WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!The death of Charles Deetz inBeetlejuice 2could have created a plot hole in the sequel, but Tim Burton cleverly avoids this with a hilarious running gag in the afterlife. While Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, and Catherine O’Hara reprise their roles as Lydia Deetz, Betelgeuse, and Delia Deetz inBeetlejuice 2’s cast, thesequel doesn’t bring back original actor Jeffrey Jones, who portrayed Charles Deetz in the 1988 horror-comedy. WhileJeffrey Jones not returning as Charlesmakes sense, dealing with the character’s absence could have led to some trouble forBeetlejuice 2’s plot.
The1988 movie established that killing off a character isn’t an effective way to explain their physical absence. Barbara and Adam Maitland died inBeetlejuice’s opening scene and their ghosts were forced to inhabit their Winter River house for the next 125 years, with teenager Lydia Deetz, and later her parents Delia and Charles, being able to see them. Therefore,Charles Deetz dying inBeetlejuice 2wouldn’t have been enough to justify his absence, regardless of Jeffrey Jones’s return status, with the Deetzes’ afterlife misadventures exacerbating this potential plot hole. However, Burton finds a clever way to dodge this issue.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Cleverly Brings Back Charles Deetz’s Ghost In The Afterlife
Charles' Ghost Returns Without His Body Missing Above His Shoulders
Since Charles’ ghost would have inevitably appeared in the afterlife or the Winter River house, the location thatBeetlejuice 2reiterates he was most attached to in life, leaving him out would have been a plot hole. However, leaving Charles out ofBeetlejuice 2’s promotional materials was strategic, as the character does, in fact, return in the 2024 sequel. Avoiding the potential plot hole,Charles Deetz’s ghost wanders the afterlife throughout the movie and finally reunites with DeliainBeetlejuice 2’s ending.
The actor who voices Charles Deetz and serves as his physical stand-in is uncredited inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice’s cast.
Considering Jeffrey Jones wasn’t returning, it seemed there would be no way forBeetlejuice 2to include Charles. Burton found an incredibly clever workaround to this casting problem by revealing that Charles Deetz died being eaten by a shark. The shark launched out of the water and much of the top half of Charles’ body, so his ghost appears with his shoulders and above missing.With only his shoulders down being seen,Beetlejuice 2doesn’t require Jeffrey Jones or a full recast to bring back Charlesand feature him in theDeetz family tree’s new misadventures with the afterlife.
Beetlejuice 2is able to preserve the image and characterization of the figure from the 1988 movie as he interacts with Delia and others in the afterlife.
Still, Charles’ return did require a voice recasting. When Charles wanders around the afterlife,he speaks almost incoherently while gurgling the blood squirting out of his esophagus. Charles’ speech can still be understood, however, with a new actor other than Jeffrey Jones being the one to relay his lines. With Charles’ face missing and his voice being changed by the shark chomping off his head and neck,Beetlejuice 2is able to preserve the image and characterization of the figure from the 1988 movie as he interacts with Delia and others in the afterlife.
Charles Deetz’s Return Also Revives A Beloved Tim Burton Movie Trademark
Tim Burton Brings Back Stop-Motion Animation To Show Charles' Death
Before his ghost appears in the afterlife, the image of Charles Deetz as he was after the originalBeetlejuicemovie and before his death appears during a stop-motion sequence.During the stop-motion animated scene, Charles’ death is depicted on-screenwhile Delia describes the tragic series of events that transpired, including his excitement while flying, his plane’s crash, and the shark jumping out of the water to tear off his upper body. It’s a clever way for Burton to bring back the Charles that audiences remember from the 1988 movie, and revives one of the director’s most beloved trademarks.
25 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Easter Eggs & References Explained
Beetlejuice 2 embraces nostalgia by staying true to the original movie, but the various Easter eggs and references also lean into modern day.
Using stop-motion animation has long been a distinguishing feature ofTim Burton’s movies, with the originalBeetlejuicealso utilizing the technique with sequences involving Delia’s moving art sculptures and the sandworm. Tim Burton also executive produced and inspired the story and characters of 1993’sThe Nightmare Before Christmasbefore directing 2005’sCorpse Brideand 2012’sFrankenweenie, all of which were stop-motion animated movies. The use of this format began to dwindle in Burton’s movies as he leaned more into CGI animation, buthis return to the basics and his filmmaking origins inBeetlejuice 2meant strongly reviving his stop-motion focus.
Why Doesn’t Charles Deetz’s Ghost Appear At The Winter River House?
Adam & Barbara’s Ghosts Were Sent Straight To The House
Charles Deetz returns as a ghost in the afterlife and alive in a stop-motion animation sequence, but he surprisingly doesn’t appear inBeetlejuice’s most iconic location. WhenBarbara and Adam died inBeetlejuice, their ghosts were transported directly back to their Winter River house, still dripping wet from the river where they were killed. It wasn’t until the couple drew a door on the attic wall that they finally traveled to the Neitherworld. However,Charles’ ghost goes directly to the afterlife when he dies, and isn’t once seen in the Winter River house.
Beetlejuice’s Afterlife & Neitherworld Explained: Locations, Jobs & Rules
The world of Beetlejuice has a complex afterlife structure, filled with many locations, jobs, ghosts, and a somewhat strict set of rules.
Charles’ ghost going to the Winter River house would make sense given it’s the Earthly location he’s most closely associated with, as Delia opts to bury him there due to his fondness for the home. Instead, Charles’ ghost only appears in the afterlife realm, and he nearly takes the Soul Train to the Great Beyond before reuniting with Delia’s ghost in the sequel’s ending. It’spossible that Charles’ unique death led to him being directly sent to the Neitherworldbefore being given his next steps, then could potentially be transported to the Winter River house afterBeetlejuice 2.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Cast
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
Beetlejuice
Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stars Michael Keaton as the titular “bio-exorcist”, an obnoxious spirit who specializes in driving living occupants out of homes. When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die suddenly, they pass into the spirit realm, and must stay in their home. However, in the living world, the Deetz family purchases the house and moves in, prompting the Maitlands to enlist the help of Beetlejuice to drive them away.
