Best Easter Eggs and References

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Beetlejuice, which is now showing in theaters.

It's been 36 years since foul-mouthed demon Michael Keaton first terrified audiences in Tim Burton's 1988 film “Beetlejuice.” But his legacy lives on. Especially now that the sequel to Beetlejuice is finally in theaters.

Keaton reprises his role as the Ghost alongside original stars Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara in the supernatural sequel. While other actors from the first film, such as Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, are absent, the 2024 film is full of subtle and obvious references to its predecessor.

See the best Easter eggs and references below.

“Day-O” by Harry Belafonte

One of the most famous scenes in the first part of Beetlejuice is the dinner party at which the Maitlands sing Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” to the Dietz family and their guests. Of course, the song returns in the second part—in a very different context. This time, a young choir sings a slow gospel version of the tune at Charles’ funeral. The second part gets a larger-than-life musical number near the end, with Beetlejuice and the Dietz women performing a lively rendition of Richard Harris’s “Macarthur Park” at Lydia’s wedding.

Delia's Sculptures

Delia Dietz now runs an art gallery in the heart of Manhattan: it’s hip, cool, and weird, filled with all sorts of experimental art. But she hasn’t forgotten her roots. Astrid’s boarding school now houses the Dietz Art Center, which houses a collection of the bizarre sculptures Delia designed from the first film (including the wild-claw-like statue that once held her up to the wall).

haunted house

When audiences first see Lydia Deetz as an adult, she's hosting her own paranormal investigation show called “Ghost House.” While the name is perfect for the series, it's also a cheeky nod to what could have been the title of the 1988 film, had Warner Bros. got its way. “'Ghost House' was actually almost the name of the first movie,” says screenwriter Al Joe. diverse“They didn't like Beetlejuice.” Tim had to really struggle to get it called Beetlejuice.

Men with shrunken heads

A broad-shouldered man with a small, shrunken head first appears in the Otherworld waiting room (and shrinks Beetlejuice's head) at the end of the first film. In the second, Bob leads an office full of small-headed men in yellow suits, each wearing a red name tag. These tags are actually references to the film's producers, from Brad (Pitt) to Al (Goff). “The editor did that in post-production,” Goff said. diverse“They told me about it at the premiere!” Those aren’t the only real names that appear in the film: Gouge and co-writer Miles Millar named Lydia and Rory’s couples therapist “Dr. Glickman,” after their old friend and Miramax CEO John Glickman (who also produced Burton’s series “Wednesday”).

Miss Shannon's School for Girls

Before Lydia climbs the stairs in her school uniform in “Beetlejuice,” she is seen leaving Miss Shannon's School for Girls. The venerable institution returns in the sequel, with Astrid riding her bike past its sign after Charles' funeral.

Opening shot

Both Beetlejuice and its sequel begin with a camera panning over the town of Winter River, Connecticut, as the opening titles roll on the screen. Of course, the original film actually features a miniature model of the town designed by the Maitland family, which reappears when Astrid discovers it in the Dietz family attic.

Newly Deceased Guide

Originally, Barbara and Adam Maitland used this guide to navigate life as ghosts, and it plays a similarly major role in the sequel. Astrid first discovers the literature in Jeremy's bedroom (not from a thrift store, as he claims). She is tricked into reading a spell from the book as she enters the afterlife, but later uses it to her advantage by using it to invalidate Beetlejuice's marriage contract with Lydia.

Lydia's wedding dress

Beetlejuice did not give up on his dream of marrying Lydia. After she signed a contract agreeing to marry him in exchange for his help in rescuing Astrid from the afterlife, Beetlejuice hijacked her wedding to Rory and dressed her in a red wedding dress very similar to the one she wore in the first film.

Charles' death

This last one isn’t an Easter egg, but more of an explanation. While Lydia’s father Charles died in the sequel, actor Jeffrey Jones is still alive—but there’s a good reason he didn’t return for this film. Jones was charged with soliciting a minor to take nude photos of him in 2003. He pleaded not guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation, counseling, and registration as a sex offender. He was arrested in 2004 and 2010 for failing to update his sex offender registration.

However, a personality Charles still appears in the 2024 film—first in an animated sequence depicting his death (surviving a plane crash, only to be eaten by a shark), and later in the afterlife (headless). Gog says he and Millar found Charles’ death a creative way they could incorporate the stop-motion animation Burton had used on several projects: “We thought, ‘Oh, this is a great way to put that in the movie and tell Charles’ backstory.’ The idea of ​​being hit by a shark was Tim’s worst fear of death. So he thought, ‘Well, the shark decapitates him, and we’re off to a race.’”