Plans are afoot for a sequel to Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice.
But what made the original so special, and where might the sequel go?
Adam runs the local hardware store and is busy building an exact replica of the town in his attic.
They return to their home as ghosts and struggle to come to terms with life after death.
Reluctantly, Adam and Barbara agree.
Take the title character.
A part originally intended for Sammy Davis Jr., Keatons performance is extraordinary,a living cartoon.
His fast-talking djiin is lecherous, duplicitous and utterly gross his skin gangrenous, his appetite for flies revolting.
He frequents miniature whorehouses and regards the newspapers obituary pages as the business section.
That this isnt the case is wonderful.
Another peculiar but inspired touch isBeetlejuices insistence on satire.
Nevertheless, its Delia thats the true menace.
I also adore the chemistry between Baldwin and Davis, who manage real intimacy in their scenes together.
So what do we know for sure aboutBeetlejuice 2?
Well, other than the return of Burton, Keaton and Ryder, not a great deal at present.
This isnt the first time a follow-up has been considered, however.
In 1990,Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiianwas a going concern.
Beetlejuicenevertheless went on to have a relatively lively commercial afterlife all the same.
So much for compromise.
The emphasis was firmly on gothic-inflected wackiness, with the occasionalPoe parodyor piece ofconsumer satirethrown in for good measure.
Perhaps Grahame-Smith will feel emboldened to follow this Burton-sanctioned example and relocate the action somewhere new entirely.
Perhaps Lydia, at 44, will be dead and working as a functionary in the Netherworld.
Against my better judgement, Im starting to feel optimistic: Beetlejuice.
