Sumith Prasad
In Tim Burton’s 1988 horror comedy film ‘Beetlejuice,’ Winona Ryder’s character Lydia Deetz attends Miss Shannon’s School for Girls, an educational institution located in Winter River, Connecticut. The school becomes part of her life when Barbara and Adam Maitland, the protagonists, decide to live with the Deetz family, which includes Lydia’s parents, Charles and Delia Deetz. The building is also featured in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ a sequel to the dark fantasy movie. Even though it is presented as a school in Connecticut, the institution is not connected to the Constitution State. Still, the ardent admirers of the film series can visit the establishment in real life!
A Masonic Hall in East Corinth Became Miss Shannon’s School for Girls
Miss Shannon’s School for Girls is a fictional Connecticut school with no real-life counterpart. The building that is presented as the educational institution is a Masonic hall/lodge located in the town of East Corinth in Vermont. In December 2022, ‘Beetlejuice’ fan Kendall Gendron bought the property under the name of her non-profit, Miss Shannon’s School House, a nod to Lydia’s school. When Tim Burton and his crew returned to the town to shoot ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ they collaborated with Gendron to use the building.
“The shoot was a surreal experience. I got to be an integral part of the shooting of the sequel to my favorite film,” Gendron told Bloody Disgusting. She has been a fan of the horror comedy for decades. “I have a lifelong love affair with ‘Beetlejuice,’ which is why I moved to East Corinth, why I hustled for two years to purchase a piece of its history, and why I ultimately named my nonprofit [Miss Shannon’s School House] after the school in the film,” Gendron added. The entrepreneur aspires to turn the building into a tourist destination, community programming space, and a venue for shows, performances, and weddings.
Gendron also plans to set up a tavern inspired by ‘Beetlejuice’ in the establishment. Ultimately, she wanted to save a memorable part of her favorite film from “becoming derelict,” which motivated her to own the property after two and a half years of negotiations. Similarly, for Jenna Ortega’s character Astrid Deetz’s boarding house in the sequel, the production department utilized Princess Helena College in Hitchin, a market town in Hertfordshire, England. Under the supervision of the production designer Marc Scruton, the crew renovated the establishment to make it appear as a boarding school in New England.
Read More: Is the House in Beetlejuice Real? Where is it Located?
