The 10 Best 'Beetlejuice' Easter Eggs You May Have Missed
As 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' makes its September 6 debut, it's worth dusting off Tim Burton's 1988 dark comedy classic to uncover some bits and references tucked inside the story involving The Ghost with the Most.
Trigger warning: References to suicide.
The best movies are the ones that deliver more with every viewing. Beetlejuice is a perfect example of this, as each character and each scene ages finely like win.
It's been over 35 years since director Tim Burton gave us everyone’s favorite Bio-Exorcist. And now, after many false starts and plenty of rumors, we are finally getting a sequel in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, opening in theaters on September 6. In preparation for Michael Keaton and the crew’s return, no doubt many will be rewatching the original 1988 classic. Burton hid a lot of details in his masterpiece; too many to catch in one viewing. Before you dive back into the Burton-verse, let us put you on some of the Easter eggs you may have initially missed in Warner Bros. Beetlejuice.
1.Suicide Victims Are Civil Servants In The Afterlife
In what seemed like a throwaway line, Otto the psychic interior decorator remarks that people who commit suicide become civil servants in the afterlife. When the Maitlands arrive at the Netherworld Waiting Room, this theory is shown to be true as they are greeted by the receptionist who had an unfortunate “accident” of her wrists being slit. We also meet Juno, who has what appears to be a slit throat which blows out smoke whenever she takes a drag of her cigarette. It’s never directly addressed, but it’s entirely probable Juno cut her own throat.
2.The Dead Audience Watching Us Watch The Movie
In a very meta creative choice, Tim Burton includes an often-unnoticed joke of a dead audience watching the viewers watch the movie! When the Maitland’s visit the Afterlife Casework Juno, just outside a window behind her you can see an audience of dead viewers' eyes transfixed on you. If you see Beetlejuice in a theater, it creates the illusion of the audience being watched by another audience. Not only that, Burton also threw in some minor Easter eggs in the dead audience, such as skeletons that would appear in Mars Attacks as well as two characters that strike a strong resemblance to the Blues Brothers. Ominous.
3.Jack Skellington's Skull Sits Atop Beetlejuice’s Hat
Years before The Nightmare Before Christmas was released, everyone’s favorite Pumpkin King makes a very quick cameo during Beetlejuice's grand finale when he is summoned to stop the makeshift exorcism by the Deetz family and Otto. When Beetlejuice rises from the floor, he is adorned with a merry-go-round hat topped off with the head of Jack Skellington himself.
4.The Dog That Causes The Car Accident Appears Before The Incident
Adam and Barbara Maitland meet their untimely demise in the beginning of the movie when they swerve to avoid a dog in the road, the couple crashing through a bridge into a river. In a very subtle example of clever foreshadowing, the dog actually appears earlier, running across the street when the Maitlands head into town to pick up some supplies. It’s an easy-to-miss detail, but when you see it, it’s a bit eerie to know that this small pup will cause the demise of the main characters later on.
5.Beetlejuice’s Overall Screen Time
Despite the movie being named after him, Beetlejuice isn’t in the movie nearly as much as you would think. Burton went the “less is more” route with the Ghost with the Most, only having him appear for a combined 17 minutes on the screen. This works out for the best because Keaton does such an incredible job in the role that whenever he’s off-screen, the audience can’t wait until he returns. After all, what would Jaws be like if the shark was seen throughout the majority of the movie?
6.Flight 409
In one of the more morose and dark jokes in the movie, over the intercom in the Netherworld Waiting Room, we hear an announcement of some new arrivals—specifically Flight 409. What most probably don’t know upon initial viewing is Flight 409 is a reference to United Flight 409, which unfortunately crashed in Wyoming in 1955. At the time, it was one of the worst commercial airline disasters ever, and serves as a Definite departure from the fun aspects of the afterlife the film portrays.
7.The Bridge On Adam’s Model Has A Hole
Another fun little detail Burton includes is hidden in Adam Maitland’s miniature model of the town Winter River. After the car crash, when the Maitland’s spirits return to their house, the model recreation of the bridge where they crashed now features a hole where the car flew through. The addition of this detail doesn’t add or take away from the plot of the film, but it’s always a welcome filmmaking technique to illustrate things that audiences only notice upon repeated viewings.
8.'Married In Red'
When the Deetz family and Otto unwittingly start an exorcism against the Maitlands, Lydia asks Beetlejuice for help. He accepts, but only on one condition: that they get married. After coming through in the nick of time, Beetlejuice immediately starts a grave ceremony of a wedding. Using his magic, he transforms Lydia’s clothes into a red wedding dress. While all of this is obvious if you're just watching the movie, what you may not know, though, is that there is some symbolism to this choice of wedding garb. There’s an old wedding superstition that says, “Married in red, you’ll wish yourself dead.” Needless to say, Lydia probably didn’t feel amazing about potentially marrying a dead guy.
9.'No Exit' Sign
Bringing us back to the Netherworld Waiting Room, there is one more detail that viewers wont initially catch. In the waiting room itself, there’s a sign at the revolving door that says, "No Exit." At first glance, it's nothing worth noting, but there’s a deeper meaning behind this detail. There’s an existential play by the name of "No Exit" by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. The play is about three dead individuals being punished by being locked in a room together for eternity.
10.'I Brake For Animals' Bumper Sticker
One last fun joke you may have missed also takes place when the Maitland’s crash into the river. When we see the car sinking, there's a bumper sticker on the back that reads, “I Brake For Animals.” Needless to say, Adam and Barbara stay true to their car decoration as the act of avoiding a dog in the road is what leads to their deaths. Tim Burton is famous for his morose humor, and this is just another example of this.