WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Beetlejuice 2!The very end ofBeetlejuice Beetlejuicefeatures a clever reference to the 1976 classic Stephen King horror movieCarrie, which was a big giveaway to the twist of Lydia’s nightmare. Tim Burton’sBeetlejuice 2is filled with Easter eggsand references to the 1988 original movie, but it’s also stuffed with nods to classic horror films, the cast’s past roles, Burton’s history with studios like Netflix and Disney. Some of these references are played for nostalgia, love for the horror genre, or simply clever meta jokes, but others, likeBurton’s nod toCarrie, carry deeper clues to the plot’s twists.
Tim Burton’s subtle Stephen King reference arrives inBeetlejuice 2’s ending, with the 2024 movie’s twist mirroring the final surprise from the 1976 horror classic. Directed by Brian De Palma and based on Stephen King’s 1974 novel,Carriefollows the story of the titular outcast teen as she discovers she has supernatural powers, leading to a devastating catastrophe at her high school prom in the film’s climax. WhileBeetlejuice 2andCarriedon’t share many story similarities,Burton repurposes an iconic feature of the 1976 classic to give a clue to the true nature of Lydia Deetz’s nightmare.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Includes The Theme Music From Carrie
Carrie’s Theme Music Plays At The Very End Of Beetlejuice
After Lydia and Astrid expel Betelgeuse from the real world during his second failed wedding with Winona Ryder’s character,Beetlejuice 2’s ending jumps ahead in time to show that the mother and teenage daughter have reconciled. Lydia films the final episode of her paranormal talk showGhost Houseto spend more time with Astrid, taking her on the travels that the teen had originally planned withLydia’s deceased husband Richard. The sequel then cuts to Lydia and Astrid touring Dracula’s castle, with the camera focusing on Astrid as she appears smitten over Vlad, a boy there dressed as Dracula.
As Astrid’s smile lingers, the horror-comedy continues to jump forward in time to a scene of Astrid marrying Vlad, then to Astrid giving birth to their child, only for the baby to be revealed as thedemonic Betelgeuse babythat Lydia herself had birthed earlier in the movie. After seeing the baby, it’s revealed that Lydia had been dreaming the entire future sequence, and still has nightmares of Betelgeuse appearing to her.Beetlejuice 2’s soundtrackplays the recognizable theme music fromCarriethroughout that full ending sequence, providing a clever hint to the reveal that Lydia was just having a nightmare.
Using Carrie’s Theme Was A Major Clue To Beetlejuice 2’s Twist
Carrie & Beetlejuice 2 Both End With Nightmare Twists
Brian De Palma’sCarriehas one of the most iconic horror movie endings in history, with a bait-and-switch twist that concludes with Sue Snell going to Carrie’s grave and seeing her bloody corpse’s hand suddenly reach out from the ground to grab her. The 1976 movie then quicklycuts to Sue screaming as she wakes up from a nightmare, revealing the scene of Carrie’s hand grabbing her had just been a dream. WithCarrie’s theme music playing overBeetlejuice 2’s final moments, Burton was cueing to audiences that Astrid’s demonic Betelgeuse baby wasn’t real – it was simply a bad dream.
Carrie: Why Stephen King Thinks The Movie’s Ending Is Better Than His Book’s
Brian De Palma’s Carrie changed the ending from Stephen King’s novel – and the author liked it more. Here’s why and how they’re different.
Both Sue Snell and Lydia are traumatized by the terrors they had just witnessed, and their fears manifested into nightmares that felt vividly real.Carrie’s Sue was wracked with guilt for being the sole survivor of the prom massacre, which culminated in the deaths of numerous high school students after a bullied Carrie snapped and set the gym on fire. Since Sue survived, she fears that Carrie will come back from the dead to finish any unwanted business with her.
Like Sue with Carrie, Lydia still having visions of Betelgeuse in the movie’s final moments indicates that she fears that she’ll never truly be able to rid herself of him.
Meanwhile, after Betelgeuse haunted her for 36 years and never abandoned his mission to marry her,Lydia remains afraid that he’ll come back for her again in the future. Like Sue with Carrie, Lydia still having visions of Betelgeuse in the movie’s final moments indicates that she fears that she’ll never truly be able to rid herself of him. Additionally, Lydia’s nightmare of Astrid giving birth to the demonic Betelgeuse baby reveals that she is also terrified of how the “bio-exorcist” will continue to impact and haunt her daughter in unexpected ways. Clearly, Betelgeuse isn’t finished with Lydia andBeetlejuice’s Deetz family.
How Much Of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Ending Was A Dream?
Astrid’s Marriage & Betelgeuse Baby Were Part Of Lydia’s Nightmare
It seems there are about two places where the dream could begin inBeetlejuice 2’s ending. The dream could begin when Lydia sees Astrid smiling at Vlad and imagines their wedding and future together, orit likely begins when Lydia and Astrid arrive at Dracula’s castle. Lydia could have been dreaming about the travels that she and Astrid intend to take and then continued to imagine a loving future for her daughter with someone she meets at the iconic location, or she could be remembering their travel to Dracula’s castle and dreaming about everything that happens after Astrid spots Vlad.
The movie cuts back to Lydia seemingly still in the Winter River house after waking up from her nightmare, so it’s unclear how much time has actually passed since her failed wedding to Betelgeuse.
When Lydia ends her tenure atGhost House, it’s not a dream yet.The second time that she wakes up without Betelgeuse next to her, the dream is over. Betelgeuse himself noted duringBeetlejuice 2’s “MacArthur Park” dance scenethat he loved a “dream sequence,” so there’s always the chance that the ghost himself influenced Lydia’s nightmare after he was sent back to the afterlife realm. It’s a curiously ambiguous ending forBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceto leave off on, and the full truth of the dream sequence might not be disclosed unless Burton makes a third movie.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Cast
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
Carrie
Carrie is a horror film directed by Brian De Palma, based on Stephen King’s novel. It stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a shy high school student who discovers her telekinetic abilities. Tormented by her peers and controlled by her fanatically religious mother, played by Piper Laurie, the film follows Carrie’s emotional and psychological struggles leading to a dramatic climax. Carrie solidified its place in the horror genre for its powerful performances and chilling atmosphere.
