Bringing us into the spooky season this year was none other than Tim Burton, the King of family-spooky night, with the reprisal of Beetlejuice. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” hits theaters in time to kick off the haunting season, 36 years after the original premiered.

Winona Ryder, Catherine O’hara, and Michael Keaton all reprise their roles as Lydia Deetz, Delia Deetz, and the exorcist himself, Beetlejuice. Upon release on Sept. 6 earlier this year, the film received a 7/10 from IMDb, a Certified Fresh, 77% rating by Rotten Tomatoes, and 62% at metacritic. 

“The zippy pacing, buoyant energy, and steady stream of laugh-out-loud moments hint at the joy Burton appears to have found in revisiting this world,” wrote David Rooney, a critic with The Hollywood Reporter. 

The film features many of the same audio clips that carried scenes from the original (Day-O by Alfie Davis and others) in a tasteful call-back or easter-egg for fans of the original. Burton exhibits his mastery of cinematography, contrasting colored lights between fore- and background. 

A worry among fans was Burton’s tendency to use CGI and computer-generated animates he has gravitated towards in place of the physical means of special effects he was limited to in the 80s. Keaton had requested Burton continue with that “handmade feel” of the first one, which implemented puppets and stop-motion animation.

“Realistically, it was never going to match the instant cult appeal of the original, but it has a lot of fun trying,” wrote Wendy Ide with the Observer (UK). 

The logline of the sequel went as follows: “After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down after her teenage daughter accidentally opens a portal to the Afterlife.” 

The consensus of the story was lack of originality. Largely, Astrid Deetz, Lydia’s snooty daughter and played by Jenna Ortega, follows roughly the same path as Lydia herself did in the original. The teenager misses her absent parent and resents the parent that is there. She tries to escape through meeting a boy who she later regrets. 

We do get some realistic and original character development from Lydia, who begins the story as a troubled adult, still dealing with the trauma of her childhood, which makes her vulnerable to manipulation and gaslighting. By the end of the film, she’s overcome both her abuser and her trauma. 

Beetlejuice, while not driving the story, slides in with his own zany touch and unsurprising background. Keaton requested a limitation of his own screen time so as not to take away from the story as a whole; to avoid the focus being Beetlejuice entirely. 

This all-star cast slid expertly back into these characters. Although the delivery did not pack as much of a punch as the original, the nonstop comedy served as a reminder of what this film is meant to deliver: comedy. 

Notably, O’hara’s role as Delia Deetz served everything. The 3-time Emmy winner, who has starred in Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, showcased her mastery of timing, expressions, inflection, and environment. 

Despite the absence of her previous co-lead, she filled the space remarkably. For fans of the title on the younger end, Jeffery Jones’ absence as Charles Deetz, albeit well done in the film, may have struck a little confusing.

In 2003, Jeffery Jones faced charges of ‘use of a minor to perform prohibited acts.’ He pleaded no contest, which gave him a handful of years probation and registration on the sex offenders list. He has since been in minor roles, yet remains deservedly blacklisted. 

Will it take another three dozen years to revisit the Afterlife? Has the Deetz family saga closed, or will Burton go back to that cash cow when another generation comes around? Either way, Halloween is here, and Beetlejuice remains a classic spooky season movie.