IsBeetlejuice BeetlejuiceOK for Kids? What Parents Should Know About the PG-13 Tim Burton Sequel

Mar. 15, 2025

Michael Keaton in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’.Photo:Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Everyone’s favorite bio-exorcist demon has risen from his grave inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.

In theaters Friday, Sept. 6, directorTim Burton’s long-awaited follow-up to his 1988 comedy-horror classic brings back original cast membersMichael Keatonas the ghoulish Betelgeuse,Winona Ryderas Lydia Deetz,Catherine O’Haraas Delia Deetz and more. The sequel also costars franchise newcomersJenna Ortega,Justin Theroux,Monica Bellucci,Danny DeVitoandWillem Dafoe.

Given the original’s mix of inventive horror and silly comedy, audiences may be wondering: isBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceappropriate viewing, for kids or the faint of heart? Like its predecessor, the movie isratedPG-13 — for “violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use.” Read on for what to know before bringing children under age 13. (Warning: The following contains spoilers for the film.)

Jenna Ortega and Catherine O’Hara in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’.Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

Playful body horror abounds

Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceearns the “violent content” part of its PG-13 rating with a range of violence, from cartoonish to shocking. Some acts or images that would in other circumstances prove quite alarming are in Burton’s hands instead comical.

Willem Dafoe in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’.Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

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The most disturbingBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceelement for kids — and parents — may be how it includes the trope of pregnancy in horror movies. When Ryder’s character Lydia comes face-to-face with Keaton’s Betelgeuse again, he pulls off various pranks and visual gags that can prove stomach-churning. (Those uncomfortable with slimes or bodily fluids will not find this movie fun.)

A movie about death is a movie about loss

Unsurprisingly, a movie that features both the living and the dead grapples with the very real phenomenon of the former becoming the latter. Ortega’s character Astrid, daughter to Ryder’s Lydia, mourns the losses of both her father and grandfather. Often at odds with her mother, Astrid’s arc is a reminder that everyone’s grieving process is different, difficult and complicated.

In fact,Beetlejuice Beetlejuicereinforces the notion introduced in the first film that characters can even lose already-dead characters.Alec BaldwinandGeena Davisdon’t returnas the ghostly Adam and Barbara Maitland because, as Lydia explains sadly, they found a loophole that enabled them to move on permanently.

There is a brief depiction of drug use

Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’.Warner Bros Pictures/YouTube

Warner Bros Pictures/YouTube

The title character provides plenty of suggestive language

In 1988’sBeetlejuice, Keaton’s performance in the titular role was brief but memorable, featuring rapid-fire lewdness and gags. The sequel continues that trend, with the demonic character making jokes some parents will consider inappropriate for teens and especially kids under 13.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceis in theaters Sept. 6.

source: people.com