Includes SPOILERS for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!The central plot twist of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sees Astrid’s (Jenna Ortega) new love interest, Jeremy (Arthur Conti), reveal himself to be a murderous ghost, and the film leaves some fun hints for the viewer to pick up on. Aside from reintroducing old characters like Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) and Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), the cast of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice features some young talent, showing the world of Tim Burton’s whacky spooky season classic in a new generation. Astrid and Lydia have a wedge between them, but the romance plot interestingly shows how much the two have in common.
As Lydia falls victim to her over-the-top emotional support boyfriend, Rory, Astrid falls for Jeremy, a young man who wins her over by complimenting her knowledge of Dostoyevsky. The Beetlejuice sequel examines the parallels in the Deetz women as they fall for emotionally manipulative men, and the experience ultimately brings them closer together. In the ending of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, both of their despicable boyfriends have been thwarted, and Lydia and Astrid are far better off than they’ve been in years.
While Jeremy may be a bit of a tool, that’s far from the worst of his problems. The biggest issue for Jeremy is that he’s dead. The local realtor in Beetlejuice 2 explains Jeremy’s backstory, saying that he’d killed his parents as a teenager and that she’s had trouble selling the house since it’d been labeled a “murder house.” Furthermore, Jeremy’s plan is to use Astrid’s desire to connect with her father to get her to take his place in the world of the dead.
9 Jeremy Wears The Same Plaid Shirt In Every Scene
Jeremy’s Outfit Never Changes, & It References Adam Maitland
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Among the many easter eggs in Beetlejuice 2 is Jeremy’s costuming choice. This may not seem very important at first glance, but it seems to be a reference to Adam Maitland’s (Alec Baldwin) attire from the original 1988 movie. Like Jeremy, Maitland was a ghost haunting his old house after he died, trying to scare the Deetz family away. Given that this is the central plot of the original movie, it might be noticeable that the characters are dressed similarly.
Jeremy only wears that same shirt, implying that this is the outfit he died in.
This is the first subtle hint at Jeremy’s role in the movie, but it’s entirely easy to miss without any other information about the character. Although Adam and Barbara Maitland don’t appear in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, there are multiple references that allude to them. Not only is Jeremy’s plaid shirt a reference to the Maitlands, but throughout his scenes in the movie, Jeremy only wears that same shirt, implying that this is the outfit he died in.
8 Jeremy Only Has Music Albums From The 1990s
Jeremy Hasn’t Updated His Record Collection Recently
When Astrid first enters Jeremy’s house and explores his room, she notices that all of his records are from the 1990s. It’s not entirely irregular for someone his age to be collecting records or even specifically older music, but the fact that this is mentioned is important to the reveal. Given that Jeremy is reading Crime and Punishment, it wouldn’t be too big a stretch of the imagination to assume he’s just into older art, but even Astrid finds the lack of anything modern to be a bit bizarre.
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This is the first clue to Jeremy being dead, as he hasn’t been able to update his record collection since dying decades prior. All of his music is stuff he purchased in his actual teen years, though he claims that he just peruses vintage record stores for older stuff. He does well to pass this off as a character quirk, but it quickly becomes evident that this is a red flag.
7 Jeremy’s House Has A Dated Aesthetic
Astrid Notices That Jeremy’s Home Isn’t Very Modern
The look of Jeremy’s house is easy to disregard, especially since Beetlejuice 2 is a remake of an ’80s movie. The movie carries over an older aesthetic, and Tim Burton likes working with elements of classic Americana in his world-building, especially in Edward Scissorhands. However, the fact that Jeremy’s house looks notably dated is more than just a casual visual choice; it’s a clue to its being uninhabited for decades.
The realtor in Beetlejuice 2 wants to sell Jeremy’s old house but hasn’t had any luck due to the tragedy that occurred there. It’s surprising that she hasn’t even gotten anyone in to renovate or replace the furniture, but this may be a byproduct of it being haunted. The rules of Beetlejuice are rather unclear as to how this works and whether Astrid is seeing all the old furniture because of her supernatural capabilities or whether it’s all actually still there.
6 Lydia Sees Jeremy In The Window
Lydia First Saw The Maitlands Through The Attic Window
Another one of Beetlejuice 2’s references to the original film is Lydia seeing Jeremy through the upstairs window of his house when she drops off Astrid for her date. In the original movie, Lydia first sees the Maitlands when arriving at their old house through the window, as they’ve been hiding out in the attic, setting up the premise for the film. Again, Lydia seeing Jeremy in the top window is a reference to the similarities between his character and the Maitlands in the original.
For deaths that are abrupt and violent, such as a car crash or murdering parents, the person is sent back to haunt their space until they’ve accepted death.
It’s not entirely apparent how exactly the rules work in Beetlejuice with ghosts, but there are some general guidelines. Some find themselves taking jobs in the Neitherworld due to the cause of their deaths, while others are sent back to their homes to haunt, as was the case with Jeremy and the Maitlands. For deaths that are abrupt and violent, such as a car crash or murdering parents, the person is sent back to haunt their space until they’ve accepted death.
5 Jeremy Invites Astrid Over On Halloween
Jeremy Is Forced To Haunt His House
Image via Universal Pictures
One of Jeremy’s odd requests of Astrid that’s easy to overlook is the fact that he invites her over on Halloween, a night when it might be more fun to go out and participate in the festivities together. This could be passed off in a number of ways, such as him giving her an escape from the madness of her family life, but it’s still a strangely specific idea. It could also imply that he’s inviting her over to be intimate, though that might still be a flag of some sort, given that they’d only met minutes before.
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Due to the nature of Jeremy’s death, he’s bound to his home and can’t leave. He might have offered to go out somewhere with Astrid, but he physically can’t leave the space he’s assigned to haunt. Not only does Jeremy trick her into spending time with him, but he also invites her over for more nefarious reasons, eventually revealing that he’s a ghost.
4 Jeremy’s Parents Faces Are Hidden
Jeremy Killed His Parents Over 20 Years Before The Movie
When Jeremy first offers Astrid the tour of his home, he doesn’t stop to introduce her to his parents on his way in. He passes it off as if they’re just neglectful and uncaring and that they wouldn’t even notice that he’s brought someone over, so he doesn’t need to mention it to them, but this cleverly plays into the reveal. When they pass Jeremy’s parents, their faces are hidden by the framing of the camera shot. Again, this could be a method of blocking to symbolize their neglect, making it cleverly deceiving.
Later in the movie, after Jeremy reveals that he’s dead and Lydia goes to save Astrid, his parents are finally revealed. Their previously hidden faces are shown, demonstrating their causes of death, having been murdered by Jeremy over 20 years earlier. Jeremy claims that he had a bad relationship with his parents, but this could have been a lie to manipulate Astrid.
3 Jeremy Wants To Leave Town
Jeremy Is Dying To Get Out Of The House
Image via Universal Pictures
Another clue about the Jeremy plot twist that’s tied to his location is the fact that Jeremy mentions wanting to leave town. Again, it’s not too big a stretch of the imagination for a small-town teen to want to escape from the monotony of their life, especially if he’s claiming to have a poor relationship with his parents. But Jeremy’s desires to escape are more devious.
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Astrid tells Jeremy about her father, who’d spent his life traveling the world fighting for meaningful social causes. This eventually led to his death, but Astrid still admires her father’s desire to explore the world, and Jeremy uses this as an opportunity to relate to her. Decades spent in the same house re-reading Dostoyevsky have likely made Jeremy want to get out of town, and the only way to do so is to have someone take his place in death.
2 Jeremy Wants To Be James Dean For Halloween
James Dean Tragically Passed Away At A Young Age
When discussing his plans for his Halloween costume, Jeremy mentions that he plans on being James Dean from Rebel Without a Cause. This is a classic costume idea and one of the most iconic looks in cinema, but it’s also a major reveal for his character. Again, it ties to the deceiving characterization that he’s into older art, but there’s a major thing he has in common with James Dean.
James Dean was an actor who, in the 1950s, starred in iconic movies like Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden, cementing himself as one of the most compelling actors of the decade. Sadly, the actor passed away in 1955 at the terribly young age of 24. Jeremy’s interest in James Dean is likely tied to a rather morbid reference to a person passing away at an age too young.
1 Jeremy Has A Copy Of “The Handbook For The Recently Deceased”
This Is A Dead Giveaway That Jeremy Has Died
The most obvious giveaway for anyone who’s seen the original Beetlejuice movie is that Jeremy has a copy of the iconic handbook. The handbook is an item in this world that’s given to those who’ve died, teaching them the ins and outs of the afterlife, and it’s hilariously used as a plot device to explain the absurd rules of Tim Burton’s rules. As Juno would say, “It’s all in the handbook.”
When Astrid notices the book, Jeremy claims that he got his copy at a yard sale, and she seems to think it adds to his odd quirks. But it’s against the laws of the Neitherworld to give away copies of this book, and the fact that he has a copy should be an immediate alert that there’s more to this character than what meets the eye. Sure enough, Jeremy has the handbook in Beetlejuice 2 because he’s deceased, though not exactly recently.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 
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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.
Director Tim Burton Release Date September 6, 2024 Writers Alfred Gough , Miles Millar , Mike Vukadinovich , Seth Grahame-Smith , Michael McDowell , Larry Wilson Cast Michael Keaton , Jenna Ortega , Winona Ryder , Monica Bellucci , Willem Dafoe , Justin Theroux , Catherine O’Hara Runtime 104 Minutes