Faith and Films: The frustrating afterlife of “Beetlejuice”
Commentary by Matthew Kincanon | FāVS News
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” came out recently, so I decided to do my latest Faith and Films column on both of these movies, which have a very unique take on the afterlife. I’ve seen the first movie more times than I can count. While most movies about the afterlife offer clear direction or make it easy to understand, Tim Burton gives us an afterlife that’s confusing and frustrating to the dead.
“Beetlejuice” is a very different kind of movie. It tells the story from the perspective of ghosts who feel they’re being haunted by the living. As the Maitlands try to get the family out they have to navigate the afterlife. Tim Burton’s depiction of the afterlife is interesting because the Maitlands first don’t know that they died, and the only thing they have to guide them through is “The Handbook for the Recently Deceased.”
They aren’t sure if they’re halfway to heaven or hell, and the handbook doesn’t reference either. A lot of movies often depict the dead knowing they’ve entered the afterlife or get an idea of what it’s like to be dead. In this afterlife, you’re given a handbook and health vouchers and are expected to figure out everything on your own.
The handbook is one of the notable aspects of the afterlife because it represents a Bible. It has everything the dead need to know about the afterlife, but like some parts of the Bible, it reads like stereo instructions: very technical and not always easy to understand. The one book of the Bible that reminds me most of the handbook is Exodus, particularly the parts that provide instructions on how to build a Tabernacle.
Visiting purgatory as a waiting room
One part of the afterlife the Maitlands do visit is purgatory, which is depicted as a social service or clinical waiting room where the employees consist of those who committed suicide. This is referenced by Otho in the dinner scene where he said those who commit suicide become civil servants. This falls in line with the Catholic belief that suicide is a sin because it violates the commandment “Thou shall not kill.”
Another notable characteristic of the waiting room is how the other dead people are depicted. One is an individual who is cut in half. Another is a hunter with a shrunken head, and one individual is a smoker whose body is completely charred. It’s all very personal. Alexandria Furlow in her article about the movie in Bible and Pop Culture had an interesting take on this. In reference to Isaiah 40:31, she describes how people die does not decide how they will look in the afterlife, but rather how they lived, loved and treated others.
“We do not carry physical wounds into the afterlife,” she writes in her article.
Nods to the story of Adam and Eve
The character Beetlejuice has some religious characteristics too and his interactions with Adam and Barbara feel similar to Adam and Eve and the serpent. Throughout the movie Beetlejuice is always seen trying to tempt the couple into hiring him to get rid of the Deetz family. Also, there’s a scene where he appears as a snake as opposed to any other scary creature.
Beetlejuice is also manipulative and predatory as he tries to take advantage of the Maitlands and force Lydia Deetz to marry him near the end of the movie. He shares a lot of characteristics with Satan, and he’s always prowling around, waiting for the perfect targets to cross his path. In this case, he goes through the obituaries, which he calls the business section, and looks for recently deceased people he can take advantage of.
More religious themes in sequel
The sequel shows that Tim Burton continues to present religious themes, such as when Beetlejuice does the sign of the cross and immediately catches on fire. Also, the movie expands the afterlife and shows how there are places beyond the waiting room and hallways we were shown in the first movie. This includes a train that goes to the Great Beyond, the Pearly Gates, Elysium Fields and the Fires of Damnation.
We can figure out what those places are. The addition of the train is further evidence that the characters are in purgatory, particularly the Roman Catholic belief that purgatory is a waiting room for heaven. Except, in this case, it’s a waiting room and train station to go to either heaven or hell.
Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice movies show us how even in the afterlife you have to make appointments, fill out paperwork and have all the proper documentation. And, just like navigating a social service program, it’s very confusing and you don’t get clear answers to everything.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
