20 INSANE Horror Sequels We Almost Got

It took more than 35 years for a sequel to Tim Burton's legendary Beetlejuice to finally be produced, but Burton actually settled on an idea for Beetlejuice 2 in 1990, just two years after the first film's release.

Burton's original script was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian and focused on the Deetz family moving to Hawaii, where Charles (Jeffrey Jones) was developing a resort.

However, Charles soon discovered that his company was building the resort on the burial ground of an ancient Hawaiian Kahuna, disturbing its spirit and causing all manner of mayhem.

Another plot point saw Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) save the day by winning a surf contest with magic, because why the heck not?

Burton apparently wanted to marry the vibe of a '50s surf movie with the gothic expressionism of the original Beetlejuice, finding great amusement in the idea that the two styles didn't match at all.

Though Keaton and Winona Ryder were both signed to return, Burton went on to direct Batman Returns instead, after which the sequel lost momentum.

It wasn't until 2024 that a second film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, was finally released, which took a more typical legacy sequel route by focusing on Lydia Deetz (Ryder) and her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega).