After phone-recorded bootlegs of the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice trailer started popping up online (an inevitability given that the thing’s attached to the just-released Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), Warner Bros. has gone ahead and pulled the trigger on releasing the real deal. You’ve been waiting to see this for a while, so I’ll shut up and get out of its way.
Here ya go:
The question of whether or not a Beetlejuice sequel was a good idea has been kicked around ever since Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceย was announced, but throughout production we’ve liked what we’ve heard about it: that they’re largely going practical with the FX, that Burton was doing everything in his power to make it look of a piece with the original (rather than, say, one of the CGI monstrosities that Burton has made in more recent years), that – if anything – the characters sound even weirder this time around, including Willem Dafoe as a B-movie actor who becomes a cop in the afterlife. All of this sounded great to us.
And now, the teaser trailer. What do we think? Well, it certainly looks a helluva lot like the original, and using a slowed-down cover of “Day-o” is an admittedly inspired bit of cheekiness. Stars Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder and (last but certainly not least) Michael Keaton all look pitch-perfect in their roles. Did we need another Beetlejuice? Jury’s still out on that one, but for the time being, we’re feeling cautiously optimistic.
Here’s an official plot synopsis:
“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 when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.”
Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (oh, am I already tired of typing that title) will hit theaters on September 6th of this year. You have that long to get yourself heavily reacquainted with the original. Please stay tuned for further Beetlejuice 2 (there, that’s better) updates as they roll in, folks!
