From previous Winona Ryder/Tim Burton projects to other spooky supernatural comedies, there are a ton of great movies and TV shows to check out afterBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.Burton has returned to the horror genre for the first time in more than a decadeto deliver the long-awaited sequel toBeetlejuice.Beetlejuice Beetlejuicedeftly recaptures the creepy funof the classic original movie with old-school practical effects, family-friendly jump scares, and a brilliant performance by Michael Keaton in the title role. It’s so good, it’ll have audiences clamoring for more.
After watchingBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, there are plenty of other similar movies to check out.There have been other fun-filled horror comedies with a similar tone– including a strikingly similar one released earlier this year – andthe cast ofBeetlejuice 2has appeared in a bunch of great projects. Before Jenna Ortega was cast to play Lydia Deetz’s daughter inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton directed her in her breakout role as Wednesday Addams. There are several projects that give off the same whimsical, yet spooky vibe that fall right in line with Burton’s hit sequel.
Beetlejuice
Cast
Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stars Michael Keaton as the titular “bio-exorcist”, an obnoxious spirit who specializes in driving living occupants out of homes. When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die suddenly, they pass into the spirit realm, and must stay in their home. However, in the living world, the Deetz family purchases the house and moves in, prompting the Maitlands to enlist the help of Beetlejuice to drive them away.
It’s never a bad time to rewatch the classic originalBeetlejuicemovie, andthere’s no better time for a rewatch than after watching the sequel.From the model town in the Maitlands’ attic to the choir rendition of “Banana Boat” at Charles’ funeral,Beetlejuice 2is full of Easter eggsreferencing the most iconic moments from its predecessor. TheBeetlejuicesequel plays masterfully on the audience’s nostalgia for the original movie, and the perfect follow-up to that nostalgia bait is a rewatch.
As great asBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceis, the original is arguably an even better movie.
As great asBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceis,the original is arguably an even better movie.It has more laughs, and it has more effective jump scares. Plus, it was Burton’s first foray into his signature blend of the mundane and the macabre. After watchingBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, it’s the perfect time to rewatch the original film.
Wednesday
Wednesday follows the journey of Wednesday Addams as she attends Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for outcasts. Tasked with mastering her psychic abilities, she confronts a series of town murders and a haunting family mystery from 25 years ago, all while managing new social dynamics.
Before Burton cast Jenna Ortega to play Lydia Deetz’s rebellious teenage daughter in theBeetlejuicesequel, he’d previously worked with her on Netflix’sWednesdayseries. AfterScream,X, andStudio 666had established Ortega as a modern-day scream queen,Wednesdayturned her into one of the biggest stars in the world.Ortega’s turn as Wednesday Addams was essentially a prototype for her performance as Astrid Deetz in theBeetlejuicesequel.
10 Funniest Jokes In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice uses a mix of comedic dialogue, visual gags, and play-on-words to create a movie that keeps viewers laughing.
Much like Astrid, Wednesday is a deadpan misanthrope who doesn’t get along with her classmates, unwittingly falls in love with a villain, and secretly has a heart of gold.Astrid fans will surely loveWednesdayjust as much.There’s even a nod toWednesday’s iconic dance sequence inBeetlejuice 2’s “MacArthur Park” finale. This paranormal Netflix series is the perfect show to watch afterBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Frankenweenie
Frankenweenie is a 2012 stop-motion animated remake of Tim Burton’s eponymous 1984 short film. It tells the story of young scientist Victor Frankenstein, who brings his dog Sparky back to life and tries to stop his experiment from wreaking havoc across his town.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceis the first time Burton has returned to the horror genre in more than a decade. In the past 10 years, Burton has helmed the biopicBig Eyes, the Y.A. fantasy movieMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and the live-action remake of Disney’sDumbo.Burton’s last horror film wasFrankenweenieway back in 2012, a stop-motion animated feature adaptation of his 1984 short of the same name.
Frankeweeniehas a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 88%.
Much like theBeetlejuicesequel,Frankenweeniebrings creepy horror tropes into the mundanity of suburbia.It revolves around a little boy named Victor, who reanimates the corpse of his beloved dog and ends up causing a town-wide panic when more people use his power to bring their own pets back from the grave. It’s just as much fun asBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, perfectly blending comedy with horror.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, comes the next chapter in the Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town. There, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
Beetlejuiceisn’t the first classic supernatural comedy from the ‘80s to get a legacy sequel focused on the next generation.MuchlikeBeetlejuice Beetlejuice,Ghostbusters: Afterliferevolves around the daughter of a beloved franchise charactergrappling with his legacy, and a new generation carrying the baton. Egon Spengler’s daughter Callie is just as embarrassed by her dad’s reputation as a Ghostbuster as Astrid is embarrassed by her mom’s reputation as a TV ghost whisperer.
Egon’s granddaughter Phoebe picks up the torch, just like Astrid does inBeetlejuice 2.Ghostbusters: Afterlifemanages the same perfect balance of nostalgic fan service and new characters and storytelling that made theBeetlejuicesequel such a success.It brings back the old cast for a heartwarming reunion, but it also makes endearing icons out of all the newcomers.
Schitt’s Creek
Schitt’s Creek is a sitcom series created by and starring Dan and Eugene Levy. When the Rose family’s business manager embezzles funds from their fortune, they discover that all of their money is gone except for one last piece of property - a small town called Schitt’s Creek that they purchased for fun years ago. Now forced to acclimate to an average, borderline impoverished life, the Rose family will attempt to make due with what they have while trying to revitalize the town.
Before she reprised her role as Delia Deetz in theBeetlejuicesequel, Catherine O’Hara became a bigger star than ever with her turn asMoira Rose inSchitt’s Creek.Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceeven contains a sly reference to one ofSchitt’s Creek’s best Moira gags: the schlocky horror B-movie that Moira starred in,The Crows Have Eyes III: The Crowening.Schitt’s Creekrevolves around a wealthy family who lose all their moneyand have to relocate to the small town they bought as a joke.
There’s a lot of overlap between the characters of Moira and Delia. Like Delia, Moira is a pretentious wannabe artist with a hilarious eccentric streak, and O’Hara is just as iconic in both roles. LikeBob’s BurgersandTed Lasso,Schitt’s Creekpushes back against the cynicism of most modern TV comedy with a delightful feel-good tone.
Edward Scissorhands
From director Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands follows the titular character, an artificial human created by an inventor, who has scissor blades instead of fingers. After his creator’s death, Edward is taken in by a normal suburban family and becomes attracted to the family’s teenage daughter, Kim Boggs. Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder star as Edward and Kim.
After Burton and Keaton reunited to makeBatman, the director reteamed withhis otherBeetlejuicestar, Winona Ryder, for another fantasy comedy set in another creepy small town.Edward Scissorhandsstars Johnny Depp as the unfinished creation of an old inventor: an ageless humanoid with scissor blades for fingers.Ryder plays Kim, the daughter of a door-to-door Avon sales rep who takes pity on Edward. Although Kim is initially scared of Edward, the two eventually fall in love.
Edward Scissorhandsis a much more earnest, heartfelt movie thanBeetlejuice. Edward is a tragic figure; he’s a sweet, kind-hearted man who wouldn’t harm a fly, but most people can only see him as a monster. With a sympathetic monster in the lead role and a touching love story at the heart of the movie,Edward Scissorhandsis one of Burton’s most sincere films.
The Frighteners
A paranormal investigator, gifted with the ability to see and interact with ghosts, runs a scam with the spirits he claims to exorcize. However, a murderous supernatural force starts killing people, and Frank Bannister finds himself wrongly blamed for the deaths. With the body count rising, Frank must confront the evil spirit to clear his name.
Beetlejuiceisn’t the only tongue-in-cheek comedy about a haunted house. Long before he would bring Middle-earth to life on the big screen, Peter Jackson was a horror filmmaker. His last horror film beforeThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy wasThe Frighteners,a supernatural comedy starring Michael J. Fox as a con artist who can see and hear ghosts.He uses his spectral friends to haunt people’s houses, then charges them a hefty fee to “exorcize” the ghosts from their homes.
Much likeBeetlejuice,The Frightenersis a paranormal caper revolving around an unscrupulous entrepreneur who uses his ability to haunt houses to make a quick buck.Fox is just as funny and charismatic a lead as Keaton. Jackson balances the tone perfectly, starting off as a straightforward comedy before sliding into more disturbing territory.
Lisa Frankenstein
Lisa Frankenstein is a comedic fantasy-horror film by first-time director Zelda Williams and is a twist on the classic Frankenstein formula. Set in 1989, a high school outcast named Lisa accidentally revives a handsome corpse from the Victorian era and resolves to rebuild him into the perfect man.
What makes theBeetlejuicemovies so unique is that they bring the unsettling terror of supernatural horror into the familiar, everyday environment of the suburbs. This same juxtaposition was pulled off brilliantly earlier this year in the soon-to-be cult classic horror comedyLisa Frankenstein.Written by the Oscar-winning screenwriter ofJuno, Diablo Cody,Lisa Frankensteinstars Kathryn Newton as a teenage outcast who falls in love with a reanimated corpse from the Victorian era, played by Cole Sprouse.
BothBeetlejuice BeetlejuiceandLisa Frankensteinwring morbid laughs out of death and the afterlife.
BothBeetlejuice BeetlejuiceandLisa Frankensteinwringmorbid laughs out of death and the afterlife.Lisa Frankensteinis set in the 1980s, so it has the same flashy, glitzy ‘80s vibes that defined the originalBeetlejuicemovie.Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceis the only officialBeetlejuicesequel to be released in 2024, butLisa Frankensteinplays like an unofficial sequel.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a Netflix series set in the 1980s, where the mysterious disappearance of a young boy leads a small town to uncover secret experiments and supernatural forces. A significant focus is on a peculiar girl who may hold the key to the unfolding mystery.
Around the time O’Hara scored a major career comeback with her role inSchitt’s Creek, Ryder scored her own career comeback with her own hit show.Stranger Thingscombines influences from the coming-of-age classics of Amblin and the terrifying horror stories of John Carpenter and Stephen King.
It could be described asThe GooniesmeetsFirestarter, orHalloweenmeetsStand by Me.Ryder plays Joyce Byers, the mother of a young boy whose mysterious disappearance may have something to do with monsters lurking in a parallel dimension.
Beetlejuice 2 Pays Off My Biggest Hope For Winona Ryder & Catherine O’Hara’s Characters In A Way I Didn’t Expect
Delia and Lydia’s relationship evolved ahead of Beetlejuice 2, but their bond was presented in ways I didn’t expect for Tim Burton’s sequel.
InBeetlejuice Beetlejuice,the older version of Lydia Deetz has more in common with Joyce fromStranger Thingsthan the teenage Lydia from the original film. Like Joyce, in the sequel, Lydia is the flustered mother desperately trying to protect her kid from supernatural monsters bleeding in from another dimension.Stranger Thingsis perfect forBeetlejuice 2fans.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Originally based on a stage play, The Rocky Horror Picture show is considered one of the most significant countercultural films of all time and maintains a wide cult following to this day. The film stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick, and follows Brad and Janet, a young couple who, after experiencing car trouble on a stormy night, are taken in by scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, an alien transvestite who lives in a nearby castle with his equally colorful servants.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceis both an effective horror movie and a self-aware horror satire.It has references to everything fromJawstoThe Amityville Horrorto Mario Bava’sBlack Sunday.The first name in self-aware horror parody is 1975’sThe Rocky Horror Picture Show, the mother of all cult classics. It revolves around a couple named Brad and Janet whose car breaks down outside a gothic mansion containing every horror archetype from a mad scientist to an alien visitor.
The Rocky Horror Picture Showborrows from the sci-fi and horror B-movies of the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s. It’s jam-packed with homages to the genre’s classics and, much likeBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, it has a handful of catchy musical numbers.Rocky Horrorcombines its humor with its horror just as effectively asBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, and it’s perfect for fans of the movie.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
