Everybody’s just summoning Beetlejuice willy-nilly in the latest sequel trailer

Jenna Ortega takes centerstage in the latest trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, premiering in theaters September 6

Everybody’s just summoning Beetlejuice willy-nilly in the latest sequel trailer

Used to be people would try to avoid saying Betelgeuse’s name, on account of all the catastrophic consequences. But in the latest trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which debuts in theaters September 6, everybody’s going around summoning him left and right. That may lead to chaos for Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and her family, but it’s a lot of fun for the fans who have waited more than 30 years to see Michael Keaton back in action as the depraved bio-exorcist.

The new trailer focuses on Astrid Deetz, a new character portrayed by Jenna Ortega. Playing comfortably within type, Oretga plays a teen girl at boarding school ostracized by other kids. Except where Wednesday Addams embraces her strangeness, Astrid is haunted by her mom’s weirdness. Lydia is now the host of a TV show called Ghost House With Lydia Deetz, a fact that seems to cause her daughter no end of embarrassment. Astrid doesn’t even believe in the supernatural, but in the immortal words of another franchise, “You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Deetz… you’re in one!”

Astrid finds that out way too late, and it’s up to Lydia to save her—which means, yes, summoning Betelgeuse. But relying on Betelgeuse for help comes at a cost—cue those catastrophic consequences. Plus, the ghost with the most has his own problems, which include apparently being haunted by a woman from his past (Monica Belluci). It all makes for a chaotic mix of familiar gags (Catherine O’Hara back with a new choreographed dance) and new frights (whatever’s going on with Willem Dafoe). Astrid sums it up pretty well when she says, “I swear, the afterlife is so random.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the movie that “reenergized” Tim Burton’s love of filmmaking, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival before hitting theaters this fall.

 
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