Tim Burton's Horror With 86% On RT Is Now Streaming On Max & It's Perfectly Timed

Summary Beetlejuice available on Max before long-awaited sequel release

Original film's success paved way for Tim Burton's career

Beetlejuice 2 faces challenge of outdoing original with promising trailers.

Tim Burton is one of the most unique storytellers in Hollywood, and one of his best loved films, Beetlejuice, has just been added to Max ahead of a long awaited sequel. Burton's quirky style is easily recognizable for fans of the incredible director and writer, but early in his career, it was more difficult to get studios to greenlight his ideas. By the time Beetlejuice was released in 1988, Burton had begun to get some traction in Hollywood, but he was still far from a safe bet for studios.

However, Beetlejuice proved to be one of his most popular and enduring movies. The film quickly amassed widespread critical and commercial success, and even won an Oscar for Best Makeup. Since then, Tim Burton's career has gone from strength to strength, but for decades, Beetlejuice remained a standalone story. Now, just ahead of the long-awaited sequel's release, Beetlejuice is available to stream on Max, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Related Michael Keaton & Winona Ryder’s Beetlejuice 2 Story Pays Off Tim Burton's 35-Year-Old Horror Spinoff Show Beetlejuice 2 will feature a new character dynamic for Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder which could potentially mirror another Tim Burton project.

Beetlejuice Streaming On Max Is Perfectly Timed Before Beetlejuice 2

The Perfect Way To Prepare For Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

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The sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, is set to be released in theaters from September 6, which makes the August 1 debut of the original movie on Max perfectly timed. With a window of just over a month, fans and newcomers will have plenty of time to find and watch the original and get up to speed on the story so far. The original Beetlejuice film follows a young woman named Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder, as she meets the ghosts of the couple that previously owned her new home.

With the sequel still including Lydia, and bringing back legacy characters like the titular Betelgeuse, it's likely that viewers will need to see the original for context ahead of the sequel. By the end of the movie, Betelgeuse has been sent away, and Lydia is living in harmony with the ghosts and her parents, so there have obviously been some big changes in the following 35 years. Whether fans need to refresh on the entire story, or someone is new to the series, watching the movie on Max is the perfect way to prepare and get excited about Beetlejuice 2.

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Will Beetlejuice 2 Be Able To Top Tim Burton's Original Movie?

Beetlejuice Is An Iconic Comedy Horror Movie

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Beetlejuice is a classic horror comedy movie which offers up one of the best and most unique performances by Michael Keaton, who played Betelgeuse, in his entire career. While the original is incredibly unique and had a story that was unlike anything else at the time, the sequel has the hurdle of not only replicating the original tone, but also trying to exceed it decades later. In order to achieve this, the movie is going to need to deliver something spectacular, but with Tim Burton, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton all returning, it's possible.

Thus far, the trailers also appear to be very promising for the sequel, with improved special effects, a closer look at the afterlife, and a talented cast that includes Willem Dafoe and Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice certainly has a challenge ahead in terms of exceeding the original, but, all signs point to this being a solid possibility considering the work that has gone into the sequel. However, even if the sequel fails to live up to the original, at least Beetlejuice can be streamed over on Max.