Fans and studios have been saying Beetlejuice’s name more than three times, and Tim Burton’s “Ghost with the Most” character is coming back with a horror-comedy sequel that seems aimed to please fans. And as the continuation of one of Tim Burton’s best movies has been in the on-and-off again planning stages since 1990, it clearly deserves a title with more pizzazz than simply Beetlejuice 2. A poster revealed the movie’s official title was Beetlejuice Beetlejuice last month... and I’m so glad Burton backed down on the sequel’s original title he considered.
Back in 1990, when the Beetlejuice sequel was first in the planning stages, it was going to be called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Then, there were other ideas in Tim Burton’s stream of consciousness like Beetlejuice And The Haunted Mansion or Beetlejuice Goes West. But after waiting three decades to see cinema’s favorite ‘80s ghost return from the dead (again), a highly anticipated sequel needed a catchier title than Beetlejuice 2. When I think about the alternative title the director told Entertainment Weekly he had in mind, I’m so glad he shut the idea down:
It's been, what? Thirty-five years. So it didn't feel like Beetlejuice 2 to me. It didn't feel like that kind of a movie. The other one I thought of, because one of my favorite Dracula movies is Dracula A.D. 1972, was Beetlejuice 2024 A.D. But this was a nice simple one.
I agree. I understand the similarities between the two movies, as Dracula A.D. 1972 was supposed to be a take on a centuries-old vampire returning to modern London. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is doing something similar, as it’s no longer 1988 anymore – or whatever time period the scheming character was first alive in.
However, the title Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a clever reference to the ghoulish bio-exorcist who can be summoned when you say his name three times. Sure, we’ll be saying his name twice once the second movie’s official release date arrives – but a possible third movie could be called Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice if the new release becomes a success.
Other than saying the titular character's name more than once, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice trailer is filled with tons of Easter eggs. Just like Catherine O’Hara promised us about a beloved aspect returning, we hear a more moody version of “Day-O” as the soundtrack. We also see Jenna Ortega’s character riding her bike past Miss Shannon’s School for Girls, which her mother, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), attended in the original movie. Fans can also spot the bridge where Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam (Alec Baldwin) died after their car plummeted into the water.
Of course, we can’t look past the miniature town in the attic or a haunting Beetlejuice popping out in life-size form. With Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara from the original cast of Beetlejuice returning, a lot of the original's best elements are coming back.
My heart is filled with nostalgia watching the trailer for the Beetlejuice sequel, and while Tim Burton’s heart was in the right place proposing the title be Beetlejuice A.D. 2024, the revised title seems like a better direction for the beloved character we’ve missed having around. One of the most anticipated 2024 movie releases, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will be playing in theaters on September 6.
