Betelgeuse
Being the Ghost With the Most
Also Known as	Beetlejuice
Appeared in	Beetlejuice Film
Played by	Michael Keaton

Betelgeuse, also known as Beetlejuice is a trickster and perverted ghost.

PersonalityEdit

Betelgeuse is depicted as being mean and careless. He often scares people with pranks that may kill them. He has also exhibited lecherous behavior such as looking up Barbara Maitland's skirt.

HistoryEdit

While not much is known about Betelgeuse's past, (including how and when he died), he claimed to have lived through the Black Plague. It is also known that he used to work for Juno. In the movie, he used advertisements to get the Maitlands to hire him as a "bio-exorcist" to rid their house of the Deetzes. They summon him when they learn that he can be summoned if his name is said three times in a row. Things go bad when the self-proclaimed Ghost with the Most starts scaring the Deetzes in ways that seriously harm them, and even worse, shemes to marry Lydia Deetz as his way of 'escaping' the netherworld so he can wreak further havoc. Fortunately, saying his name three times can also be used to get rid of him. In the end, Betelgeuse ends up in the waiting room for the deceased, and gets his head shrunk when he switches numbers with the head shrinker to avoid a long wait. Humorously, he thinks he looks better with a smaller head.

DevelopmentEdit

In early drafts of the script, Betelgeuse was supposed to assume a variety of forms, with his true form being that of a winged demon(the filthy pale man wearing black and white stripes we're more familiar with was originally going to be one of the many forms he assumed). Instead of being stuck in a waiting room, Betelgeuse was originally going to be destroyed.

NameEdit

Betelgeuse's name is often spelled phonetically as "Beetlejuice", as in the title. However, during the film his name spelled Betelgeuse (like the star Betelgeuse) during his ad on TV, and everywhere in the grave scene.

There has been great debate over which spelling of his name is correct. Some say that because his name is the same as the introduction, this is proof they meant it as Beetlejuice, while others claim that was an error as the credits of the film spell his name "Betelgeuse". Nowhere during the film is his name spelled Beetlejuice, unless watched with subtitles on, in which it is said from Lydia's interpretation from playing charades with him. The Maitlands used the astrological spelling... after several mispronunciations.

Some also argue that he may not have been permitted to write his name the way it should, much like he can't say his own name.

Powers and abilitiesEdit

• Magic
• Levitation
• Flight
• Regeneration
• Shape-shifting
• Teleportation
• Can conjure objects
• Possession
• Can mimic peoples voices

Betelgeuse from the Animated SeriesEdit

In the animated series, Beetlejuice was depicted as being more of a good guy (though he'd still be a bit dishonest sometimes). He is often referred to as BJ for short. A recurring gag has him using figures of speech and idioms, and then changing himself and/or his surroundings to match the pun (e.g., if he says something bugs him, he'll turn into an insect).

For more information of the animated version of this character go to the animated article.

Trivia Edit

Betelgeuse had his own attraction at the Universal Studios theme park called Betelgeuse's Rock 'n' Roll Graveyard Revue. The attraction was eventually shut down, but it has been recently revived. There were also some skits where Betelgeuse met the Ghostbusters, most of which had him possess the boys in gray and humiliate them by singing songs such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "I'm Too Sexy". Some of these skits ended with the Ghostbusters busting Betelgeuse.

GalleryEdit

Betelgeuse as a large snake.

The Headstone of Betelgeuse.

The coffin of Betelgeuse.

Betelgeuse at his grave.

Showtime Betelgeuse as seen towards the climax of the film.

Betelgeuse sitting on a tombstone.

Add a photo to this galleryAdd a photo to this gallery