Embedded Files
Movie Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
by Clara Dicks
Never say his name three times in a row. After 35 years of waiting, fans finally got what they wanted. A sequel to the iconic Tim Burton directed, Michael Keaton starring, 1988 classic film Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice released on September 6th of this year and will be releasing on streaming probably in November (exact date is not announced yet). Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is once again directed by Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Sweeny Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Batman, and Sleepy Hollow, among others) and once again stars Michael Keaton as the titular ghost. And he nails this performance. Zanny and unpredictable with perfect comidic timing, as always. They give Beetlejuice a backstory in this movie and I was worried about that for a second, until I realized it was absolutely perfect for his character. Winona Ryder reprises her role, too, and Lydia is such a great protagonist. She’s very protective of her daughter but still hasn’t changed who she is as a person. She’s still her "goth self". Catherine O’Hara reprises her role as Deliah Deetz, Lydia’s stepmother who’s an artist of… well, I’m not actually sure what she’s an artist of. She also hasn’t changed a bit in this movie. The cast also has a bunch of new characters. William Dafoe’s character, detective Wolf Jackson, is very fun to see. He reminds me of the action heroes from the 1970s and 80s. Monica Bellui’s character, Beetlejuice’s ex-wife Delores, reminds me of Mortica Addams. She even looks so much like her. And my favorite character by far is Astrid, Lydia’s daughter, played perfectly by Jenna Ortega. She doesn’t really believe in ghosts like her mom and misses her dad, who disappeared in the Amazon. But when she starts seeing ghosts too, well, that’s when the plot kicks in.
It’s a very clever movie and very well written. The jokes are very reminiscent of the original movie and the musical. Tim Burton has a bigger budget here and while he keeps the campy feel of the original movie, he’s clearly enjoying having a bigger budget. You learn more about how the afterlife in this movie works and it’s very interesting. A lot like how I pictured it to be quite honest. It leans a little more into the horror in the original movie, which I found very fun. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who’s a fan of the original movie or the musical.
Creative Short Story: "Demon"
by Clara Dicks
Sidney always knew better than to ask her best friend Damien about what he did on the weekends. She knew he didn’t like to talk about it. What she never knew, though, even though they had been best friends for six years, was what Damien did on the weekends. At least until that day, when she was in the wrong place at the very wrong time.
******
“Hey Damien!” Sidney called upon seeing her best friend at the movie theater. Damien started. Clearly, he hadn’t expected her to be there. He turned around to face his friend.
“Sidney! What are you doing here?” Damien asked, eyes darting around the room. He had always been a bit odd looking, with golden eyes that looked almost red when he got mad and the blackest hair Sidney had ever seen.
“I’m seeing Constantine. I loved it at home and since it’s showing in theaters for an anniversary, thought it would be fun to see. What about you?” Sidney asked.
Damien sighed. “Yeah, me too. Ironic, huh?” He joked.
“Yeah. Come on, Thorn. Let’s go get some candy. Is that okay, Mom?” Sidney asked. Her mom nodded absentmindedly.
“Alright Prescott.” Thorn and Prescott were nicknames Damien and Sidney had come up with when they were younger, due to the fact that they shared names with iconic horror movies characters.
“Look, Sid. I like you. I really really like you. You’re my best, and frankly only, friend," Damien said. “But you can’t be here. It’s not safe.”
“Not safe? Damien, what’s going on with you?” Sidney asked.
“I can’t tell you.” Damien said sadly.
“Why?” Sidney asked.
“DAMIEN!” Came a howling voice from behind them. Sidney and Damien whirled around and Damien’s eyes seemed to flash red.
“Rennoth," he whispered in shock as Sidney’s eyes widened at the sight of the man walking toward them, his arms spread wide. Curling horns potruded from blood red hair and his eyes glowed bright red.
“Who… what is that?" Sidney asked.
Damien looked at his friend, eyes glowing red. “Run Prescott,” he said.
“I’m not leaving you, Thorn,” Sidney replied, grabbing her friend's hand.
“Aw...Damien,” Rennoth cooed mockingly. “Did you make a human friend?” He whipped out a sword and rushed at Damien. Damien dodged him and pulled a small dagger out of his pocket and handed it to Sidney before thrusting his hand out in front of him. A bolt of red lightning erupted from his palm and crashed into Rennoth, knocking him off his feet and crashing into a board advertising Thanksgiving, which went crashing down. Damien grabbed Sidney’s hand and pulled her into a theater.
“What’s going on, Damien?” Sidney asked. “Why wasn’t anyone helping us?”
“Rennoth must’ve put a glamour up around us. No one can see us as long as it’s up," Damien explained.
“Damien, what the heck is happening?” Sidney asked.
“Man, I was hoping you wouldn’t find out this way.” Damien paused. “Frankly, I was hoping you wouldn’t find out at all.”
“Find out what? Damien, please tell me. I’m your best friend. No matter what it is, that’ll never change. I promise," Sidney said, taking Damien’s hand. He took a long breath and looked Sidney in the face, eyes softly glowing in the dark.
“I’m not exactly human," Damien admitted. Sidney squeezed his hands.
“Then what are you, Thorn?” Sidney asked quietly.
Damien took a deep breath. “I’m… I’m a demon,” Damien admitted. “I was born to get kids my age to do horrible things. But… but I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t. Rennoth has been hunting me for 5,000 years because of it.” Damien began to cry.
Sidney leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. “Damien, you are my best friend. Demon or not. It doesn’t matter what you’re born to be, it matters what you choose to become.” Sidney consoled her friend.
Damien wiped his eyes, which had gone back to being their natural golden color. “Really?” He asked shakily.
“Yeah.” Sidney replied. “Now, let’s go kick some demon butt.”
******
“Hey Rennoth!” Damien yelled, standing in the middle of the lobby. Sidney stood beside him, the dagger he’d given her clutched tightly in her hand.
“Damien Damien Damien, ” Rennoth leared, creeping toward Damien and Sidney.
“You ready, Prescott?” Damien whispered to his friend.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, Thorn,” Sidney replied.
Rennoth charged toward Damien and Sidney. Sidney dodged and ran toward the conncestion stand, leaping over the counter, knocking over a popcorn bin the process.
“What in the…” a customer said. Damien ran toward Rennoth and blasted him with a burst of flame. He was sent flying back onto the floor.
“Why you little…” Rennoth growled, pulling himself to his feet and stalking toward Damien.
Damien backed up against the wall. “I…I thought that would work," Damien stammered.
“Well you thought wro…” Rennoth was stopped midsentence. He looked down at his stomach. A dagger was jammed through him. Sidney had snuck up behind him while he was learning at Damien and driven the silver dagger into Rennoth.
“How?” Rennoth questioned before he started to turn to dust and fly off on the wind.
“Sidney!” Her mother cried, running toward her and embracing her. “Where have you been?”
“It’s complicated," Sidney replied. “Let’s go watch the movie.” Sidney’s mother nodded and started toward the theater. Sidney and Damien followed, hanging back a bit.
Sidney handed Damien the dagger. “No, no. Keep it,” he said. “I got other stuff.”
“But my mother," Sidney replied.
“There’s a glamor on it. She won’t notice," Damien added.
“Thanks, Thorn," Sidney said. “Now, let’s go watch a movie.”
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