Hmm. I’ll have to re-view it and check on him.
Well, didn’t the Juice say he attended Harvard and Juilliard? And he couldn’t have done that in the 12th century since they didn’t yet exist…of course, he could have been lying. Or he could have been resurrected multiple times, and therefore have gone after his death.
Haven’t researched this but IRC Michael Keaton said in an interview (Rolling Stone’s “Bat to the bone”?") that the character was originally written as a pseudo-mythic Arabian character, all dark robes and threat. Keaton wasn’t happy with the overtones or limitations and started jamming with the possibilities. He ran with it and came up a more neutral, comedic character who was horrifying for his total lack of filters. (I think I’m quoting, or maybe misquoting, him here. It’s been quite a while since I read it but the intent is as close as my memory provides.)
Anyway, he sold Tim Burton on the idea and provided the manic dark comedy that carried the movie. Which I love, btw. It’s one of the few that I actually purchased and re-watch.
Veb
I always thought that some form of cancer or emphysema or other smoking related disease took her out. I interpreted her lacterated throat as the after effect of a tracheostomy, perhaps necessesitated by cancer in/around the layrnx.
As for the flat guy, I do think he had tread marks on him.
Tor
who’s now tempted to go listen to “Shake, Senora”
I’m not sure, but I don’t think she ever did say the name. She even cut them off when they were trying to say it. (“Don’t even say his name, you don’t want his help…”)
Any, as long as we are having a Beetlejuice discussion, there’s one thing that bugs me about this movie: not that I go out of my way to look for logical flaws in this type of movie, but in the beginning the Maitlands first attempt to scare them off involving pulling their faces off, hanging themselves, etc. but this did nothing because they couldn’t be seen, as Juno explained. Later, they decide to scare them buy twisting their faces into weird shapes, which Juno approved of. What am I missing?
Okay, after reading this entire thread, I went and watched it again last night. (It is, incidentally, one of my favourite movies, too.)
Juno didn’t say BJ’s name, and she did cut them off when they were saying it. It is not clear how they figured out how to say the name; at one point they decided they were desperate for his help and Mrs Maitland (Barbara?) just blurted it out (with correct pronunciation) 3 times.
I also believe Juno committed suicide by cutting her throat. The slit across her throat does not look like anything that would be done by a surgical procedure.
I don’t know why they did that either; I noticed the same thing. Also, I missed how, near the end of the movie, the Maitlands went from crumbling piles of bones (after being brought back to life) to suddenly being youthful again.
I think that’s because by that point, the Deitzes could see them, since they all believed. I think…unless of course, they decide to to the weird-face thing before that, in which case, you’re right, it makes no sense.
As for how they go from crumbling bones to youthful again, maybe it’s Lydia’s calling of BJ that does it…that’s what I assumed.
Could BJ possibly be some sort of minor demon? Maybe one that was demoted and sent to purgatory for his attitude problem? It’s not clear why he has so much power while the other dead don’t seem to have that much.
Or, I could be full of hot air…
Well, we know that Betelguese helped them because that’s why Lydia called him. “Help them, please.” How he helped them, I’m not sure. He did some magic tricks, shooed people away, and then the Maitlands got better.
I have yet another question. It’s been known that one of the mistakes in the movie is that Adam and Barbara cannot see their reflections, yet you can clearly see their reflection in a window. I could never figure out which scene that was in–where you could see their reflection in the window. Where is it!!!
Yeah, I was following it just fine up until that point (i.e. when Lydia called him)… But I never saw him do anything to make them become youthful ghosts again. I guess just calling him did that? Not that I’m really bothered about it. Still a good movie. 
[Corny, introspective]
Maybe BJ represents the latent, mischevious and somewhat malicious part of us all, who we keep chained up but all long to release, and it is in the calling of him thrice that we unleash the id…
[/Corny, introspective]
Er, okay. Back to normal.
I think even Tim Burton knew that corpses like Adam and Barbara would be too much for the audience to swallow. “Hey Lydia, want to study for your math exam with us…”
Here’s another question…Maybe it’s obvious, its just that I’ve seen BJ in segments many times but rarely sit down and just watch it. Why exactly did Betelgeuse want to marry Lydia? I know he was sort of obsessed with her but marriage seemed odd. That whole wedding scene was surreal, in a good way. 
Hey. This thread just got 51 replies. And i want a reply to that last post…
:bump: