20 "WTF Did I Just Watch" Horror Sequels
15. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice can best be summed up thus: it's just Tim Burton being Tim Burton. There are no corporate overlords breathing down his neck this time, such was what happened with his Dumbo remake, which made him actually consider quitting filmmaking as a result. No, it's just Burton and his signature wacky style running wild, and the results are delirious.
A corpse reassembles itself to the tune of Bees Gees' Tragedy, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) serenades Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) with Right Here Waiting, Willem Dafoe plays a B-movie star turned undead detective, ghosts do a soul train-style dance, a sandworm from one of Saturn's moons devours a supporting villain... those are just a few of the crazy moments this enormously fun (if overstuffed) sequel throws at us. This flick is barmy, and we are so here for it.
Alongside unlikely needle-drops and clever pop culture gags (look out for a particular homage to Carrie), this has all of the surreal Gothic playfulness that has made Tim Burton one of the most stylistically distinct directors of the modern era. This movie was a lovely reminder that, even if his filmography is wildly inconsistent, Burton is a force to be reckoned with at his best, and he's one of the only genuine auteurs working in today's studio system.