Upamanyu Biswas
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ the second installment of the ‘Beetlejuice’ franchise, follows the Deetz family’s return to Winter River following the death of Lydia’s father, Charles. On their way to the house, Lydia picks up her estranged daughter, Astrid, from her boarding school. However, once they are back, Astrid’s rebellious spirit gets the better of her as she gets pulled into the afterlife under false pretenses. Consequently, Lydia reluctantly calls upon the help of Betelgeuse to get her daughter back, unleashing a new brand of chaos by the spirit, who has his own agenda to serve.
The Tim Burton directorial continues the story of the Deetz family years after the first film’s events, reintroducing viewers to both old and new things. Its whimsical narration, absurd comedy, and deep dive into the world of the occult are comforting reminders of the original movie’s tone and atmosphere. However, with thirty-six years separating the events of the two films, some changes were made to bring a new feel to the gothic setting.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Filming Locations
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ was filmed in the states of Vermont and Massachusetts. Shooting also took place in England, where the team lensed a portion of the film’s interior scenes. Production for the dark fantasy movie began on May 11, 2023, after delays relating to the 2023 WGA strike caused a postponement of the filming from its original mid-2022 start date. In July, the shooting was halted due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. As per Tim Burton, 99% of the filming was completed by September and the filming officially wrapped on November 30, 2023.
East Corinth, Vermont
The town of East Corinth, in Orange County, Vermont actually doubled up for the fictitious town of Winter River, Connecticut, which forms the primary setting in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ and its prequel. The production team had to construct massive sets for pivotal exterior shots that form the overarching backdrop of Winter River. In an interview, production designer Marc Scruton revealed the extent of the job they had to do. “We rebuilt the Deetz house on top of the hill. We rebuilt the covered bridge. The street with Maitland Hardware needed to expand into a much bigger row of shops. That’s quite a big undertaking for somewhere that has no real infrastructure,” he said. As East Corinth boasts a small population, it was an exciting affair for the residents to have the film crew shooting in the neighborhood on a daily basis.
Scruton even described the atmosphere of the town to be “like a festival” when shooting was ongoing. Other exterior scenes involved filming at the Masonic Hall, which stood in as Miss Shannon’s School for Girls. Slight alterations were also made to make the town of Winter River feel more trendy than it did in 1988’s ‘Beetlejuice.‘ On that same topic, he added, “At one point, it got really big in the story and became a whole big town, and then we realized that knocked the character out of what it really was. So we just made it a little bit trendier. In the script, they reference things like micro-breweries. It wasn’t a pastiche of a cool town, but it needed to feel like it had become a hip place to go to.”
Melrose, Massachusetts
While most of the exterior scenes were shot in East Corinth, some additional footage was recorded in the city of Melrose in Massachusetts. Following the suspension of production during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, filming resumed in the city, where mainly outdoor shots of Astrid were lensed. The neighborhood was redecorated with Halloween props like skeletons, pumpkins, and other October 31 paraphernalia. A sequence featuring Jenna Ortega, who plays Astrid, biking across the roads amidst the Halloween celebrations was also taped in the area.
London, England
The capital of England was integral during the filming of several scenes in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.’ Winter River’s graveyard and church scene were shot in London, specifically in West Wickham, where the team built both the church and cemetery in a small valley. Filming also took place at the Protein Studios Shoreditch at 31 New Inn Yard. It offered the right environment for Delia Deetz’s art gallery in New York City, as it has an interior close to the street.
Marc Scruton explained, “It was vital that a character could walk straight out of the art show and onto the street. It had the right flow and feel of a hipster-cool area.” Over the years, London has been a key filming spot for various films and TV shows because of its vibrant atmosphere and impressive infrastructure. In the past, productions on films like ‘Alien,’ ‘Interview with the Vampire,‘ ’28 Days Later,’ and ‘Last Night in Soho‘ were all hosted by the historic city.
Hertfordshire, England
Although East Corinth was used to provide the general backdrop of Winter River, many of the town’s interior sets were built in Leavesdon Studios at Warner Drive in Leavesden in Watford, Hertfordshire. Production designer Marc Scruton and his team crafted nearly 77 sets for the movie, which also had to take into account the practical effects on display. To film the scenes featuring Astrid’s boarding school, the crew traveled to Princess Helena College at School Lane, Preston, Hitchin in Hertfordshire. It was a co-educational boarding school for young boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18 that was closed in 2021. Scruton and the team had to renovate the place to make it feel like a posh New England boarding school in the movie. The production designer also added some of Delia’s sculptures to complete the desired look.
Read More: Is the House in Beetlejuice Real? Where is it Located?
