Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice can’t beat the original, original

As a long-lived immigrant to Canada, I still remain decidedly bemused by the number of adults (and, of course, though more reasonably, children) who enthusiastically embrace Halloween.

I suppose that in large part, the state religious background in England had resulted in the abandoning of All Saints Day as a significant event in the Church calendar; thus, too, the tradition of trying to frighten the devil by assuming various disguises had also been abandoned. I vividly remember a young neighbour being sent to her from America, a book filled with pictures of jack-o-lanterns. It puzzled us all. 

Coming to Canada one October, I found myself even more puzzled as I watched society, old and young, surrendering itself to stories of ghosts and witches and many dressing in a variety of costumes. 

Of course, for the most part, it’s a harmless and amusing diversion, though, for most people, completely divorced from any religious feast.

Indeed, when I was young, we celebrated Nov. 5 as a memory of an attempt (by a misguided Catholic) to blow up the king and parliament – though during the war the “guy” that we burned (contrary to blackout restrictions!) was an effigy of Hitler. Now I gather that the celebration of Halloween (on a secular level) has spread even to nominally Protestant England. So, there as here, all its traditions manifest themselves as candy sales soar and cinemas and television parade out a startling array of horror films.

Now let me say at once that I am no fan of horror films. They are either corny, bordering on the stupid, or effective, being downright nightmare-inducing. I still am haunted by the memory of Silence of the Lambs, though many of my friends remember it with great fondness! Generally speaking, I am an earnest coward when it comes to watching horror films, particularly “slasher films,” but I recognize that their ongoing popularity at this time of year is as inevitable as November rain.

That being the case, even I have surrendered to the tradition to the extent that I readily admit to enjoying the movie Beetlejuice.

Since its 1988 release, Tim Burton’s wildly outrageous comedy-horror movie has become a classic, made especially memorable by Michael Keaton’s superb performance in the title role, as well as fine support from the rest of the cast.

It is a film in which inventive comedy far outweighs the horror. The clever twist by which a young couple, killed in a car crash and becoming ghosts, attempt, with the aid of a confusing guidebook for the recently dead, to haunt people out of the house they had owned before death, leads to a series of hilarious comedic inventions. Most memorable among them is the idea of Beetlejuice being a bio-exorcist, expert at getting rid of the living, as well as an attempt at haunting the living people in the house by causing them to engage in a hilarious singing of Day-O – which they enjoy so much that it backfires.

So it was that I looked forward to the long-promised sequel to the original film: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Unfortunately, the sequel Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice reflects the tradition that sequels rarely live up to the promise of the original. In fact, the best parts are largely reprises of parts of the original. The family occupying the house is a reflection of the original, especially as they are played by the original talented cast. Wynona Rider, originally a rebellious daughter subscribing to Goth culture, is still a Goth – though now she is in conflict with her own more traditional daughter. The title character is still expected to get the same laughs as in the original.

Of course, there are some changes to Beetlejuice, but they generally lack the comic invention of the original, while attempts to cash in on its peak moments fall flat; for example, there is nothing particularly comical about a boys choir singing “Day-o” at a funeral. 

In short, moviegoers looking forward to boosting their horror experience in anticipation of Halloween, are probably likely to get more satisfaction from re-visiting the original Beetlejuice. On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether the stage musical version of the vehicle is a success or not. We can find out soon as it will be coming to Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre in the spring.

Meanwhile, it would be nice if people further honoured Halloween by attending church on All Saints Day or All Souls Day. But in our secular world, sadly, that is perhaps hoping for too much. As with too many great Christian feasts, the peripheral has survived, while the meaningful is too often forgotten.

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