Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) revisits the whimsical world of the infamous trickster ghost with a fresh twist after 36 long years. Set in the present day, the film follows Lydia Deetz, now a celebrated psychic mediator and TV show host, who finds her life turned upside down once more by the mischievous Beetlejuice. This sequel introduces a new generation to the eerie fun, exploring Lydia’s strained relationship with her daughter, Astrid, and diving into the complexities of their familial bonds amid supernatural chaos.
Unlike the original, which focused more on Beetlejuice’s antics within a single haunted house, this installment expands the scope to include a blend of personal drama, new spectral threats, and a modern setting. The film blends Burton’s signature dark humor with deeper emotional themes, offering a fresh take while honoring the quirky spirit of its predecessor.
In this article, I will dive into the plotline of Beetlejuice 2 (2024), explaining how the movie ends and exploring the various themes throughout the film. Please note that the article contains spoilers, so reader discretion is advised.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Ghosts, Grief, and Unlikely Bonds
The film begins in 2024, introducing us to the current whereabouts of our recurring characters from the original movie, Beetlejuice. Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) is now a renowned psychic mediator and talk show host. Along with her manager, Rory (Justin Theroux), she runs a television show called ‘Ghost House.’ During one of the pre-recording sessions of her show, Lydia has a vision of Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), the notorious trickster who haunted her family 36 years ago, causing her to panic attack.
Soon after, Lydia learns from her stepmother, Delia (Catherine O’Hara), about her father Charles’ sudden death due to getting eaten alive by a shark after a plane crash. Delia is also famous for her contributions to the art world. As the Deetz family and Rory head to their house in Winter River for Charles’ funeral, they pick up Lydia’s estranged daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), from her boarding school. Astrid is a teenager who has had a strained relationship with her mother ever since her father’s passing. She doesn’t believe in ghosts or wandering spirits and feels her mother avoids discussing her father.
Rory is in love with Lydia, and without really discussing it with her, he uses Charles’ wake as an opportunity to propose to her. Despite feeling odd about the ordeal, Lydia eventually says yes, which causes Astrid to run away. On her way to town, she crashes into a house fence while riding a bicycle. She then meets a young boy named Jeremy Frazier (Arthur Conti). The two connect over their odd interests and bond over their broken relationships with their peers. Jeremy then invites her for Halloween Eve before her mother’s ‘witchy hour’ wedding night.
Why does Lydia warn Astrid never to say the name – Beetlejuice?
While going through things in the attic, Astrid finds a box full of her father’s belongings. In South America, Richard, Astrid’s father, had mysteriously disappeared two years ago. In the box, she discovers an old family album filled with photographs of her parents before and after her birth. Alongside the album, she also finds an ad for a couple’s therapist named Beetlejuice. When Lydia looks for Astrid, she notices the ad and immediately warns her not to say the name Beetlejuice aloud. Calling Beetlejuice three times will summon the trickster, who had turned Lydia’s life upside down when she was Astrid’s age.
Later, Astrid tells her mother that she wants to spend Halloween Eve at Jeremy’s house. Despite her reservations, Lydia agrees and even drives her to Jeremy’s. Meanwhile, Lydia begins seeing more visions of Beetlejuice and shares her anxieties with her stepmother. Delia brushes it off, insisting that Lydia is just being paranoid. She encourages Lydia to work on connecting with her daughter and to mend their relationship once and for all. Delia is also skeptical of Lydia’s engagement to Rory, finding his personality odd. Earlier, during a conversation between Lydia and Astrid in the attic, Astrid spitefully called Beetlejuice’s name three times, summoning him into the afterlife. We then see that Beetlejuice has been living as a con artist, terrifying, vulnerable mortals with spooky, ghostly apparitions.
Why is Wolf tracking Delores?
We get glimpses of a soul-sucking spirit in the afterlife who has regained her corpse and is now searching for Beetlejuice. When the afterlife realm is in chaos after a series of disfigured spirit bodies are found, B-movie actor-turned-undead investigator Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe) begins to track her down. It turns out that the wicked spirit Delores (Monica Bellucci) is Beetlejuice’s ex-wife, who is hellbent on finding her husband so she can get even with him due to past conflicts.
Why does Astrid strike a deal with Jeremy?
Back at Jeremy’s, Astrid is quite taken by the young boy. They even share a kiss, but when Astrid notices herself floating in the air, she is shocked to discover that Jeremy is actually a ghost, waiting for someone to finally see him. This points out that Astrid has her mother’s unique gift – the ability to see ghosts and spirits. He strikes a deal with her: if she helps him cross over into the afterlife, he can return to the mortal world. Helping Jeremy could also help Astrid reunite with her father. Desperate for a connection with her father, with whom she was very close, Astrid agrees. Before she realizes it, she is pulled into the afterlife realm.
Why does Lydia summon Beetlejuice?
Meanwhile, Lydia learns the truth about Jeremy from an old acquaintance assisting her with selling the Winter River property. It turns out Jeremy had killed his parents, and the house he used to live in is considered haunted. Lydia rushes to the house but arrives too late, missing the moment her daughter is sucked into the gate to the afterlife. Panicked, she returns to the attic at her own house and calls out for Beetlejuice, asking for his help. Beetlejuice agrees, but only on the condition that she marries him, allowing him to escape his soul-sucking ex-wife.
Is Lydia able to save Astrid?
Desperate to save her daughter, Lydia agrees to the terms. She enters the wild afterlife realm along with Beetlejuice, only to find her daughter being taken to the Soul Train, which carries souls to the beyond. Briefly, Richard, who now works in the immigration department of the realm, notices his daughter being taken by the authorities. Determined to save her, Lydia manages to pull Astrid off the train, but the authorities chase them. However, they are saved by Richard, who helps them cross over from the afterlife realm, finally giving Astrid the much-needed closure with her father. Meanwhile, Beetlejuice throws Jeremy into hell just before he can pass over to the mortal world.
Why did Rory want to marry Lydia?
On the other hand, Delia also ends up in the afterlife after being bitten by a poisonous snake while working on an art piece about her grief over losing her husband. Since Wolf is tracking Beetlejuice for breaking the code by bringing mortals into the afterlife, Beetlejuice strikes a deal with Delia, offering to help her find Charles if she agrees to locate Lydia.
As Lydia had promised to marry Beetlejuice to save her daughter, the trickster returns to the mortal world, only to find Lydia standing at the altar as a bride alongside Rory in the church. Hijacking the wedding, Beetlejuice injects Rory with a truth serum, causing him to reveal his true intentions. Rory confesses that he wants to marry Lydia for her wealth and public stature, as she is a public figure with a solid bank balance. Enraged, Lydia punches Rory, knocking him out.
What happened between Beetlejuice and his ex-wife, Delores?
Just as Beetlejuice prepares to marry Lydia (complete with a comical lip-syncing performance, reminiscent of the famous “Banana Boat (Day-O)” scene from the prequel), Delores arrives, and Wolf and his team also burst onto the scene. Earlier in the film, a flashback reveals that Beetlejuice, once a grave robber, had met a mystical young Delores, and they eventually married. However, on their wedding night, Delores poisoned him to steal his soul, as she was the leader of a soul-sucking cult. But Beetlejuice managed to kill her and escape.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Are Lydia and Astrid able to get rid of Beetlejuice?
When Delores tries to settle the score with her ex-husband at the church, Astrid discovers a handbook containing instructions for summoning a sandworm, which can send evil spirits back to the afterlife. The sandworm devours both Delores and Rory, while Beetlejuice freezes Wolf and his team to save himself. However, Astrid reveals that Beetlejuice has already violated the rules by bringing Lydia into the afterlife. According to the handbook, this means he has nullified the wedding, allowing Lydia to send him back to the afterlife. After banishing Beetlejuice, Lydia and Astrid bid farewell to Delia, who is taken to the afterlife by Wolf. Delia eventually reunites with her now-headless husband, Charles, who is boarding the Soul Train.
At the end of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), Beetlejuice is shown one last time as Lydia finishes the final segment of her Ghost House episode, choosing family life over a public life as a medium. As time passes, Lydia’s nightmares and visions return when she dreams of Astrid giving birth to a baby who looks like Beetlejuice. The final sequence shows Lydia waking up from her nightmare, sensing Beetlejuice’s presence beside her. But when she turns, she finds herself all alone in the bed.
Beetlejuice 2 (2024) Movie Themes Analysed:
What does Lydia’s dream signify?
In Beetlejuice 2 (2024), Lydia’s dream serves as a moving symbol of her inner turmoil and unresolved issues. The dream reflects her fears and anxieties about motherhood, highlighting the tension between her rebellious past and her current responsibilities. It also manifests her struggles with guilt and estrangement from her daughter, Astrid.
Lydia’s journey throughout the film involves grappling with Beetlejuice’s manipulations and her own grief. Her dream reflects her subconscious efforts to reconcile these conflicts, seeking resolution and protection for her family while confronting the shadows of her past. This dream shows Lydia’s complicated feelings, highlighting her challenge of balancing her needs with being a mother.
Does Beetlejuice 2 (2024) have an after-credits scene?
After watching the film, it’s safe to say there’s no post-credits scene in Beetlejuice 2 (2024) that you might hope for, making you stay through the entire credit roll. Even though your heart might want to call out “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,” unfortunately, that won’t help you summon the notorious ghost.
