Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (a horror movie review by Mark Kermode).

He’s back! The ghost with the most, the striped suit connoisseur, and everyone’s favourite inappropriate poltergeist. That’s right, folks—Beetlejuice is returning to the afterlife in the 2024 sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and he’s still causing more chaos than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. This time, he’s bringing his unique blend of horror, comedy, and general inappropriate behaviour to a new generation—and let’s be real, we’ve all been waiting for him to resurface. After all, what better way to celebrate spooky shenanigans than with a follow-up to a film that somehow made haunting and possession downright fun?

For the uninitiated (seriously, where have you been?), the original Beetlejuice was Tim Burton’s 1988 love letter to the weird and wonderful, starring Michael Keaton as the obnoxious, crude, and endlessly entertaining bio-exorcist Beetlejuice. He’s the ghost you summon when you want the living to scram, and summoning him has never been so delightfully disastrous. So, what could possibly go wrong in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice? Spoiler: everything—and that’s exactly what makes it work.

Michael Keaton returns to the role like he’s never left, slipping into the character like a comfortable, worm-eaten suit. His Beetlejuice is still as crass, inappropriate, and weirdly charming as ever. Honestly, it’s like the man was born to haunt people and crack jokes that leave everyone just the right amount of uncomfortable. Keaton’s performance is a glorious, green-haired reminder that some ghouls age like fine ectoplasm—he’s older, sure, but Beetlejuice’s energy hasn’t dropped a single watt. It’s as if he’s been lurking in the Netherworld, waiting for the right moment to crash the party.

Now, what’s a Beetlejuice sequel without Lydia Deetz? Winona Ryder returns as our goth icon, only this time, she’s older, wiser, and still rocking the spooky chic. Lydia, who once summoned Beetlejuice as a misunderstood teen with a flair for the macabre, is now dealing with some grown-up problems—because, let’s face it, adulthood is its own kind of horror show. And of course, Beetlejuice is more than happy to make things worse. If you thought taxes were bad, try dealing with an undead exorcist who never quite knows when to stop talking.

New faces join the madness too, with Jenna Ortega stepping into the spooky spotlight as Lydia’s daughter. She’s got her mother’s attitude and love for all things creepy, but she’s not exactly thrilled when Beetlejuice reappears in their lives, ready to stir up his signature brand of supernatural chaos. Ortega brings just the right mix of sarcasm and wide-eyed disbelief, because who wouldn’t be baffled when some insane ghost shows up and offers you a “deal” you really shouldn’t take?

As for the plot? Well, let’s not pretend you came here for some tightly woven, Oscar-worthy narrative. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is more about the ride than the destination. This time around, Beetlejuice is once again roped into helping the Deetz family with their newest haunting problems, except, of course, he makes everything 10 times worse. Expect plenty of surreal Burtonesque landscapes, bizarre creatures from the afterlife (hello, sandworms, we’ve missed you!), and a storyline that feels like it was scribbled on the back of a napkin in the best possible way.

And the visuals? Oh, baby, Burton’s team still knows how to blend macabre with whimsy. We’ve got some classic stop-motion effects that harken back to the original, but with a fresh coat of CGI to make the weird stuff even weirder. Beetlejuice’s world is still delightfully off-kilter, like a haunted funhouse that’s just as likely to spook you as it is to make you laugh so hard you forget you’re technically being terrorised by the undead.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Beetlejuice without a few musical numbers sprinkled in. And yes, the Day-O sequence from the original still casts a long shadow, but this sequel does its best to create its own toe-tapping, ghostly moments. They may not reach the heights of that shrimp-hand grab, but they’re fun in a “why is this happening, and why do I love it?” kind of way.

Ultimately, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel you didn’t know you needed but will be glad you summoned. It’s messy, it’s bizarre, and it’s filled with more gags, goofs, and grotesque creatures than you can shake a tombstone at. If you were hoping for a meaningful deep dive into the lore of the afterlife, well, you’ve wandered into the wrong movie. But if you’re here for another round of Keaton cackling like a madman, the Deetz family looking perpetually stressed out, and Tim Burton delivering more gothic absurdity, then congratulations—you’re in for a real treat.

Just remember the rules: Don’t say his name three times unless you’re ready for the pandemonium that follows. But honestly, why wouldn’t you?