Tim Burton: Beetlejuice 2 effects go “back to basics”

Last Updated on October 4, 2023

Beetlejuice still remains one of the most visually inventive movies of the 1980s. Between the creature effects, distinct production design (from the Deetz’s house to the Neitherworld) and Oscar-winning makeup, there is constantly something arresting to look at. Fortunately, Tim Burton is looking to maintain as much of this as possible for Beetlejuice 2, saying he won’t rely on CGI.

Speaking with The Independent, Tim Burton said of the upcoming sequel, “On this last one, Beetlejuice 2, I really enjoyed it. I tried to strip everything and go back to the basics of working with good people and actors and puppets. It was kind of like going back to why I liked making movies.”

That’s pretty great to hear considering how easy it would be to just click some buttons to generate a sand worm — OK, it’s not that easy but it no doubt takes away all of the organic quality that Tim Burton has brought to so many of his films, especially ones like Beetlejuice. With Beetlejuice 2 looking to carry on this style, one can easily expect Tim Burton to deliver one of his most visually commendable movies in well over a decade.

Production on Beetlejuice 2 has been delayed due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike but Tim Burton insists that all should continue to be smooth once cameras roll again. “I feel grateful we got what we got. Literally, it was a day and a half…We know what we have to do. It is 99 per cent done.”

A number of key characters/actors will be returning, including Michael Keaton’s titular bio-exorcist, Winona Ryder’s strange and unusual Lydia Deetz and Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz — tragically for her, one of her sculptures went missing over the summer.

While no official plot has been released, we do know a couple things: it’s not set in Hawaii and it involves family. As per Beetlejuice 2’s cinematographer, “At its heart ‘Beetlejuice [2]’ is a story about a family…And now it’s 30 years later and what are the intricacies and the human condition in keeping a family together all that time set in the craziest world possible? That’s why I choose projects. That human connection for me is always at the forefront.”

Do you think Tim Burton can deliver a worthwhile sequel in Beetlejuice 2? Let us know in the comments section below.