The opening of the 81st Venice Film Festival , was certainly a memorable one as Winona Ryder and the rest of the " Beetlejuice Beetlejuice " cast kicked off proceedings.
Tim Burton, the mastermind behind the Hollywood sequel, reunited with key cast members from his 1988 horror-comedy, including Michael Keaton reprising his role as the titular ghoul, Catherine O'Hara, and Winona Ryder as Lydia, now a mother to her own moody teenager played by Jenna Ortega.
'Beetlejuice' fans old and new were delighted to see the cast back together again, and thought the reunion made all the more iconic thanks to the outfit Winona wore to the Venice Film Festival.
One eagle-eyed fan on X, formerly known as Twitter , pointed out how for every one of her attendances at the prestigious film festival, Winona, 52, has opted to wear a black dress, perhaps in a nod to the movie's gothic style.
They shared snaps showing Winona attending 'The Iceman' red carpet during The 69th Venice Film Festival at the Palazzo del Casino on August 30, 2012, rocking a fitted knee-length dress, which featured a flattering scooped neckline.
Another snap saw Winona with Michelle Pfeiffer at 'The Age of Innocence' premiere at the 50th Venice Film Festival in 1993. This time Winona wore a strappy, plunging gown, very en vogue for the time.
At the 2024 festival for the sequel premiere, Wynona arguably opted for her most gothic look to date, donning a long gown with a frilly neckline with a slit up the front of it. She also donned a tuxedo-style dress with a full skirt, which gave Wednesday Adams vibes, perhaps apt as she's starring in the new Beetlejuice film alongside Jenna Ortega, who has won critical acclaim for her role as the spooky teen.
Just hours ahead of the premiere, which saw Winona wow in her dresses, Burton declared "I'm not out to do a big sequel for money, I wanted to make this for very personal reasons."
He explained that he had become disenchanted with the film industry in recent years. 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' was the spark he needed to reignite his passion for filmmaking.
"I just realized if I'm going to do anything again, I just wanted to do it from my heart. Something that I wanted to do," Burton expressed. "It's a bit like the Lydia character. Sometimes your life takes a little bit of a turn, you go down a different path. I sort of lost myself a little bit."
The film arrives 36 years after audiences were first introduced to the Deetz family. Despite the original "Beetlejuice' being a hit - the tenth highest-grossing film of 1988 - and remaining a beloved classic, Burton confessed he never quite understood why it was such a success.
In fact, he didn't even watch it to prepare for this one. He remembered the spirit well enough.
"There are so few opportunities to be in something that you can say is 100% original and unique," Keaton, who plays the iconic character, humorously commented on his character's evolution to AP News.
"I think my character has matured," Keaton added. "As suave and sensitive as he was in the first, I think he's even more so in this one."
"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," set to hit theaters worldwide next week courtesy of Warner Bros. , may be a major Hollywood studio release, but it was crafted with a scrappy and improvisational energy that extended from the cast to the crew, who were often building puppets on the spot.
"It's not going to win any Academy Awards for special effects," Burton chuckled. "It doesn't matter. It's part of the DNA of the project."
The film sees Ryder's Lydia, now the host of a cheesy ghost-hunting television show, her stepmother Delia (O'Hara) and Ortega's Astrid returning to the old Winter River home after the death of Charles. Astrid is a reluctant presence: Her character is just as surly as Lydia was as a teen, but unlike her mother, she doesn't believe in ghosts.
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Ryder, who was 15 when she first played Lydia, found the experience of the sequel very similar even 30+ years later.
New faces gracing the Beetlejuice universe include Justin Theroux as Lydia's sleazy boyfriend and manager, Willem Dafoe taking on a role as a dead cop/actor, while Monica Bellucci haunts as a vengeful soul-sucking ghost with a score to settle against her ex, Beetlejuice.
Tellingly, Burton highlighted that everything in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' held a special place in his heart, from the evocative music to the nuanced tributes integrated to various cinematic classics and the "dumb movies" dear to him.
Set to electrify audiences outside of the competition, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" inaugurates a star-packed 10 days at the Venice Film Festival, which will dazzle with A-listers ranging from George Clooney and Brad Pitt to Lady Gaga and Angelina Jolie.
The festival is scheduled to entertain and intrigue until Sept. 7.
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