Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice….in a country so
fearful of death, Tim Burton’s film Beetlejuice
is a movie that takes that common, completely understandable fear and smacks it
in the face three times until heads are spinning with glee. While most normal
Americans cringe at the thought of death and run from that that causes it,
Burton embraces it in the most comical way possible. With Beetlejuice, Burton singlehandedly stood over the shaking,
petrified subconscious of every U.S. citizen and pulled the hysterical laughter
right out.
Why does
the average American fear death so much? I say why the hell not!? Its DEATH,
and however unavoidable the occurrence of it is, the human condition is to try
and find the way around (Well, according to Professor McCay, “Fuckupableness is
the human condition” but we’ll go with something a bit different for now) and
however tongue and cheek Beetlejuice is
about death, it is still a story of that first human condition….and possibly
fuckableness as well.
The fact
that the main couple, the Maitlands, continue on existing as ghosts is the most
obvious denial of death. If there is truly an afterlife, which I have
absolutely no opinion on, then that means there is no true death! It’s called
afterlife for a reason, not afterdeath. Their constant obsession with getting
the Deetzes out of the house is an example of them wanting to continue their life as it once was before they were
killed. When Adam Maitland draws the door to the “other side”, this becomes the
first connection between the real and death world. If death was such an
absolute and for sure thing, this door would not exist!
Death
itself is anathema is our culture because of the sadness it brings. Having to
let go of someone who dies, or when you die, having to let go all that you’ve
ever lived for. Another human condition is the need for a second chance, which
is solely because of procrastination. We waste so much time in our life
preoccupied with folly things, and Beetlejuice
shows that even in death, these things follow us. Beetlejuice himself is
the primest satirical example of those who wish to avoid the true fear of death
by putting it off and using it to his advantage. A trickster, much like Burton
himself. Overall, however truly fearful the idea of death is, Tim Burton dispels
all that with his movie Beetlejuice.
I liked your thought about how the afterlife is called just that “afterlife” and not “afterdeath.” I personally think that the idea of having to continue on living your life after death is possibly more frightening to Americans than the idea of simply dying. When most people think about afterlife they have an image of dying and going to “heaven” or simply disappearing from all forms of life. Burton’s concept of the afterlife is much more complicated than the popular image of what happens when we die. At the same time Burton manages to keep his idea comical and entertaining. Burton also somewhat denies death in Beetlejuice, because the Maitlands death isn’t exactly our idea of death; they’re just living their normal lives as ghosts while also dealing with the afterlife. I really enjoyed your ideas on the film and look forward to seeing what other great ideas you come up with!
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