Repeatedly in bothBeetlejuiceandBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, Betelgeuse shifts shape.
This can range from other humanoid forms to monstrous new bodies, making him a surprisingly adaptable threat.
Here are all of Betelgeuse’s biggest transformations in both films.
This version of Betelgeuse is functionally similar to his later incarnations,albeit without his powers.
In this form, Betelgeuse is a relatively human-looking form, albeit in a grimy decaying state.
However, the character also developed a host of powers that he uses through his work as a bio-exorcist.
This ranges from teleportation and reality-warping to duplication and transformation.
While other spirits are shown throughout both movies, none of them have the casual reality-altering abilities of Betelgeuse.
It’s possible his job afforded him those powers.
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.
While distracting them, Betelgeuse sets up a high striker game behind them.
After being unleashed against the Deetz family, Betelgeuse takes the form of a massive snake.
It’s this moment that trulyhighlights how genuinely dangerous Betelgeuse is compared to other undead spirits.
The snake form is also notably an early example of Tim Burton’s use of stop-motion.
Betelgeuse taking the form of a therapist takes on additional meaning as a result.
The creature is amanic little monster resembling Betelgeusethat easily climbs walls and attacks people.
The little creature quickly kills the doctors before vanishing when Lydia wakes up.
The baby Betelgeuse is an effective scare and an unsettling addition to Betelgeuse’s repertoire of tactics and tricks.
Early inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, it’s revealed thatLydia will see Betelgeuse from time to time.
It’s potentially a form of lingering psychological torture against Lydia that underscores the ambiguous ending ofBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.
This is quietly one of the film’s more nefarious turns.
It’s a reminder of how frightening the comically over-the-top Betelgeuse is.
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.
