Beetlejuice 2: Who Dies in the Sequel?

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice returns viewers to the vision of the afterlife that director Tim Burton created in his 1988 cult classic, so it should be obvious that death would be a factor in the sequel. However, the original Beetlejuice drew a clear line between the living, the dead, and the truly dead. Beetlejuice 2 blurs those lines in a big way, as certain characters hop between living, dying, and back again. 

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW!

Who Dies In Beetlejuice 2? 

Charles Deetz

As many Beetlejuice fans surmised early on, the plot of Beetlejuice 2 is kicked into gear by the death of Charles Deetz (Jeffrey Jones). Charles was said to be going on a bird-watching trip, only to have his plane crash into the ocean. Charles miraculously survived the crash, but tragically had a shark bite off his entire top half while trying to climb into a lifeboat. 

Charles Deetz’s bottom half gets its own arc in the film, as it wanders around the afterlife in confusion about being dead. Eventually, Delia Deetz finds Charles’ mangled corpse in the dead realm, and the couple reconnect.

Delia Deetz

Delia Deetz is so distraught over the death of her husband Charles that she goes to Delia-style extremes to honor his life and mourn his death. Delia tries to follow in the footsteps of Egyptian royalty by taking snake bites from a couple of Eygptian Asps, in the symbolism of following her lover into the afterlife. Delia is told by her shady exotic animal dealer that the Asps have been de-fanged and are not poisonous – but that dealer is indeed shady, and the snakes end up giving Delia fatal bites that send her to the afterlife. 

After wandering around the afterlife, Delia makes a deal with Betleguese to help save her family; in the aftermath, Delia reconnects with her dead husband Charles, and the couple board the “Soul Train” traveling to the film’s version of heaven. 

Delores

Beetlejuice’s ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci) starts out dead and in pieces, but pulls herself together (literally) to become the major threat of the sequel. Delores was a soul-sucking witch in life, and in death, she retains the ability to suck souls, bringing “true death” to any ghost who is unfortunate enough to cross her. The climax of the movie forces a final confrontation between Delores, Betelguese, and the Deetz ladies, which ends in Delores being eaten by a Sandworm during Betelguese’s attempt to wed Lydia. 

Rory

Justin Theroux’s Rory is the producer on Lydia Deetz’s hit reality show about the paranormal – and is also her over-eager beau. Rory’s arc in the film involves trying to lock down Lydia in marriage (eventually racing Betelgeuse to the alter), for all the wrong reasons. It’s revealed that Rory’s nice-guy act is just that (an act); he’s really scheming on Lydia’s money and looking to get Astrid out of his way. During the climax, both Beetlejuice and Lydia have to take accountability for their respective romantic failings, and Rory is consumed by the same Sandworm that eats Delores. 

The Janitor

Danny DeVito has a cameo appearance in Beetlejuice 2 as a surly janitor in the dead realm. Unfortunately, he’s also the first one to run into Delores and get his soul sucked out. 

Jeremy

Arthur Conti’s role in Beetlejuice 2 was kept under strict wraps, but he plays “Jeremy,” a young boy living in Winter River. One big twist in the sequel is the reveal that Jeremy is a ghost – the first ghost Astrid Deetz has ever been able to see. Jeremy isn’t just any ghost: he’s a psychotic boy who murdered his parents and died fleeing the police. Jeremy plans to trade Astrid’s life for his own resurrection, and he uses the Handbook for the Recently Deceased to trick her into casting the spell. 

Jeremy takes  Astrid into the dead realm, where he’s pursued by Lydia and Delia. During the climax, Betelgeuse performs his function by exorcising Jeremy straight to Hell. 

Bob

Bob is Betelguesse’s right-hand man in his expanded bio-exorcist business. Bob is a major fan-favorite breakout of the sequel – and audiences arguably get hit with the biggest blow when Delores storms Betelguese’s office and sucks Bob’s soul out. The shrunken-headed administrator is commemorated with a special R.I.P. in the credits.