a natural for the role of the troubled daughter of a haunted mother.

Instead of bringing a cool Addams Family goth attitude to this project, she shows she can do innocence. In the midst of the supernatural silliness, Astrid is the relatable heart.

Hot take: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice brings all the creepy-adorable charm of the original, while cleverly opening the door to future story developments.