#barabara maitland

[skywarpie]

Beetlejuice is a good movie! It's great to watch over Halloween. It stars Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Catherine O'Hara, Sylvia Sidney, Michael Keaton (The same guy who played as Tim Burton's Batman) and Winona Ryder.

It's basically about a couple, Barbara and Adam Maitland, who die in their vacation home while renovating it after crashing their car to avoid a dog in the road. They don't realize they're dead until Adam tries to leave the house only for him to be in a desert landscape, almost get eaten by a 'sandworm' and Barbara has to save him. She says he was gone for 2 hours and they both find the Handbook For The Recently Deceased, which basically tells them everything they need to do and know when they are fresh ghosts.

I like the idea of the afterlife in this movie, to quote the Wiki, "Consulting the Handbook, the Maitlands travel to an otherworldly waiting room populated by other distressed souls, where they discover the afterlife is structured according to a complex bureaucracy involving vouchers and caseworkers."

They have their own social worker who tells them that they have to remain in the house for 125 years for "pain on a dire fate" and if they want the Deets gone they have to do it themselves.

Beetlejuice offers his services and calls himself a "Bio-exorcist" meaning he'll help get rid of the Deets if Barbara and Adam call his name 3 times to summon him.

He's crude, nasty and obnoxious and they reconsider hiring him but before they can do anything, they are getting exorcized by Delia's interior designer, Otho (He's been there the whole time I just forgot to mention him). He tried to summon them to a seance with the couple's wedding clothes but fucked everything up. They become ghastly looking skeletons and are being slowly tortured.

Lydia realizes that the couple is in danger of being disappearing forever from the home after becoming close with them and summons Beetlejuice for help to stop everything. He agrees but only if Lydia will marry him (You know, a MINOR). If she marries him then he can cause havoc in the mortal world.

She agrees, only to save the couple, and summons him. Soon he's wrecking and causing havoc inside the home. The exorcism is stopped, Barbara and Adam go back to looking normal.

Beetlejuice gets Lydia in the famous striking red wedding gown and summons a minister to marry them when Barabara comes crashing into the room riding a sandworm and Beetlejuice gets eaten. He's then taken back to the waiting room in the underworld (Which is like waiting at the DMV), steals a ticket from a voodoo priest and his head is shrunk. The End!

Some cool moments from the movie. vvv

Dylia's famous line is "If you don't let me gut out this house and make it my own, I will go insane and I will take you with me!" perfect acting in my opinion.

The Maitland's plan to get the Deets out of the house is the famous scene where everyone is possessed to dance to Harry Belafonte's "Day-O" when Delia's colleagues are there.

Sorry this was long but the movie was my favorite for a long time. It's where my love of black and white stripes, the color green and red came from!

Wait, wasn't she like a kid and he was gonna marry her?

[dinofur]

Beetlejuice Musical Discord!

Come join the brand new Beetlejuice Musical Discord!

I noticed there didn’t seem to be any discords for the Beetlejuice musical, so I made my own! We’ve got creative channels, places to discuss not only the musical, but also the cartoon and movie; and more! So come on in! Nobody’s invisible here!

Invite: https://discord.gg/ks9zRSG

[betelgeucebeetlegeucebeetlejuice]

[tropicalfreckles]

This was in my head when casting dropped for the revival and Will Blum was confirmed to come back ahhhh

[gothvince]

barbara and lydia are both extremely chaotic so when they get together it’s an absolute nightmare. adam has to supervise them

[meangirlsx]

I saw Beetlejuice for the second time recently, and like I shared some things about Mean Girls with you all after I saw it, here are some thoughts and notes and fun facts about Beetlejuice:

Toward the beginning of the show, Beej has a joke where he says he feels invisible and powerless, like a gay republican

It takes people a second, but the audience bursts out into laughter

And then he nods, like he’s saying, “Yep, I said it” and everyone breaks out laughing again

And he does the nod again and gets another break of laughter

And once more, and you can already tell the audience is like in the palm of his hand

He also makes a joke that seems self-deprecating and then deflects it onto an audience member in the front by saying, “This guy knows what I’m talking about!”

He does that a few times throughout the show

And at the end of the show, he makes a joke at the guy one final time and then switches out of his Beetlejuice voice and back into Alex just long enough to say, “Thanks for being here!” to the guy

Dana was on for Lydia and y’all she is so incredible

I feel like with Sophia’s Lydia, you get that the character was always strange and unusual and got more so and darker after her mom died, but at least to me, I get the impression that it wasn’t a far leap for her as a character

Dana’s Lydia has a sweeter, softer, higher voice just by virtue of it being Dana

But she also plays her a little softer and more innocent and more like you really get the feeling that she was a good deal different when her mom was alive

Both are totally valid and fantastic interpretations, so it was fun to see this other version

It also felt a little less shocking then when Lydia thinks Adam’s ultimate dad joke is really funny and says she likes the Maitlands

It really gut punches you that she just wants a healthy, happy, stable family

In Ready Set, Not Yet when Barbara goes, “Look at these jugs!” Beej whips around with wide eyes, realizes she’s talking about actual pottery and not her boobs, makes a disappointed face, and no one processes it until he walks off and then they’re just dying laughing

Then at the end of the song, when Barbara says they’re maybe 80% ready and Adam says 78% instead, she nods like she’s totally in agreement

In Fright of Their Lives, when Adam tells Barbara her first “best primal scream” is brilliant, Beej turns him around to face away from her

Adam looks like he’s trying to be good and make Beej happy by not interacting with Barbara in that moment but as soon as she tries again, it’s like he can’t contain himself from loving and supporting his wife with everything in him

David’s Adam is just really freaking adorable, guys

He really embraces the whole “I’m a huge dork and madly in love with my wife and that pretty much sums me up” personality

Also someone posted on here a while back that they think the severed head that pops out of the trunk looks like Nic Cage and I was pretty close to the stage and I still back this

During Beej’s soliloquy, on the album he doesn’t go all operatic until, “I know that beggars can’t be choosers” but at this performance he did it right away from “I want freedom” and it was so overdramatic it was amazing

Once the Maitlands fight with him and he storms out of the attic, they start getting so angry together, and Adam gets all worked up like he’s going to yell something insulting but instead just yells that Beetlejuice needs therapy and he hopes that he gets it

Like they’re so nice and pure they can’t even be mad without hoping for good to come to the person they’re mad at

In “No Reason” when Delia says, “life coaching, nailing it,” she bops her little hair bun

I’m also fairly certain she tries to dab at some point during the song

And at another point in the song, she does that Fornite dance where you pump your arm and leg on the same side while like hopping?

Tbh a lot of her little quirks are her trying to be cool and relatable and just not fully understanding the current culture or the fact that Lydia is very much not into it

In Say My Name, he shouts, “Fake cartwheel!” and then twirls behind Lydia like he’s pretending to do a cartwheel but wouldn’t land it if he actually tried

Then when he yells “assassinate,” he pulls the top part of his wig back to reveal a brain, and he doesn’t cover it back up until a good moment after Lydia says, “No!”

At the start of Day-O, when Delia calls Charles an “amazing, amazing man,” she straight up starts crying

So now we’re into Act II

Presley comes out for Girl Scout and the entire audience just cheers because who doesn’t love Presley

The first time she turns her back to the audience, you see that her backpack is just O V E R F L O W I N G with Thin Mints

When the music changes for a few seconds after “they had my back if anything went wrong with me,” she’s like freaking out and breathing heavy and trying to calm herself down

And then she jumps RIGHT back into her happy place when she hits “jamboree, soda pop” and everyone in the audience like lost it over that

In the transition between outside and inside the house, Sky says it’s so dark and pulls out her flashlight because she’s always prepared

She holds it beneath her face and says “boo” and then “just kidding, hope I didn’t scare you”

And then something scares her and she starts breathing and counting and Lydia just goes, “You’re fun”

It takes Sky exactly 0 seconds to reply, “I like you, too”

I can’t remember if Dana does this as Sky, too – she probably does

But when Alex sings “clean, white shorts turning brown” Presley spins on the landing of the stairs like she’d been trying to get to a bathroom and just couldn’t make it and wow it’s funny but your heart goes out to her in that moment even though you know it’s not real

Also for anyone who’s been curious or concerned, Sky is totally fine by the time she leaves – she doesn’t die or get hurt or anything

Lydia pays her for some Thin Mints and she leaves, like honestly the girl’s got some steel bravery

Presley and Dana are just so cute onstage together, like you can tell they’re loving it

Later, in “What I Know Now,” Presley is back as the Dead Rider and in a moment where everyone is watching Leslie as everyone has sort of crowded around Lydia, Presley reached out and held onto Dana’s arm for a minute

Then she turned it into her character moving Lydia because the ensemble members move her around in that part of the song

They’re so supportive and proud of each other

Right after Charles proposes to Delia, Lydia comes running in trying to tell him that the house is haunted

So Delia hides under the covers instead of in the bathroom or closet or whatever and takes her vape with her

And Lydia tells her dad to grab everything so they can get out and she pulls the sheet off the bed and sees Delia and after a long pause, Delia says, “Hey” and sooooo much smoke comes out of her mouth and her voice is all deep

Back in “Barbara 2.0,” when Kerry first sings “Say hello to Barbara 2.0,” she leans one leg on a box and flexes her arms down in front of her stomach and it’s adorable

Then when Adam sings, “the old one’s fertilizer,” Barbara just totally giggles

They’re so in love

Kerry and David have a slightly different vibe than Kerry and Rob but they’re already such great scene partners and so sweet together

Toward the end, when they’re all trying to trick Beej and Adam yells for everything to stop because he has something to say to him, the entire audience gets so excited and then so quiet, waiting for him to own Beej

And when he starts by saying that Beej has been harassing him the entire show and pauses at, “And I gotta tell you”, you can tell everyone thinks we’re about to get a comment on sexual harassment

And Adam finishes by saying, “It. Has worked.” and EVERYONE goes insane

And then he’s full-on making out with Beej and Beej is just in AWE and the audience can barely breathe

Barabara tries to do it, too, but she leans in and she just can’t bring herself to do it

During “Creepy Old Guy,” Alex gives Beej the most innocent, hopeful look that makes you almost happy for him and almost forget that all of this is Very, Very Wrong

It looks like Adam is Beej’s best man and Barbara is Lydia’s maid of honor and like Delia is probably like a bridesmaid

They get to the “I do” and you can feel that everyone kind of can’t believe it actually happened and it’s like this creepy, shocked feeling that settles over everyone but then immediately all the tech goes crazy because Beej is becoming alive

As a very briefly alive Beetlejuice, he goes on this total anxiety/emotional spiral from “the world is so beautiful” to “what if I’m never happy again” to “we don’t teach men to process our anger and that’s a sad truth that indicts all of us” to “so maybe, maybe I’ll just try murder”

Tbh the entire show is an impressive showcase for Alex but that moment is a rollercoaster and a mini masterclass in portraying different emotions and making social commentary and maintaining the humor all at the same time

He puts on this ENTIRE persona for the entire show, which is obviously very common for most characters/actors but like this is a whole other level, I think

The way he moves, of course the way he talks and sings, the way his eyes look, literally everything is different and it’s so, so clear that he put SO much work into creating this character

Okay that’s my Alex Brightman stan rant now back to your previously scheduled programming

At the start of his goodbyes, Beej mentions a possible future “vision quest” to find his dad and just goes, “Sequel?” and then does his puppet hand like he did for the Handbook for the Recently Deceased and in “Say My Name” and makes a “squa squa squa” noise like those horns people play from their phones to back up their own joke (I’m so sorry I don’t know a better way to explain it or if there’s a real term for it because y’all it slays the audience)

At the curtain call, everyone in the audience is of course screaming for Dana and the entire cast is just so proud of her and they’re doing everything they can to show it

Alex, especially, just fucking bows to her and claps like he’s in awe of her

And the last note I took down is a tech thing so if you don’t want to know how they do the lifts of Barbara and Lydia, just stop reading here

I didn’t catch it when they lifted Barbara up the wall for the exorcism

But I caught it when they lifted Lydia up the stairs and I’m guessing it’s the same mechanism for both

There’s like this black seat attached to the wall beneath the railing

I only noticed it because I was up close and on the side and looking for it but like you really don’t notice it

So she can like casually straddle this thing and rest herself on it and it will lift her up safely

I’m sure there’s more to it than that to make it totally safe, and also she can bring her legs and feet pretty close together while she’s up in the air so there has to be some explanation for that, too, since that would be difficult if she were sitting and she’s also clearly standing and not sitting

But it’s awesome

And Adam has been hanging out near there with a mop and mop bucket, cleaning up little things onstage, which is totally on-brand for him and you don’t question it for a second

But then when Lydia comes down and steps away from the stairs, Adam just dances right over to the seat, stands in front of it, and knocks it into the bucket with the mop

Again, I was looking for it

They do a really great job covering that kind of stuff

Guys this show and the entire team that puts it on is just so, so incredible

If anyone has any questions about the show that I didn’t address here, feel free to ask

And if I don’t know the answer at first, I’m seeing the show at least one more time and can pay attention to something more specifically to get you an answer

[asettledsky]

Beetlejuice The Contract

    “Well, the Maitlands are taken care of, everything seems to be pretty much…” Betelgeuse trailed off as he looked around the room. “Well… Maybe a little clean up is in order.” 

    With a snap of his fingers the holes he’d put in the roof were repaired and the debris on the floor was gone. He looked around again and waved his hand at the model to make it go back together. He looked over at the Maitlands, who were recovering on top of the table.

    “Ehhh, they’ll sort themselves out.” Betelgeuse said dismissively. He turned his attention to the Deetz. “YOU… c’mere baby.” He put his arm out and pulled it in like he was pulling on a rope.

    Lydia was pulled out of Delia’s arms and stumbled forward into his. He put an arm around her waist and she was compelled to put her hand on his chest. Betelgeuse leaned in and she cringed away when he gave her a peck on the cheek. 

    “Now, about our deal…” Betelgeuse said. He raised his hand and with a shake it filled with a thick stack of papers. 

    “I suppose it’s too late to change my mind?” Lydia asked, resigned to whatever chaos she’d signed up for. 

    “I’m gonna go ahead and warn you right now that the afterlife doesn’t take kindly to people who break these kinds of deals. And for that matter neither do I. So we’re just gonna pretend you didn’t say that.” Betelgeuse said in a steely voice. “You know you want it honey.” 

    Lydia sighed. Rather than argue with him she looked at the stack of papers in his hand. 

    “What’s that?” She asked, nodding her head to the papers.

    “This is The Paperwork. Juno’s a stickler for it. If we don’t get this done before the I Do’s she’ll have a hissy fit like you wouldn’t believe.” Betelgeuse answered. 

    “Absolutely not! Lydia isn’t signing anything until I have my lawyers look at it!” Charles Deetz butted in, finally coming out of his terrified stupor at the mention of bureaucracy. He rushed forward and took the stack of paper out of the ghoul’s hands. Betelgeuse snorted at that.

    “Good luck with that pops. Pretty much the only person in this room who has a chance of understanding all that legalese is this pretty little thing here. Because she’s the only one who's actually read the book!” Betelgeuse said, shaking Lydia a little for emphasis. 

    Charles paled as he flipped through the contract and realized that Betelgeuse was telling the truth. 

    “Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse!” Barbara’s voice sounded throughout the living room. She was standing upright and looking like herself again on the table. Betelgeuse flinched and grabbed onto Lydia with both arms as if he were bracing to take her with him if he went. Luckily nothing happened. Realizing he was still here he hissed at Barbara and relaxed his grip on Lydia just a bit. 

    “Sorry about that babes, reflexes.” Betelgeuse said. “Forgot that doesn’t do anything now.” He added sheepishly. 

    “I don’t get it, why didn’t that work?” Adam asked. He had hopped off the table and was helping Barbara down now that her first plan of attack hadn’t worked. 

    “Because I’ve already fulfilled my end of the deal and you two stiffs are still around.” Betelgeuse said. “Unless Lyds here outright revokes her end of the deal I’m not sealed to my name anymore I’m sealed to…” His eyes widened as if he’d just thought of something. He looked at Lydia suspiciously. 

    “What… me?” Lydia asked, putting two and two together. “What does that mean?” 

    “It means that if YOU want him gone then all you need to do is say his name three times and he’s back in his grave. It won’t help you in the long run, but it’ll get him out of your hair.” A gravelly voice answered. 

    Everyone in the room looked up to spot the old woman with the folders in her arm and a cigarette in her hand. 

    “Juno!” Adam, Barabara, and surprisingly Betelgeuse, all shouted. The former sounding considerably more happy to see her than the latter. 

    “Juno, can you fix this?” Barbara asked. “Lydia shouldn’t have to marry this pervert just because of us.” 

    “Unfortunately, if there’s a way to break this deal then I don’t know it.” Juno answered. “It’s much more cut and dry than your deal with him. He said exactly what he wanted from her and she said exactly what she wanted from him. Once she agreed the verbal contract became binding. Unlike with your deal, which you were able to renege on without consequence because Betelgeuse never laid down the terms of what he wanted to get out of the deal.” 

    The Maitlands looked like they had several things to say about that, but neither could come up with an argument. 

    “For better or worse, Lydia Deetz, until you sign a marriage contract, Betelgeuse is effectively stuck here.” Juno concluded. 

    “WHAT?!” Five voices rang out. Betelgeuse was outraged enough that he finally let go of Lydia and stalked up to Juno. 

    “What do you mean stuck here?” 

    “Exactly what I said. Unless Miss Deetz calls you to wherever she is, you are stuck at either her place of residence, or your grave, which you foolishly moved into the model of Winter River, which is in this house. You’re only marginally better off than you were.” Juno smirked at him as something dawned on her. “Worse, even, since your invocation is now useless.” She looked positively thrilled to have been able to deliver that news to the moss-covered man. 

    Lydia wanted to laugh at the look of horror on Betelgeuse’s face, but it occurred to her that if he was stuck here then that meant they were stuck with him. 

    “So, just to clarify… I can send him back to his grave and keep him there for pretty much as long as I want?” Lydia asked. Betelgeuse let out a shrill squealing noise in protest. “So why do I have to marry him at all?” 

    “Because you said you would Miss Deetz.” Juno answered, sounding none too happy about it. “If it were up to me I’d gladly keep Betelgeuse stuck in this state of Bureaucratic Limbo for quite a while, but there’s a time limit on these things. Because you’re a minor you get until your 18th birthday to sign whichever version of the marriage contract you two can agree to among yourselves. Given that he’ll likely try to push you into one that’s most advantageous to him, you’re going to want to study up on the terms as best you can. I’ve brought you a few books that should help.” Juno snapped her fingers and a pile of old books appeared on the dining room table. “I suggest you get started on them as soon as possible.” 

    “Ugh, getting married to a ghost comes with homework?” Lydia griped. 

    “Well, at least some things never change. I certainly could have used a library to study the prenup your father’s lawyers tried to cook up.” Delia chimed in. Charles glared at her and she smiled at him. 

    “Hey, as far as I’m concerned you don’t have to read anything baby.” Betelgeuse answered quickly. “You just sign the contract and it’s a done deal and we’ll be off on our honeymoon to Barbados, just you and me whaddaya say?” He grabbed her from behind and wrapped an arm around her waist, snuggling his face into her hair.

“I say: Not on your life and get your hand off my ass.” Lydia answered, digging a heel into his instep. She watched in satisfaction as he let go and limped away. 

“As for you,” Juno addressed Betelgeuse. “Unless you want to be stuck in that model for a long time I’d suggest you not piss off your bride to be.”

“Oh shut up you old--” Betelgeuse said as he was straightening up. Juno had faded away before he could finish his insult. 

In the wake of Juno’s leaving an awkward silence fell over the small group. 

“Well…. Now what?” Delia asked the room. 

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Though I know I should be wary

Still I venture someplace scary

Ghostly haunting I turn loose.

Betelgeuse.

BETELGEUSE.

Psycho Analysis: Betelgeuse

“It’s showtime.”

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Here he is, the ghost with the most, the bio-exorcist extraordinaire, the spook who has lived through the Black Plague (and had a pretty good time during it) and who has seen The Exorcist about a hundred and sixty-seven times (and it keeps getting funnier every time he sees it)! From the Tim Burton movie of almost the same name – his name is actually spelled like the star in the constellation of Orion, not like what the movie and the cartoon’s title says it is – Betelgeuse is one hell of a guy, an undead menace like no other. Between the performance from none other than Michael Keaton (which is not surprising since the guy was more of a comedic actor prior to Batman, which this film came out before) and the direction and style granted to him by Tim Burton in his prime, Betelgeuse has cemented himself as one of the most delightfully enjoyable jackasses in fiction.

Actor: I want to believe this is what convinced Tim Burton to cast Michael Keaton as Batman. In fact, I like to imagine this movie is why anyone casts Michael Keaton in anything, ever. Birdman? Spider-Man: Homecoming? Minions? All because of his performance here. He’s clearly having a blast, and he fills Betelgeuse with the sort of insane, depraved manic energy a sleazy undead conman should have. Keaton has apparently said this is his favorite role and he’s down to do the sequel if it ever gets out of development hell, and if he can still provide the same wacky performance as he did back in ‘88 I think we have nothing to fear. He is the glue that holds this film together along with Danny Elfman’s score. Case in point: most of Keaton’s lines were ad libbed. Think of all the hilarious deliveries, dialogue, and jokes that BJ spits out, and think if there had been someone else playng him. I don’t know if anyone else could have come up with anything funnier.

Motivation/Goals: Betelgeuse really seems like an agent of chaos, just doing what he does because it seems fun to him. He is just so gleeful about the prospects of killing people on the job, and he gleefully torments the Maitlands even while they ask for his help, sexually harassing Barbara at every turn and just being a real creep. Later in the film, he implies he really wants to get out of being undead, and so tries to coerce Lydia into releasing him, even forcing her to marry him in return for help freeing the Maitlands from accidentally being exorcised. 

Really, the guy just likes to cause a ruckus. It’s not really expanded upon in the movie, and he’s just played up as a hilariously creepy jerkwad, but apparently the musical adaptation expands on why he does what he does. As far as the movie goes, though... yeah. He’s just a jerk. A really, really funny jerk.

Personality: Betelgeuse is like a sleazy used car salesman cranked up to eleven. He’s motormouthed, he’s unpleasant, he’s sleazy, he’s perverted, and he’s an incredible jerkass… and yet, you just can’t help but love the guy, because Keaton’s energy just shines through and makes him a jerkass in a lovable sort of way. It’s sort of the same principle as Gaston; he’s just so cartoonishly, hilariously over-the-top in how much of a pig he is that you can’t help but enjoy him, especially since he does get his just desserts in the end.

Final Fate: Betelgeuse tries to force Lydia into marriage, and poofs away the Maitlands to make sure they don’t say his name. But this backfires spectacularly: shrinking Adam allows him to drive a toy car into Betelgeuse’s foot, casuing him to drop the ring before he can seal the deal with Lydia, and poofing Barabara out onto the surface of Venus only serves to allow her to wrangle the Sand worm and have it crash through the roof and eat him alive. And then when Betelgeuse gets stuck in the waiting room, he ends up between the man with a shrunken head and the witch doctor who did it to him, and after stealing the witch doctor’s number, Betelgeuse finally is able to get a little head… just probably not in the sense he’d have liked it.

Best Scene: Once he says “It’s showtime,” all bets are off, and he really delivers on his promises to help the Maitlands. It’s actually kind of shocking that he holds up his ends of the bargains he makes; maybe people wouldn’t try and screw him out of his end of the deal if he wasn’t such a raging perverted jackass.

Best Quote: The guy is just a fountain of quality quotes, particularly when he rattles off his qualifications. But I really have to give it to one line, a line that absolutely baffles me as to how it made it into a PG rated film, which Betelgeuse says after kicking over a tree in the town model:

“NICE FUCKING MODEL!”  This is then followed by him grabbing his crotch with cartoonish honking noises. It’s incredible.

Final Thoughts & Score: It’s really hard for me to not call this the definitive Michael Keaton performance, as far as comedies go anyway. He is just really throwing himself into to the role and having an absolute blast with it; there’s not a single moment with him that feels forced or tired, he’s just constantly putting all his effort into making this ghastly slimeball a likable antagonist, and boy does it pay off. To this day, Betelgeuse is a beloved and iconic character in Tim Burton’s filmography, to the point where the guy got his own cartoon show which is in and of itself considered a beloved cult classic. And as if that wasn’t enough, he got his own musical! It takes a special kind of villain to score a big musical gig; just ask a certain green witch.

The thing is, there isn’t much to analyze in the way of character here; he’s really just the way it is because it’s funny. The movie is a dark comedy, after all (though not the darkest comedy starring Winona Ryder that came out in ‘88). Hell, I think the most interesting thing to glean from him is how his most popular outfit, the one he wears all the time in the cartoon and is on everything from the posters to DVD cover, is actually only worn by him for about five minutes of screentime, with the rest of his appearances featuring him in what appears to be ratty, nasty old pajamas. I think part of why the stripey outfit became his signature style is because not only does it look cool, but he wears it for his big moment when he frees the Maitlands and really lets loose.

The other interesting thing to glean from Betelgeuse is how despite being a nasty, horrible person, you just can’t help but love the guy. He’s just so darn funny! Like I mentioned before, I think it is because in a lot of ways, he is like Gaston, who is the poster child for toxic masculinity. Betelgeuse is a slimy sexual harasser, he has no sense of personal space, and he tries to force a young woman to marry him; in real life, this guy would be a vomit-inducing psychopath who people would rightfully want hung out to dry, but here, in this film, he’s hilarious. I think that, much like Gaston, it’s the energy and fun pf the performance, and at least here with Betelgeuse it has to do with how utterly cartoonish he is and how everyone around him has the intended reactions. And, of course, he never really wins, even if he does cause a lot of mischief along the way.

I think Betelgeuse is the sort of magical jackass more fantasy films should aspire to have; there really aren’t many characters worth mentioning who are in the same vein as good ol’ BJ. With that in mind, I think he deserves a 10/10. I think he’s one of Tim Burton’s finest creations, the most lovable of rogues, a truly impressive phantom menace, and he really holds the film together. I long for the day when Michael Keaton’s dream comes true, and they finally make Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian or whatever other absurd concept they would do for a sequel if they decide not to got with Tim’s joke script.

All I can say for sure is: boy am I glad Burton and Keaton changed this from a straightforward horror film into a dark comedy, because I’m not sure I’d like to live in the universe where Betelgeuse was legitimately evil and tried to rape Lydia. Yes, this was really what the film’s original script was like. It just goes to show that sometimes it’s better to be funny than it is to be scary.

[hiddenwashington]

can i make barabra unaware pls angels?? I forgot to change it on my app when i sent it last night dfdf

sure thing chicken wing! barabara maitland is now aware unaware! 

[zomsplushzombies]

Day 2: Barabara Maitland "being dead really doesn't make things anything easier." I would think it makes doing this to your face easier. -------------------------------- #inktober #inktober2017 #art #drawing #ink #sketchbook #drawlloween2017 #digitalsketch #procreate #dailyzom #drawlloween #drawingofthday #october #zom #zombie #31daysofhalloween #barbaramaitland #beetlejuice #beetlejuicebeetlejuicebeetlejuice

[tropicalfreckles]

Friends Again CH 5

MASTER LIST found here

SUMMARY: A new dilemma has risen in Lydia that she takes to the only one she can talk to about it.

SOLIDARITY

B**TLEB*BES DNI

(TW mentions of J*no, mentions of murder(no murder tho), mentions of bullying, mentions of the wedding death scene)))

Another day of school, another day of Lydia having complex feelings bubble up in her stomach. This was getting borderline exhausting with all the thoughts she kept bottled up inside. Even though she had become more comfortable with her therapist, she still wasn't sure if she wanted to just spill her guts out about these thoughts. Closing the front door behind her, she swung her backpack off while exhaling a long groan. No one was home yet except for the Maitlands, of course. They were probably upstairs since she didn't see them after scanning the living room. Rummaging through her backpack on the table she pulled out things she needed for homework then sluggishly retreated upstairs. School wasn't engaging and often times left her yearning for more. The Maitlands had recently found a way to help make her learning more simulating through their ghostly powers. They were still learning themselves. They tried learning more from the Handbook for the Recently Deceased. However, as Adam put it, it 'read like radio instructions'. Lydia didn't have too much of a hard time understanding it personally. Though that probably was because she loved deciphering the nonsensical text.

Should she let the Maitlands know she's home?

She usually would announce herself. Yet, that feeling wasn't leaving her stomach. It dampening her mood. Lydia didn't want to bother the ghostly couple with her problem. Since she still didn't understand it entirely herself. It was days like these she wished her mom was still alive. Regret wove itself in her every once in a while for leaving the Netherworld. Missing her chance to reconnect with her mother again. She knew deep down it was for the best. She would've also liked it if Delia and her dad had waited for a while before getting wed. She understood though they felt the fleetingness of life and wanted to make the best of it as long as they both were breathing. That would be another can of worms for Lydia to tackle another day. Lydia tossed her things on her bed when she entered her room. Closing the door behind her then took off her shoes. Her nerves were starting to get the best of her when she walked over to her mirror and gazed at herself.

"Why are feelings stupid..." She muttered. Grabbing a hair tie off of her stand, she ran her fingers through the raven locks tying it up.

"That's because you breathers have too many feelings; It makes shit complicated." A gravely voice chimed in. Lydia flinched for a moment then turned to scowl at the older man.

"I told you that you couldn't come into the house yet!" She snarled at him. Lydia began rubbing the pads of her forefinger and middle in circles against the temple of her head. Beetlejuice snorted then crossed his arms.

"You ain't exactly the boss of me kid. I do what I want. Within reason of your dumb rules. Besides, I was bored waiting in the stupid cemetery. There weren't any breathers to mess with today so I couldn't get anyone else to say my name." Beetlejuice rambled on, giving Lydia a shrug. The young teen threw herself face first on her bed. She thought over for a moment how risky this was.

"You didn't let Barabara and Adam see you, right?" Lydia questioned, sitting up a little on her elbows. Beetlejuice hummed while pulling his eyes out from their sockets.

"Nope, not a peep!" He snickered while tossing them in the air like a pair of die. Lydia looked on unamused before rolling on her back to stare up at the ceiling. The demon popped his eyes back in.

"Oh boy, are you having one of those angsty teen moments again? Am I gonna have to leave while you recite goth poetry or some shit?" He floated up from the ground then whipped over to her. Lydia inhaled deeply before giving a loud groan.

"Go away if you're gonna be an ass." Lydia reached out for a pillow to grab. Beetlejuice tensed up as he knew it was meant for his face. He deflated a little when he saw her hug then bury herself against it. Just as the teen hated when he would get moody, he felt the same about her. Though it was strange, the past three months now that they've been hanging out he has started to feel something he never had before. Was it that gross thing called empathy? He sighed deeply while busying himself with picking at his nails. This was going to require some finesse.

"Alright, you twisted my arm Lyds. What's bugging ya? What can your ol' pal Mr. Betelboose do to, ugh, 'help'?" He peered from the corner of his eye to see if she'd budge. She did not. He did get a grunt in response. Some progress was a win for him. Lydia flailed her legs a little as a muffled groan rose from her. The demon patiently waited for her to speak.

"As bizarre as it is to say.." Lydia dug her fingernails into her pillow as she pulled it away from her face finally. Her features scrunched up, her lips pursed. Relaxing after a moment of what looked like deep contemplation from Beetlejuice's perspective she finally spoke. "I think you might be the only person I can talk to about this." Lydia softly spoke.

Now, this was interesting.

She was actually being vulnerable to him. He only saw her do that once and that was when she summoned him back from the Netherworld. That was because of everything that built up from before. This seemed to be a new dilemma on the young girl's mind. He waved his hand to let her know she could continue.

"Beej. When did you discover that you had feelings for guys, too?" Lydia drawled out while shiftily gazing around the room. Anywhere other than making eye contact. Beetlejuice stroked his scruffy chin while trying to figure out what she meant by that. Was there a boy she liked? Did his stoic bratty friend actually have sappy feelings as well?

Wait.

"You're asking how I knew I was into more than just women? Well, first off, there is one thing ya gotta know about the Netherworld. Most folks swing both if not all ways." Beetlejuice jokingly conjured up a baseball bat and took multiple swings in different directions with it. It earned him a snort which he grinned at before continuing.

"It kind of came as an easy realization for me. I know that the stupid shit you breathers go about here on the mortal plane carries off into the Netherworld sometimes. It doesn't stick for long cause who the hell are you gonna complain to? No one." He rolled his eyes remembering all of the bigoted folks that would come through and get their panties in a twist at how the rest of the Netherworld was. While he wasn't the biggest fan of staying there all the time it wasn't always horrible there. The world of the living was more of a party for him.

"How did you really know, though?" Lydia hugged the pillow closer to her while sitting up. Beetlejuice plopped himself onto the bed next to her. Lydia had a surprisingly smart melon in that goth head of hers. He was curious why she was doubting herself so much.

"Probably when I made out with that one famous painter." He picked at his teeth. Lydia arched a brow.

"Which one?"

"You know me, scarecrow, don't kiss and tell." He grinned at her. Lydia gently smacked his knee.

"Oh BS, you always name drop famous people." She snorted. Beetlejuice snickered, moving his hands behind him then slid back more on the bed.

"You're right, I just don't remember the guy's name right now. Listen. I guess I get it. I've been observing you breathers for almost a millennia. Feelings are gross. But I know when it comes to this stuff it can be hard. Especially for kids. If there's something ya gotta blab to me about." He tilted his head in her direction while making sure he had her attention. She gave a slow nod for him to continue, "Then I'm listening."

Lydia inhaled deeply. This was nerve-racking. She just didn't know how to even express herself.

"I... I might have." Lydia banged her head into the soft pillow and gave a small whine. "I might.. like a girl at school." She spoke barely above a whisper. Beetlejuice leaned over since he could barely hear her. Lydia wrinkled her nose at the smell yet allowed him to do so.

"What was that kid? Gotta speak up." He gave a coy smile. Lydia scowled at him then looked away.

"I said... That I might like a girl at school. I'm not repeating myself again." Her cheeks were heating up at how embarrassing this was. Not so much expressing her feelings. It was more talking about a damn school crush to her stupid demon friend she was starting to make amends with. She looked over to him after a moment of making sure he wasn't going to tease her then noticed him grinning wide.

"Yeah, that's what I thought you said. HA. Of course, you're into girls! Look at you, you're tiny, snarky all the time and goth." Beetlejuice yammered on as he elbowed her side.

"Ha-ha, is this amusing to you or something? I just spilled my damn guts out." Lydia frowned, her cheeks flushed. Beetlejuice shook his head.

"Eh, maybe a little, I just find it funny that widdle Lydia has a crush. Always figured you were too feral and hated people too much for that." He pinched her cheek. She was close to snapping her teeth at his fingers. She opted for batting his hand away. Lydia wiped her cheek with her sleeve. He snickered in response then rested his elbows on his knees.

"Call me 'widdle' again and I'll throw you off the roof as I did before." She stuck her tongue out at him then took note of him smirking at her. "What?"

"Nuthin'. Just weird seeing you actually act like a teenager instead of your usual dry, deadpan self." He patted her hard on the back to which she grunted at him. "Good for you! Better to be your real self than locking that shit away. Dolores and Chuck'll probably be. I don't know, what's that word you breathers use now? 'Woke'? About this. I know the Maitlands will be. Ugh, they are just soooo supportive it's disgusting." He gagged at his last sentence to which Lydia rolled her eyes.

"I don't know if I'm going to tell anyone. At least not yet." Lydia softly spoke as she played with the pillow resting in her lap. Beej quirked a brow at her then snorted. He gave a soft bap on her head with his fist.

"Listen. I don't normally give pep talks that aren't about scaring, murder or crap. I guess I can try to understand. Daphne might be too intrusive about it. Chuck might just be super awkward about it and say something embarrassing. The other nerds are definitely gonna dote on you." Beetlejuice picked at his teeth. "Eh, take your time if you wanna. Just know that the Netherworld when ya shed your meat-sack body is gonna be fine with who or what yer into. Fuck what anyone else thinks." He let out a long yawn then stretched a little. "Trying to be nice makes me wanna take a nap or doing something nasty. Or hurl. Can't decide, this is gross."

Lydia looked over the demon while taking note of his words. She snickered at him dramatically pretending to upheave then shoved him.

"Stop being gross for five minutes." Lydia snorted then sat back on her bed finally letting go of her pillow. "Honestly.. My stomach is in a knot still. Part of me kind of wants to tell her however I don't want people to.." Midway through Lydia trailed off into a soft whisper. "I just don't want more of a reason for people to target me at school. I can handle myself for the most part. Just kind of hard when they gang up on me." She tugged at the edge of her school uniform. Without skipping a beat Beetlejuice responded.

"Want me to kill 'em for ya? I mean, if they're that big of lil assholes I'd probably be doing their parents a favor." Beetlejuice grinned while taking out a knife from his sleeve. "I'll 'cut' them down to size!" He cackled while swishing the knife around. Lydia ducked down then snorted.

"No. Murder isn't the answer to everything, BJ. Those girls are jerks but they aren't the root of the problem. Kids don't naturally act like bigoted brats. It's probably coming from their parents or something, to begin with." Lydia grabbed his arm to make him stop swinging the knife. Beetlejuice clicked his tongue then thought over what she said.

"Alright. Kill the parents and the brats. Two for two-plus no sad little orphans!" Beetlejuice hovered off the bed in glee while throwing his arms up into the air. "It'll be a real scream Lyds! Just let me loose on 'em! Come on! I haven't killed anyone since Juno!" He flexed his fingers while looking to her like an overjoyed child in a candy store. Lydia raised her hand up with a shake of her head.

"Didn't I just say murder wasn't the answer to everything?" She answered dryly while quirking a brow at him.

"I don't know, you murdered me pretty fast to try and kick my ass into the Netherworld," Beetlejuice muttered. Lydia inhaled deeply through her nostrils then slapped his thigh with her pillow.

"I'm serious. No murdering people on my behalf. I appreciate the enthusiasm but I don't want the cops on me. Making people suffer is more fun anyway." Lydia dropped the pillow then stretched her legs out. Beetlejuice floated back down to the bed then gave a little pout.

"Bah. Thought you were more fun than that, kid. Though torture also sounds like a blast." He stroked his scruffy chin. The goth teen kicked her feet against the edge of the bed.

"I was thinking more about pranking." She chuckled. "You know.. I might try talking to that girl. Just not yet." Lydia lulled her head against her shoulder to peer back at the demon. "I hate to stroke that big ego of yours. I wanna tell you that I kind of appreciate you talking to me about this. It's nice to talk to someone else who is attracted to the same gender." She took out her phone then opened the browser.

"Plus I see myself as more than one gender. Though that's a topic for another time, kid." He waved his hand as a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Lydia swung her head up to stare at him.

"Oh; does that mean you're genderfluid?"

"Gender what now?" Beetlejuice quizzically stared at her while scratching the top of his scalp. Lydia quickly brought something up on her phone then showed him.

"You identify as more than one gender. See?" Lydia began scrolling through a website about the LGBTQ+ community while Beetlejuice crossed his arms and tried reading over it.

"Huh. Well shit. Guess so? Then what's being attracted to more than one gender?" He quickly snatched the phone out of her hand to look over it more.

"Well, that is a broader category. You could be either Bisexual or Pansexual." She sat up on her knees as she pressed the pad of her forefinger into the screen. Slowly she scrolled back up on the browser and pointed out the two. Beetlejuice hummed then plopped the phone back into her lap.

"Learn something new every day!" Beetlejuice grinned. The two froze when they heard the familiar voice of a woman echoing through the house.

"Lydia?? Are you home? We can get started on your homework if you want!" Barbara's hand began phasing through the door. With that Beetlejuice flung himself out the window as Lydia swatted grave dirt he left behind on her bed.

"Coming Barbara!" Lydia called.

She couldn't keep hiding him forever.

[meangirlsx]

The Whole “Being Dead” Thing: Beetlejuice x reader (part 1)

Pairing: Beetlejuice x reader Word count: 1735 Warnings: Major character death? You are the major character. But it’s Beetlejuice so your story continues as a ghost. Your death is not described. Request: Hello💚 can I request beetlejuice x reader in which the reader moved into the maitland‘s house but after a while dies there too because of an accident or something so basically ghost!reader x beetlejuice

——

When you moved into the Maitlands’ old house, you had heard rumors about it being haunted, but you weren’t really concerned. The previous accident dropped the price of the house, and when anyone asked if the idea of the house being haunted scared you, you joked that you hoped it was because you didn’t know many people in the area and maybe the ghost could be your friend.

Naturally, you were pretty surprised to learn that it was, in fact, haunted. You were even more surprised, though, when the ghosts really did start to become your friends.

Barbara and Adam were so sweet and dorky. You couldn’t help but love them from the moment you met them. Beetlejuice couldn’t really be described as sweet or dorky (though he definitely had his moments of both), but just the same, you found yourself becoming friends with him, too.

Barabara, Adam, and Beetlejuice were very different kinds of friends. Because Barbara and Adam had each other, too, they spent a good deal of time on their own, but they were always there when you needed some advice, guidance, adult life tips, or a voice of reason. They also loved to tell you stories, and you loved to listen, even when the stories were delightfully boring.

Beetlejuice, on the other hand, could follow chaos like a dog chasing a tennis ball. Whether he could sense it or you called for him, if you needed something other than a voice of reason, he was there.

The more time you spent together, the more loyal to you he seemed to become. You could summon him to help you pick out an outfit and not only would he do it, but he seemed to enjoy it, and then he’d stick around just to hang out with you. You started spending a lot of time together that way, you calling him for one thing and him hanging around for most of the day afterwards.

Once you started spending all that time together, it didn’t take long for you to realize you were starting to fall for him. You had no idea what to do about that.

He hadn’t been around all day, so you took the opportunity to talk to Barbara and Adam about it.

The second you told them how you felt, they shot each other a look.

“Is that ridiculous to even think about?” you asked. “I mean, there’s no way we could be together, right? That’s even assuming that he would like me back. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, that’s not it,” Adam said.

“There’s just...a lot we don’t really know,” Barbara said, still exchanging glances with Adam that made it seem like they weren’t telling you something. “We think you might be better off talking to him about it directly.”

“And believe me, we know that can be scary,” Adam said. “But we think in this case, it’ll be worth it.”

“Just tell him how I feel? But what if he doesn’t like me back?”

They smiled at each other, then at you.

“I’m not a betting man, but if I were, I believe that’s what we’d call a sucker’s bet,” Adam said in his dad joke tone that you admittedly loved.

“He’s stuck around this long,” Barbara added. She didn’t say anything else, but her meaning was clear. He’s stuck around this long for a reason, and he wouldn’t leave even if he didn’t like you back.

You thanked them and returned to your room.

You ran through a million different scenarios in your head. You weren’t sure how long you’d been thinking through ways to tell him when he just popped into your room.

“Wow, Y/N, you were thinking my name so hard, you might as well have been screaming.”

You felt your heart start to race and your face start to heat up. “You can hear me think about you?”

He let out a loud laugh. “No. But wouldn’t it be cool if I could?” Then he leaned in closer. “So you were thinking about me?”

You shoved his shoulder lightly. “That’s not funny.”

“I think it’s hilarious. It’s not my fault if you’re, like, in love with me or something.” He sat down on your bed as comfortably as if it were his own. “Aw, look, you’re blushing!”

You folded your arms. “I don’t remember saying your name. So why are you here?”

“I was bored,” he said with a shrug. “But if you want me to go…”

“I didn’t say that.”

He smirked. “You totally love me.”

You took a breath and reminded yourself not to let him get to you too much. He was always like this. He was just a shameless flirt. It was how he entertained himself.

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

“You’re full of fire today,” he said. “I like it.”

“Can you ever just have a normal conversation?”

“I can. But this is more fun.” Then his face flooded with sincerity. “Unless something’s wrong. You said you were thinking about me earlier. Are you okay? Do you need me to mess with someone?”

“No, I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

He shook his head. “You looked so distracted when I got here. You were going to call me. Something’s going on. What is it?”

“Nothing is wrong, Beej.”

But he just kept repeating “What is it?” like a little kid.

“Can we go back to the teasing? I think I liked that better.”

“Who said I was teasing?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You’re literally always teasing.”

“I can tease and still be serious.” He stood up. “Now tell me why you were thinking about me.”

“You don’t want a real answer. You just want me to say it’s because I’m into you.”

“Only if you mean it.”

“You can be so annoying sometimes, you know that?”

He grinned in response.

You opened your bedroom door. “Come on. Let’s go watch a movie or something.”

He followed you out into the living room. “You never let me go this long without changing the subject. What’s going on?”

“What movie do you want to watch?” You made your way over to the coffee table to pick up the remote.

“And now you’re avoiding the question? Oh my God. You do like me.”

You set the remote down and whirled around to face him, a rush of bravery coursing through you. “And what if I did? You don’t exactly make it easy to tell you. And you don’t really seem like the dating type, anyway.”

You couldn’t quite read the expression on his face as he said, “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

You must have used up your rush of bravery, you thought, because you suddenly felt much less prepared to have this conversation. “Can we just drop it? Let’s pick a movie.”

“I will literally never be able to drop this if you’re not joking. And for the record, I could absolutely be the dating type if it was with the right person, and I’d say you’re the right person. Unless you’re joking, in which case I am also completely joking. I am 100% teasing and kidding around...unless you’re into it.”

The way he sort of babbled nervously brought you comfort. You took a step closer to him and spoke softly. “You know you don’t have to say everything that’s on your mind, right?”

“Please tell me you’re not messing with me.”

“I’m not. I’m just scared.”

You felt him take your hand as he said, “I happen to be very good in the fear department.”

You laughed. “It’s not that kind of scared.”

“I know. But you don’t have to be scared. Not with me.”

Before you could say anything else, he stood up perfectly straight and stared straight ahead.

“Beej?”

He didn’t answer.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

His eyes returned to yours. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

“What?” You gripped onto his arm. “What just happened?”

“I have to go do something for a few days. You should hang out with your friends or family or something. I’ll see you in a few days, okay?”

“Beetlejuice.” As soon as you said his name, you saw it jolt his body and grab his attention. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I’m not allowed to say.”

That didn’t sound like him at all. “Since when do you care about rules?”

“Don’t stay in the house. Don’t wait for me. Go hang out with people. I’ll see you...later.” With that, he leaned down to kiss your temple, and then he vanished.

You had absolutely no idea what had just happened. You hoped you were wrong, but your fear was that it had to do with admitting your feelings to each other. You tried to focus on that and be excited that he felt the same way about you, but you couldn’t focus at all.

The week went on with no sign of Beetlejuice. You talked to Adam and Barbara, and they were supportive. They even told you they knew he liked you back and that he could never shut up about you, but they knew it wasn’t their information to give. They had no idea what had happened, though, and they couldn’t think of any explanation.

You spent time with the people closest to you. It was nice to catch up with them and spend the time you didn’t normally get to spend. You hadn’t realized how much time you spent hanging out with dead people.

You wanted to know what was going on with Beetlejuice, and nothing really stopped you from wondering or worrying, but it really was nice to spend some time with the living people you loved.

You thought about trying to summon Beetlejuice, but Barbara thought it would be best to give him the time he needed and come back on his own.

At the end of the week, you woke up, but you didn’t remember going to sleep. As you looked around, you realized you were in the attic of your house. With one more glance around, the Maitlands appeared before you.

“Y/N!” they called and rushed to your side. They threw their arms around you, then helped you to your feet.

“Barbara? Adam? What’s going on?”

Barbara took your hand gently. “Y/N… You’re dead. I’m so sorry.”

——

Part 2

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