Every Form Michael Keaton's Betelgeuse Takes In Beetlejuice Movies

The following contains spoilers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, now playing in theaters

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice features several transformations for Betelgeuse, highlighting how easily the character is able to shift into new physical forms. Introduced in Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton’s Betelgeuse has a number of absurd abilities that he uses to mock, trick, and outright kill people who get in his way. As an undead entity who has mastered the art of “bio-exorcism,” Betelgeuse is one of the most powerful beings introduced in the series Even compared to other characters from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Betelgeuse has a litany of powers that help him stand out.

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This includes one of his most useful traits, the ability to transform his body into new shapes and forms at will. Repeatedly in both Beetlejuice and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Betelgeuse shifts shape. This can range from other humanoid forms to monstrous new bodies, making him a surprisingly adaptable threat. Some of these transformations make a return appearance in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as easter eggs, while new ones further expand his powers. Here are all of Betelgeuse’s biggest transformations in both films.

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7 Betelgeuse (The Human)

Betelgeuse’s Original Mortal Form Appears In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice reveals the human form of Betelgeuse that existed centuries before the present day, introducing a completely new form of the character. One of the narrative threads of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is focused on Betelgeuse’s connection to Delores, his ex-wife who is finally able to restore herself after centuries of being separate pieces. This leads to Betelgeuse recounting his backstory for his shrunken-headed employees, revealing who the Beetlejuice character was as a human and how he died. During the height of the black plague in the 14th century, Betelgeuse was a greedy Italian grave robber struggling to survive.

This version of Betelgeuse is functionally similar to his later incarnations, albeit without his powers. Even back then, Betelgeuse possessed a lecherous dark side, if his wedding night and subsequent dismemberment of Delores is anything to go by. Ultimately, Betelgeuse’s human form is a familiar one to audiences, with Michael Keaton playing the character as a human with a touch of his classic darkness albeit with mortal desires. Although the human Betelgeuse lacks the vast powers he’d eventually master in the afterlife, it proves he’s always been a selfish and self-centered person who can’t think outside of his immediate desires.

6 Betelgeuse (The Bio-Exorcist)

Betelgeuse’s Undead Powers Make Him Absurdly Powerful

After reaching the afterlife, Betelgeuse gained a new permanent form when he became an undead entity. This is the character’s primary form and is directly recreated in other mediums like animation, video games, and theater. 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. The latter power is how Betelgeuse assumes so many other forms, coming across as a monstrous version of a Bugs Bunny character.

He can change appearance and voice at command, replicating Lydia’s as part of his plan to force her to marry him. Betelgeuse appears to be functionally immortal in this form, seemingly brushing off plenty of damage across the two films before returning to this state. While other spirits are shown throughout both movies, none of them have the casual reality-altering abilities of Betelgeuse. This suggests something happened to him that unlocked the true scope of these powers, although the exact origins of his powers aren’t revealed in either Beetlejuice or Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. It’s possible his job afforded him those powers.

5 Betelgeuse (Big Top Form)

The Circus Form Is Surprisingly Lethal

One of Betelgeuse’s more memorable transformations, the Big Top Form is a surprisingly effective one in the original Beetlejuice. After being called upon by Lydia in a desperate bid to save the Maitlands from an exorcism, Betelgeuse arrives on the scene and distracts the Deetz dinner party with his circus form. Wearing a merry-go-round hat and transforming his arms into inflatable devices, Betelgeuse is able to return to the mortal world and serve as a distraction. However, the real trick of the form quickly proves to be how lethal it is, as the clown form ultimately kills Maxie and Sarah.

While distracting them, Betelgeuse sets up a high striker game behind them. Turning his arms into comically big mallets, Betelgeuse dispatches the pair by hitting the platforms underneath them and sending them through the building. The Big Top Form is one of Betelgeuse’s more iconic transformations, with a visual panache that feels aligned with other films connected to Tim Burton that involve darkly comic imagery like The Nightmare Before Christmas or Batman Returns. It speaks to a traditional Burton visual style, one that rarely feels as naturally ingrained into the world and story of the film as in Beetlejuice movies.

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4 Betelgeuse (Snake Form)

A Fun Bit Of Special Effects In Beetlejuice Is One Of The Character’s Most Iconic Forms

The other form that Betelgeuse uses in Beetlejuice after being unleashed into the mortal world is a more fundamentally frightening one. After being unleashed against the Deetz family, Betelgeuse takes the form of a massive snake. Although the serpent retains a clear physical resemblance to Betelgeuse, the creature is far more unnerving being than the Big Top Betelgeuse or his natural undead state. The snake Betelgeuse also proves to be more dangerous, actively attacking Charles and Deelia during an attempt to scare them off. It’s this moment that truly highlights how genuinely dangerous Betelgeuse is compared to other undead spirits.

While his mean-spirited and perverted gags made him a darkly comical character, his snake form highlights that Betelgeuse is a genuinely dangerous ghost who seems to gain a body count by the end of the movie. The snake form is also notably an early example of Tim Burton’s use of stop-motion. Long before Burton executive produced The Nightmare Before Christmas and helmed Corpse Bride, the Betelgeuse snake highlighted the director’s skill at bringing distinct versions of that classic animation art form into the mainstream. The snake form may quietly be the most Tim Burton-influenced version who appears in Beetlejuice.

3 Betelgeuse (The Therapist)

Betelgeuse’s “Therapy Sessions” Only Make Him Crueler To Lydia

In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Betelgeuse gets a fresh chance to chase after Lydia Deetz decades after they first encountered one another. One of his most consistent turns in the new film is as a therapist who is committed to “helping” Lydia and her relationship with Rory. The therapist form is more than just a comical costume change for the character though, and highlights one of the film’s more important elements of Lydia’s arc and development in the new film. Over three decades since the events of the first film, it’s clear that Lydia is still haunted by her experiences with Betelgeuse.

Lydia is shown early in the film to be contending with the trauma through the use of prescription drugs, but Rory is actively sabotaging those attempts. Betelgeuse taking the form of a therapist takes on additional meaning as a result. This allows the character to offer his typically demented form of comedy, but with a personal touch that feels harsher in light of their previous relationship and his lingering feelings for Lydia. Betegeuse the therapist is a goofy turn in the film, but one that fits into the overarching plot and allows him to keep the drama personal for Lydia.

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2 Betelgeuse (The Baby)

The Spawn Of Betelgeuse Could Be The Future Of The Franchise

One of the wilder comic creations of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the baby version of Betelgeuse that appears in the film. During one of her “therapy sessions” with Betelgeuse and Rory, Betelgeuse causes Lydia to suddenly become pregnant with a demonic spawn that greatly resembles him. Although the little baby Betelgeuse is seemingly a separate entity, it appears to be a manifestation of Betelgeuse’s abilities. The creature is a manic little monster resembling Betelgeuse that easily climbs walls and attacks people. The baby Betelgeuse also reappears at the end of the film in the form of a final nightmare for Lydia.

While dreaming a scenario where she and her daughter Astrid gets happily married, Lydia is caught by surprise when the birth of her grandchild turns out to be the return of the baby Betelgeuse. 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. The baby Betelgeuse also suggests how the series could formally establish a spawn of the bio-exorcist, teasing a way to move the series forward with a new version of Betelgeuse not necessarily played by Michael Keaton.

1 Betelgeuse (The Haunting)

Lydia’s Visions Might Be More Real Than She Thinks

One of the better uses of Betelgeuse’s frightening potential in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice comes in the form of a traumatic haunting that blurs the line between reality and imagination. Early in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, it’s revealed that Lydia will see Betelgeuse from time to time. The film makes it clear that some of these hauntings are just hallucinations, but others (especially her dreams in the final moments) seem to be caused directly by Betelgeuse. It’s potentially a form of lingering psychological torture against Lydia that underscores the ambiguous ending of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. This is quietly one of the film’s more nefarious turns.

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It’s a reminder of how frightening the comically over-the-top Betelgeuse is. There’s a legitimate question to ask about which visions are just hallucinations caused by trauma, and which ones are actually the reality-warping undead entity himself. It’s unclear from the film’s final moments if there’s an easy way to tell the difference, as even Betelgeuse’s apparent destruction in the finale may only be a temporary victory. Even if it’s not, the filnal moments of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice suggest that the villain will live on in Lydia’s mind as trauma even if he’s no longer actively haunting her dreams and real life.

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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.

Director Tim Burton Release Date September 6, 2024 Writers Alfred Gough , Miles Millar , Mike Vukadinovich , Seth Grahame-Smith , Michael McDowell , Larry Wilson Cast Michael Keaton , Jenna Ortega , Winona Ryder , Monica Bellucci , Willem Dafoe , Justin Theroux , Catherine O’Hara

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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.

Director Tim Burton Release Date March 30, 1988 Writers Michael McDowell , Larry Wilson , Warren Skaaren Cast Catherine O’Hara , Michael Keaton , Geena Davis , Alec Baldwin , Winona Ryder , Jeffrey Jones

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