Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Charles Deetz’s death inBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceis one of the most memorable parts of the sequel, and Tim Burton’s true story about the death makes it even more perfect for the film.
After multiple decades of waiting,Beetlejuice Beetlejuicefinally brought back the cast of the 1988 original, with almost everyone returning for another afterlife adventure.
However, there was a notable exception when it comes toBeetlejuice Beetlejuice’s returning cast, with one of the most important characters from the original film being killed off offscreen thanks to a strange bit of inspiration from director Tim Burton.
After the release of the 1988 hitBeetlejuice, many fans of the Tim Burton classic began to clamor for a sequel, with rumors of one being in development for years.
The long-rumored sequel aboutBetelgeuse going to Hawaiiwas always tossed around, but by the time that a true sequel began finally taking shape, it took on a different form.
Tim Burton returned to direct 2024’sBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, and while the legacy sequel does bring back much of the story and iconography from the original film, Burton’s guiding hand added in a lot of new and interesting details, such as Charles' death.
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Charles Deetz’s Shark Death Is Inspired By A Real Nightmare Tim Burton Had
He Actually Dreamed About The Plane Crash
The inciting incident ofBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceis the death of Charles Deetz, the father of Lydia Deetz who was a major character in the original film.
Real life controversies led to Tim Burtonnot bringing Jeffrey Jones' originalBeetlejuicecharacter backfor the sequel, withBeetlejuice Beetlejuicekicking off with an animated reinacment of his death.
In the film, it is explained that Charles was in a plane crash while he was on a bird watching expedition.
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.
Although he survived the initial crash into the ocean, Charles was killed when a shark bit his head off.
The Beetlejuice franchise has some of the wackiest characters in Hollywood, but what makes them even better are their unique and stylish outfits.
This oddly specific manner of death is quite personal to director Tim Burton,as it actually stems from a nightmare he had.
According to screenwriter Alfred Gough in an interview withEW, Tim Burton pitched the death of Charles as a nightmare about how he had died.
The over-the-top death was apparently a hit for theBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceteam, as they decided to include it in the film as the way Charles died.
For the rest of the film, Charles can be seen headlessly wandering the afterlife, with this all being a result of Burton’s strange dream.
Charles Deetz’s Horrible Plane Ride Is Also Inspired By Tim Burton’s Real Experience
As Explained By The Animators
While the worst part ofCharles Deetz’s plane ride was obviously his death, things weren’t much better before the plane crashed into the ocean.
As can be seen in the film, the plane is populated with obnoxious passengers and chaos, with this being portrayed by the stop-motion segment.
In the special features forBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, it is explained that this is a true detail from Tim Burton’s life as well.
The animators of the scene explain thatit was inspired by a “flight from hell” that Tim Burton described to them, with them using the scene to make Charles Deetz’s death as miserable as possible.
Tim Burton Putting His Real Nightmares In Beetlejuice 2 Makes The Sequel More Personal
Even If It Is In A Silly Way
Tim Burton using his own nightmares as inspiration forBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceis brilliant, as it makes the sequel far more personal.
Throughout the development ofBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tim Burton reiterated time and time again that he wanted the film to be immensely personal to him, with him wanting to do something he enjoyed after working onDisney remakes likeAlice in WonderlandandDumbo.
In doing this, Tim Burton brought back frequent collaborators and staples that can be found throughout the director’s entire filmography, making it the most Burton-y Tim Burton movie in years.
With the same director, writers, and star, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was always bound to be similar to Wednesday but it has a few specific references.
Going so far as to implement his own dreams into the story ofBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceshows just how dedicated Tim Burton was to making the sequel a personal story.
Burton’s own fears and frustrations are explored inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice’s plane crash scene, making it far more than a mereBeetlejuicelegacy sequel.
WhileBeetlejuice Beetlejuicedoes have some moments of nostaliga and some fun Easter eggs, it truly is a personal story for Tim Burton, even if he expresses it in silly ways like with the death of Charles Deetz.
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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.
