Beetlejuice 2’s Real-Life Callback To 30-Year-Old Scandal Hints At Twist For Michael Keaton’s Return

Summary

• Beetlejuice 2 features a callback to a real-life scandal with the quote “the juice is loose,” referencing O.J. Simpson’s 1994 car chase.
• The phrase hints at Beetlejuice’s return and may suggest the Deetzes will chase him across Earth or the Neitherworld in the sequel.
• The intriguing trailer teases Lydia, Astrid, and Delia’s return to Winter River and Beetlejuice’s comeback in the highly anticipated sequel.

The famous bio-exorcist is back in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and one sneaky callback to a 30-year-old real-life scandal in the first trailer hints at an interesting twist in the ghost’s new adventure. After his introduction in the 1988 movie Beetlejuice, the eccentric ghost and bio-exorcist, played by Michael Keaton, is back in a long-awaited sequel appropriately titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The sequel is reuniting Keaton with original cast members Winona Ryder (who played the iconic Lydia Deetz) and Catherine O’Hara (Delia Deetz), and welcoming new cast members Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, and Justin Theroux.

Beetlejuice 2 will take viewers back to Winter River, Connecticut, where Lydia, Delia, and Lydia’s daughter, Astrid (Ortega), return to their old home after an unexpected family tragedy. Back at the house, Astrid discovers the Maitlands’ model of the town in the attic, through which the portal to the Afterlife will be accidentally opened, letting Beetlejuice back into the human world. The first trailer for Beetlejuice 2 doesn’t show much of the plot and only teases the Deetzes’ return to Winter River and Beetlejuice’s comeback, but one callback to a real-life scandal might reveal an interesting twist.

Beetlejuice 2’s “The Juice Is Loose” Quote Is A Reference To OJ Simpson’s 1994 Car Chase

Due to his nickname “juice” and the car chase situation, which received heavy media coverage, the phrase “the juice is loose” was used on the news to refer to O.J. Simpson running away.

At the end of the trailer for Beetlejuice 2, Lydia arrives in the attic and is shocked to see Beetlejuice coming out of the model of the town, hinting at this being the first time Lydia sees the famous bio-exorcist since the Maitlands’ chaos in the first movie. Beetlejuice smiles and tells Lydia “the juice is loose”, before the trailer ends. While this is clearly a reference to his own name, it’s also a reference to the O.J. Simpson scandal in the 1990s, specifically the infamous 1994 car chase during which the media popularized that line.

O.J. Simpson is a former football player, actor, and broadcaster, and though he achieved success and popularity in his NFL career, his achievements were overshadowed by his trial and acquittal for the murders of his former wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend Ron Goldman. Due to his initials “OJ”, he was nicknamed “juice” (as “oj” also stands for “orange juice”). In 1994, Simpson became an immediate person of interest in the murders of Brown and Goldman and was scheduled to turn himself in, but he ended up becoming the subject of a car chase.

Due to his nickname “juice” and the car chase situation, which received heavy media coverage, the phrase “the juice is loose” was used on the news. The car chase and the surrounding circumstances, including Simpson forcing longtime friend Al Cowlings to drive at gunpoint, led to TV channels interrupting coverage of the 1994 NBA finals to broadcast the incident, which also led to more interest in Simpson’s case.

“The Juice Is Loose” Could Hint At The Deetzes Having To Chase Beetlejuice Across The Neitherworld Or Earth

Beetlejuice announcing himself with “the juice is loose” might seem like just playful wordplay, but it might hint at something bigger coming up in Beetlejuice 2. As mentioned above, plot details beyond the Deetzes’s return to Winter River and Beetlejuice’s comeback haven’t been revealed, but the ghost’s O.J. Simpson reference could be hinting at Lydia, Astrid, and Delia chasing Beetlejuice across the human world or the Neitherworld. Willem Dafoe plays a ghost detective in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, so he could team up with the Deetzes to catch the bio-exorcist, though why he will be on the run is unclear.