After the commercial success of Tim Burton’s 1988 dark fantasy horror comedy “Beetlejuice”, Warner Bros. Pictures was thinking about a follow-up as early as 1990. Several scripts were written and considered, with some of the ideas sounding much better than others (believe it or not, “Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian” was actually pitched). But numerous delays and distractions pretty much buried any hopes of a sequel. That is until now.

Here we are 36 years later with Burton reteaming with Warner Bros. for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”, the second installment in this oddball (dare I say it ) franchise. I enjoyed the original “Beetlejuice”, but I wasn’t the kind of fan who was hungry for more. Perhaps that’s why I’m so surprised by how much enjoyed this sequel. Is it because it’s a nostalgic blast? Or is it just great seeing Tim Burton let loose with his morbid sense of humor? I think it’s a lot of both.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” welcomes back the familiar faces of Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and of course the indelible Michael Keaton while introducing several well-tuned new faces including Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe. Tonally, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is perfectly in-sync with its predecessor. It’s full of wacky effects, cool animatronics, and a slew of macabre gags, all of which generate the kind of horror-inspired zaniness that energized the ‘88 film.

In the 36 years since the events of the first film, Lydia Deetz (Ryder) has went from the eccentric goth girl who was nearly married off to a loony demon named Betelgeuse (aka Beetlejuice) to an anxious psychic mediator with her own television show called “Ghost House”. She has a daughter, Astrid (Ortega) who is away at border school, but their relationship has been strained since the tragic death of her husband and Astrid’s father, Richard (Santiago Cabrera).

Lydia gets a phone call from her stepmother Delia (O’Hara) informing her that her father, Charles died while on a bird watching expedition in the South Pacific. So they both return to the little town of Winter River, Connecticut to plan the funeral, picking up Astrid on the way. Once there, Astrid is introduced to Rory (a hilarious Theroux), her mother’s boyfriend who has a knack for always saying the wrong things. Astrid also meets a local boy named Jeremy (Arthur Conti) and the two hit it off.

But things take a bonkers turn after Astrid is lured into the afterlife where she hopes to reconnect with her father. But she finds herself trapped in the hereafter with a hilariously gonzo assortment of Burton-conceived grotesqueries. Desperate to rescue her daughter, Lydia calls on her old nemesis Betelgeuse for help. For those who may have forgotten, Betelgeuse is a rambunctious spirit from the afterlife who desperately wants back in the land of the living. And he still thinks marrying Lydia is his ticket to get there.

So Lydia says his name three times, summoning Betelgeuse. They then make a pact – he helps her retrieve Astrid and she agrees to marry him. But Betelgeuse has some problems of his own, namely his furious ex-wife Delores LaVerge (Bellucci). It turns out Delores was a member of a soul-sucking death cult who Betelgeuse hacked to pieces after discovering she had poisoned him. Now she wants revenge. Tracking it all is Wolf Jackson, a character who doesn’t make much sense but who is still a lot of fun thanks to an all-in Willem Dafoe. Wolf was a B-movie action star when living and now works as a semi-hard-boiled afterlife detective.

There are countless callbacks to the 1988 film including the Deetz’s creepy hilltop house overlooking the town, a brief rendition of Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song”), even the returns of the stop-motion sand worm and everyone’s favorite Shrinker, Bob. The movie also keeps it’s gleefully irreverent and politically incorrect tenor which fuels several of the funniest moments. And then there is the cast who are all fully committed yet clearly having an absolute blast with everything they’re asked to do.

On the negative side, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” packs a little too much into its story which leaves some characters and their arcs noticeably underdeveloped (Bellucci’s Delores being a prime example). But it’s hard not to be drawn to the movie’s distinct sense of humor and black heart charm. And who wouldn’t want to watch the great Michael Keaton hop back into one the wackiest roles of his storied career? “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4 STARS