‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ making me sob uncontrollably wasn’t on my bingo card for 2024, but here we are

Anyway, back to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s much-anticipated sequel crawling with an array of memorable characters first introduced in the OG movie back in 1988. Given how much time has passed between the OG masterpiece and the modern-day sequel, it’s certainly no surprise that some of us — yes, I’m talking about myself — felt the need to borrow a few napkins typically used for buttery popcorn consumption to wipe the tears that were building up.

Now, before you judge too violently and wonder how a zany comedy such as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice could make a die-hard horror fan sob, keep in mind that a simple picture of the star-studded cast was enough to make lifelong fans emotional. Yes, that’s right — Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara innocently snapping a photo together and sharing it on Instagram was met with an overwhelming amount of emotional excitement. I rest my case.

Furthermore, I’ll be the first to admit that the sequel wasn’t necessarily perfect. In fact, it undoubtedly has its fair share of flaws and storyline mishaps, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have an absolute blast while watching. Waiting over 35 years probably had plenty to do with my overeager excitement, but nothing could have prepared me for feeling emotional during the film’s closing moments.

When all is said and done, Lydia Deetz (Ryder) delivers her last monologue on the final episode of Ghost House — a supernatural talk show hosted by Deetz, which she has utilized as her profession in her adult life. When discussing why she would be leaving the show, Lydia expressed that she had spent most of her life talking to the dead, and that it was finally time for her to enjoy living — especially alongside her daughter Astrid (Ortega), who eventually marries and gives birth towards the end of the sequel.

For those of us that grew up watching Lydia as just a curious teenager, seeing her transition into the motherhood role and watching her so proud of her daughter was undoubtedly emotional. With the heartwarming music and touching moments between Lydia and Astrid, I quickly found myself with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. 

Of course, my waterfall of tears were eventually cut short after one of Lydia’s nightmares hilariously revealed Astrid giving birth to a baby Betelgeuse look-alike. Bearing Betelgeuse’s child is certainly not the most surprising thing that could happen to Lydia and Astrid at this point, but it was absolutely one of the funniest. For all other tears shed, those were simply tears of laughter from watching Michael Keaton rock the house as Betelgeuse once again.

Listen, I believe I speak for the majority of the Beetlejuice fandom when I say this — we’ve been waiting over 35 years for the sequel. In fact, Burton’s head-turning original was released several years before I was even born, so I quite literally grew up watching Beetlejuice and it still remains a focal point of my childhood.

I mean, Winona Ryder herself said that it took so long to make the sequel because they were all subconsciously waiting for Jenna Ortega to be born so that she could be a part of the ever-spinning Beetlejuice madness. Now if that doesn’t evoke any true emotion out of you, then I seriously don’t know what will.