More than three decades after the original was released, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice arrived and, while met with mostly positive reviews, missed the mark when it came to one interesting new character. We all went into the highly anticipated sequel ready for more of Betelgeuse, Lydia, and the beloved characters from the first film, as well as the new one played by Jenna Ortega but it was Arthur Conti’s Jeremy Frazier who stole the show early on.
Jeremy is a teenage boy who meets Ortega’s Astrid and forms a bond with her. However, as is often the case with Tim Burton films, the character who seems the most normal is one to watch out for. Jeremy was revealed to be a ghost who murdered his parents more than 20 years ago and then tricked Astrid into exchanging her life for his. This set up an intriguing storyline and conclusion between the two, yet it never fully came to fruition.
Jeremy Was An Interesting Villain For Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
He Felt Like A Different Kind Of Threat
Jeremy was different from the other antagonists in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice because you don’t see him coming. Both Betelgeuse and Delores LaFerve are characters that you can tell have sinister plans from the beginning. Betelgeuse may try to play it off like he’s not there to trick people but the viewers know that’s kind of his thing. Jeremy is cunning because he sets himself up as a perfect guy for Astrid to connect with, only to pull the rug out from under her.
Putting Astrid in that much danger, just as the audience was connecting with her, made him a villain to be terrified of.
When it’s revealed that he murdered his parents, he feels more dangerous than Betelgeuse and his lack of remorse for his actions only makes him more intriguing. The fact that he tricked Astrid into giving up her life for him showed the lengths he was willing to go to get what he wanted and how he didn’t care who he hurt in the process. Putting Astrid in that much danger, just as the audience was connecting with her, made him a villain to be terrified of.
Jeremy’s Early Death Felt Rushed
The Character Had More To Give
Although Betelgeuse himself is a villain, he’s a beloved character after so many years. That means that despite his unlikable actions, people aren’t exactly rooting for him to lose. That’s why someone like Jeremy was so crucial to the film. The audience needed someone to hate and a lying murderer who manipulated a young girl and threatened her life was just what the movie needed.
Jeremy’s plan to return to the mortal world and have Astrid board the “Soul Train” to the “Great Beyond” was detestable and we wanted to see him get his comeuppance. Unfortunately, when it does happen, it leaves a lot to be desired. Astrid’s father, Richard, comes to their aid and voids Jeremy’s “visa,” preventing him from coming back to life and sending him to the “Fires of Damnation.”
On its own, that might be a fitting end for his character but it comes near the middle of the film and doesn’t feel satisfying. Lydia saving Astrid or Astrid herself being the one to stop Jeremy would’ve worked better even if Richard’s return was a nice surprise. Jeremy had more to give as a character and as antagonist, so his official death came across as lackluster.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Ending Didn’t Need Jeremy, But The Character Deserved A Better Conclusion
The Big Wedding Already Had A Lot Going On
With Jeremy removed from the picture, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice shifts its focus back on the тιтular character and Delores as the villains. It all came to a head at the church where Betelgeuse crashes Lydia’s wedding to Rory and steps in as her husband-to-be. With Betelgeuse threatening to totally alter Lydia’s life as her husband and Delores showing up to get revenge on Betelgeuse, there wasn’t any room for Jeremy to act as an antagonist in that final scene.
While he wouldn’t have really had a place in that wedding scene, there should’ve been a more satisfying ending for him.
Despite that, Jeremy is a character that deserved a more interesting conclusion. He was a villain who was easy to hate and an actual threat. While he wouldn’t have really had a place in that wedding scene, there should’ve been a more satisfying ending for him. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice would be a better movie for it and the character would be better remembered.
