Beetlejuice Beetlejuicewas the kind of legacy sequel that tried not to fall into the trap of serving up the audience an abundance of Easter eggs. DirectorTim Burtontook the appropriate approach in progressing the life ofWinona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz as a grown adult, using her paranormal connections for profit while struggling to be a supportive mother to her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega). Only Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) himself remains stuck in the past, as evidenced by his 30-plus-year obsession with Lydia.
As Lydia and Astrid are the emotional centers of the story, only a few familiar faces are allowed to return, such as Lydia’s mother Delia (Catherine O’Hara).The conclusion of Adam and Barbara Maitland’s storyin the 1988 film made it unnecessary for them to be revisited, whileCharles Deetz was reduced to a half-eaten torsodue to the legal troubles of actorJeffrey Jones. Butone standout character completely left out of any reference was that of Otho Fenlock,played by Glenn Shadix inBeetlejuice.
Who Was Otho In ‘Beetlejuice’?
Of any living character fromBeetlejuice, Otho was the most intriguing as Delia’s interior decorator acquaintance. He carried an air of big-city flamboyance, often masking his shortcomings as a professional by considering his artistic failures a step in the right direction. Despite his pompous nature,Otho shares one common trait with Lydia: a fascination for the afterlife based on his time as aparanormal researcherin the late ‘60s.
While Lydia was aware of the Maitlands’ presence as her parents were highly skeptical about her experiences,Otho was the only one who gravitated to the intrigueof the situation. The Deetzes should have fled the home after Beetlejuice’s mischievous act of possessing them in the dinner table scene, followed by getting terrorized by the bio-exorcist in the form of a snake. But Otho quickly becomes the secondary antagonist by using the Handbook for the Recently Deceased to revive the Maitlands, nearly causing them to decompose.
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The last shot of Otho inBeetlejuiceis just as significant as it is hilarious. Once Lydia summonses the bio-exorcist to stop the séance from decomposing the Maitlands, he targets Otho by stripping him down from his slick black suit to a baby blue summer outfit, which mortifies the decorator. It is never quite clear about Otho’s fate beyond this scene. However,his moment of “exposure” at the hands of Beetlejuice only reveals how he lives his life as a lie.
The Real Life Death Of Glenn Shadix Prevented Otho’s Return In ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’
Beetlejuice Beetlejuicedoes not explicitly say where Otho has been in the last 36 years. Yet, it can be presumed there was a fallout shortly after the encounter with the Maitlands. The initial friendship between Otho and Delia inBeetlejuicecame at a time when the public was not yet ready to accept the matriarch of the Deetz family as a legitimate art sculptor. Perhaps Delia gravitated to Otho’s false sense of confidence. Come to the sequel, however,Delia has become so successfulto the extent that she can hold shows in Manhattan and is wealthy enough to fund art schools across the world.With success like that, who needs a fake like Otho in their life?
While the character of Otho survived Beetlejuice’s wrath despite his humiliation,actor Glenn Shadix passed away tragically in 2010due to blunt force trauma from a fall in his home, making any return impossible. In the remaining years of his life, the openly gay Shadix was an outspoken advocate of the LGBTQ+ community. Even as a minor staple of Burton’s frequent actors from subsequent filmsThe Nightmare Before ChristmasandPlanet of the Apes, the fact that there’s not even a small tribute to Shadix inBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceseems puzzling.
Even if there was room to revive Otho as a ghost in CGI form, his purpose in the story would be pointless because his role has been split into two new characters. One is Astrid’s mysterious boyfriend, Jeremy (Arthur Conti) who uses the Handbook to cause more problems than he solves. The other is Lydia’s beau, Rory (Justin Theroux) whose self-centered personality was ironically inspired by Otho, according towriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Perhaps likeTop Gun: Maverick, Otho’s lack of reference was simply a small sacrifice for the sake of pushing the sequel’s effort to progress the narrative with new faces rather than constantly looking at the rear-view mirror for old ones.
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: The sequel to the cult classic brings back the infamous ghost Beetlejuice, who is unleashed upon a modern family, setting off a chain of hilarious and supernatural events. As mischief ensues, both the living and the deceased must deal with the resulting chaos, blending comedic antics with ghostly intrigue.
