An Obsevation on Beetlejuice(the Film)

[Rater202]

In the movie Beetlejuice, the climax is set off by Otho, Delia's effeminate interior designer friend, preforms what he thinks is a seance but is actually an exorcism, forcing Lydia to free Betelguess to save the Maitlands.

The instructions for the exorcism were in the Handbook for the Recently Deceased. A book written for ghosts and never once intended to be read by mortals.

Why. Why does a book for Ghosts have instructions for things to use against Ghosts? The thing that's "death for the dead?"

Has anyone ever thought on that? Have they ever said why that's the case?

[Lord Raziere]

Well I never watched it, but if its a horror-comedy as what I can look up says it is, then it might be a bit of black/dark humor where the help is....uh....instructions of how to end a ghosts suffering by putting them out of their misery. so to say. kind of like a dark satire where a book for humans includes instructions on how to kill them "just in case things get bad enough".

[Rater202]

Well I never watched it, but if its a horror-comedy as what I can look up says it is, then it might be a bit of black/dark humor where the help is....uh....instructions of how to end a ghosts suffering by putting them out of their misery. so to say. kind of like a dark satire where a book for humans includes instructions on how to kill them "just in case things get bad enough".

Exorcism in Beetlejuice results in you being a shriveled corpse suffering in agony for all eternity in a room in the Afterlife(which is a vast beaurocracy staffed almost entirely by the ghosts of people who committed suicide. Apprently you're allowed to quit that job after a certain point, but...)

So yeah, its probably not that.

[Lord Raziere]

Exorcism in Beetlejuice results in you being a shriveled corpse suffering in agony for all eternity in a room in the Afterlife(which is a vast beaurocracy staffed almost entirely by the ghosts of people who committed suicide. Apprently you're allowed to quit that job after a certain point, but...)

So yeah, its probably not that.

well people putting their enemies through horrible torments is one of the most timeless parts of humanity so....good weapon to get rid of people you really hate?

[Traab]

Gotta get rid of beetlejuice types somehow! Like, imagine if he wasnt vulnerable to saying his name three times, what do you do if he wants to make your afterlife a misery? You cast him out! Thats my theory anyways.

[Giggling Ghast]

Based on how the Handbook reads like “stereo instructions,” I imagine there was a section on occult spells and rituals that could potentially harm ghosts the same way instruction manuals advise against unsafe uses of equipment.

Otho claimed he had previously been a leading paranormal expert, so I imagine that he extrapolated from information in the book to cast the ritual. Unfortunately, the spell he thought would cause the ghosts to manifest ended up being an exorcism.

[Zarrgon]

I always thought the book might of had a "how to avoid a summons from a mortal" section.....that would describe how to summon a ghost as reference so the ghost could prevent it.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

The book "reads like stereo instructions" but like stereo instructions it has a ton of information, like enough information to completely take the stereo apart and put it back together. If you were to read it fully you would probably have protections from exorcisms, but conveying that information requires explaining an exorcism in detail.

As far as we know knowledge and experience is the only thing giving Beetlejuice's reality bending and while the Maitland's are trying to spook people by putting sheets over their heads.