Tim Burton fantastically expands the afterlife throughout Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with a variety of new characters, some of whom he didn’t even get to properly introduce. While half the movie is spent in the world of the living as Beetlejuice’s Deetz family reunites to grieve the death of Lydia’s father Charles, the other half takes place in the spooky, nonsensical realm of the afterlife. In the 1988 movie, the afterlife’s representation was largely confined to the Neitherworld waiting room, Juno’s office, and the hallway to the lost souls room, but Beetlejuice 2 dives much deeper into this world’s lore.
Some of the new afterlife characters introduced in Beetlejuice 2 include B-movie actor-turned-detective Wolf Jackson, the call center office full of “Shrinkers,” Betelgeuse’s ex-wife Delores, and Astrid’s father Richard, who works in the immigration department. Still, there are plenty of departments, aspects, and figures in the afterlife realm that have yet to be explored, and could make for exciting additions to a potential Beetlejuice 3 movie. One such example can be found in Beetlejuice 2’s newly-introduced pages of the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, which confirms the existence of a horrifying dead character.
Beetlejuice 2’s Handbook For The Recently Deceased Confirms The Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper Executes Death For The Dead In Beetlejuice’s Afterlife
When Astrid reads Jeremy’s Handbook for the Recently Deceased, she happens to open the book up to the pages about how to tame a sandworm and the specifics of Code 699. On the other side of the Code 699 page is an image of the Grim Reaper slashing open the stomach of a deceased individual, with a blurb about the spirit being given below. While the Grim Reaper is a real-world mythological figure said to personify death, Beetlejuice 2’s Easter egg gives the Tim Burton realm’s own version of the character and beliefs about its purpose in the afterlife.
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Though Astrid explicitly reveals one major consequence of Betelgeuse breaking Code 699, Beetlejuice 2 subtly reveals an even worse punishment.
According to Beetlejuice 2’s book, it’s unknown why the Grim Reaper “lashes out” against the dead, but there are various theories. Some believe the Grim Reaper kills once “one’s stint in the Afterlife has been determined by some higher power as over.” Others in the afterlife believe that the figure attacks after making a joke they don’t like. The book also gives details about the Grim Reaper’s appearance that could finally be brought to life in Beetlejuice 3, such as an ominous red glow fogging around his eyes when angry or a cool blue glow appearing when in “high spirits.”
How Beetlejuice 3 Can Expand On More Afterlife Characters
The Handbook For The Recently Deceased Opens Up More Possibilities For Beetlejuice 3
Beetlejuice 2 already gave some more glimpses into different departments of the afterlife, but there are many more that can be explored, such as the inner workings of the afterlife newspaper that Betelgeuse often reads, a look at the firefighters as opposed to the police force, or even the politicians who may govern the afterlife’s bureaucracy. There are also various groups mentioned in the Handbook for the Recently Deceased which can be expanded on through additional lore in Beetlejuice 3.
Tim Burton has previously expressed doubts about making Beetlejuice 3. The director told
The Hollywood Reporter
, ”
Well, if [the same] time frame goes on, I’ll be about 100. So maybe. I doubt it.
“
For instance, Delores’ cult of Soul Suckers is mentioned in the Handbook for the Recently Deceased. Beetlejuice 2’s flashback showed what appears to be a traditional Soul Sucker wedding that included biting off a chicken’s head, but didn’t dive into any of her fellow cult members or where the others are in the afterlife. If Beetlejuice 3 happens, then the next sequel could explore the Soul Suckers wanting revenge against Betelgeuse for Delores’ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice fate, which could then pull the Grim Reaper into the plot as a way to expel one of the villains from the afterlife.
Source: THR
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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.
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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.
