FOXSYLVANIA

I’ve already seen fall and Halloween stuff in the stores for several weeks, and with August nearly over, who can blame me for anticipating a time yet two months away? It’s not like I’ll be accused of “Seasonal Spread,” which Xmas gets away with increasingly every year. Besides, what other holiday is near…and I doubt that American “Labor Day” will be offended. Christmas steps all over Halloween annually too, so we Halloween spirits might as well get our licks in early! 🎃

We Halloween heads are getting a special blessing this year with the arrival of Beetlejuice 2 (also referred to as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in some references) opening n theaters on September 6th! I can’t think of any movie whose sequel I’ve anticipated for as many years as Beetlejuice (1988), with Michael Keaton thankfully returning in the titular role.- – This is truly the Ghost With The Most!

Set over three decades since the time of the original, Lydia, played by Winona Ryder, is grown-up and has a daughter, Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega. The actress had memorably played Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series, Wednesday. As the protagonist, Astrid discovers the model of the town in the family homestead that is the portal to the Afterlife, triggering Beetlejuice. Willem Defoe plays a new character (Wolf Jackson), a jaded movie star in life who is now a deceased police detective! We’ll be seeing a lot more of the afterlife and its denizens in the sequel, including Bob, the guy with the shrunken head we last saw sitting in the waiting room with Beetlejuice.

The original film used practical special effects rather than CGI, which gave the movie its distinctive and striking award-winning design. Michael Keaton to his credit insisted that practical or handmade special effects likewise be used in the sequel to preserve the flavor and continuity of the series.

So if you enjoy horror comedy, you may want to see the “Juice turned loose” in Beetlejuice 2. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for it! It gives a whole new meaning to the expression, “spill your guts!”