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Is ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ OK for Kids? What You Need to Know
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Is ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ OK for Kids? What You Need to Know

Everyone’s favorite bio-exorcist demon has risen from the grave in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

The long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 comedy-horror classic hits theaters Friday, September 6. The original cast includes Michael Keaton as the creepy Betelgeuse, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, and more. The sequel also features franchise newcomers Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Danny DeVito, and Willem Dafoe.

Given the original’s mix of inventive horror and lame comedy, audiences may be wondering: is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Suitable for viewing, for children or the faint of heart? Like its predecessor, the film is rated PG-13 — for “violent content, macabre and gory images, strong language, suggestive material, and brief drug use.” Read on to find out what you need to know before bringing kids under 13. (Warning: The following contains spoilers for the film.)

Jenna Ortega and Catherine O’Hara in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’.

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube


Playful body horror is everywhere

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice earns the “violent content” portion of its PG-13 rating with a range of violence from cartoonish to shocking. Some actions or images that would otherwise be quite alarming are instead comedic in Burton’s hands.

For example, early in the film, Charles Deetz (played by Jeffrey Jones in the original) dies in a shark attack. But the story of his death is told through a stop-motion animation sequence, rather than anything resembling reality. Objects such as guns or knives appear, but are used to hint at the idea of ​​violence rather than to depict it.

As in the original, much of the film’s “macabre and gory imagery” comes from Burton’s inventive depiction of the afterlife, a murky underworld of bureaucracy populated by dead people bearing signs of how they died. Characters are shown sliced ​​in half or with their entrails exposed, sickly colored or blue from suffocation or other ailments, with shrunken heads or simply skeletal.

Charles’ fate encapsulates the gruesome yet comic aesthetic: in the afterlife, his shoulders and head are bitten off by the shark. Viewers may find it grotesque to see blood spurting from his gigantic wound as he gargles words, but the effect elicits more laughter—and awe at the impressive effect—than chills.

Willem Dafoe in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’.

Thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures


Another early scene takes a clear tack towards body horror, and those with aichmophobia (fear of sharp objects) and especially staplophobia (fear of staplers) should avert their eyes or avoid it. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice absolutely. Bellucci plays Delores, Betelgeuse’s ex-wife who resurrects herself by stapling her severed body parts together. She also provides the film’s jump scares, including when she sucks out the souls of others.

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A demonic mini Beetlejuice baby is nightmare fuel

The most disturbing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice element for kids — and parents — may be how it takes on the trope of pregnancy in horror films. When Ryder’s character Lydia comes face to face with Keaton’s Betelgeuse again, he pulls off several gags and visual gags that may turn your stomach. (Those uncomfortable with mucus or bodily fluids will not enjoy this film.)

At one point, Betelgeuse points to Lydia’s stomach, which is rapidly expanding. His demon baby, born wet and explosive, begins crawling around, terrorizing and even biting characters. His doll face, reminiscent of Chucky, is all the more terrifying for its sudden arrival, both in this scene and in the film’s dream-like epilogue.

A film about death is a film about loss

It’s not surprising that a film that features both the living and the dead would grapple with the very real phenomenon of the former becoming the latter. Ortega’s character Astrid, Ryder’s daughter Lydia, is grieving the loss of both her father and grandfather. Often in conflict with her mother, Astrid’s storyline is a reminder that everyone’s grieving process is different, difficult, and complicated.

In reality, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice reinforces the idea introduced in the first film that characters can lose even dead ones. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis do not return as the ghostly Adam and Barbara Maitland because, as Lydia sadly explains, they found a loophole that allowed them to move on permanently.

There is a brief description of drug use

The film’s MPAA-designated “brief drug use” occurs in an early scene in which Lydia takes an unspecified pill to manage the stress of her job — and her ability to see ghosts. Theroux’s character Rory, her boyfriend and TV producer, goes from discouraging her from taking the drug to acquiescing and taking a pill herself.

Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’.

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube


The title character uses a lot of suggestive language

In 1988 Beetle juiceKeaton’s performance in the title role was brief but memorable, with quick-fire lechery and jokes. The sequel continues that trend, with the demonic character making jokes that some parents may find inappropriate for teens, especially children under 13.

The scene where Betelgeuse suggests that Lydia is pregnant with his baby, and perhaps even makes her so with his disturbing brand of magic, is indicative of his carnal desires. In word and deed, the character remains quite lustful, lusting after Lydia, Delia, and more. However, much of Keaton’s dialogue comes at such a rapid pace that his indecent implications may go unnoticed by younger viewers.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in theaters from September 6.