Lydia’s new career in Beetlejuice 2 serves as an excellent callback to a character from Tim Burton’s underappreciated biopic from 1994, which still holds his highest score on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite picking up well over 30 years later, the returning cast and characters in Beetlejuice 2 don’t seem too different from their appearances in Tim Burton’s 1988 original movie. This is certainly the case for Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz, who still maintains her gothic edge and style while now being the mother to a teenage daughter of her own in the 2024 sequel.

New details about Beetlejuice 2 reveal that after becoming a surrogate daughter to Adam Baldwin and Geena Davis’ Adam and Barbara Maitland in the 1988 horror-comedy, Lydia Deetz has turned her gift into a career as an adult. In Beetlejuice 2, Lydia is the host of an afterlife-related investigative TV talk show, with the film’s synopsis describing her as a “paranormal empath.” With her costumes, style, and horror TV horror hosting gig, Lydia Deetz is greatly reminiscent of a character from Tim Burton’s 1994 drama movie inspired by real horror filmmakers from the 1950s.

Lydia’s Ghost Show In Beetlejuice 2 Mirrors Vampira In Tim Burton’s Ed Wood

Lydia Deetz is very reminiscent of Ed Wood’s Vampira

It’s difficult to see Lydia Deetz hosting a ‘50s-style paranormal TV show and not think back to Tim Burton’s 1994 movie Ed Wood. Frequently regarded as the best Tim Burton movie yet, Ed Wood won two Academy Awards as it documented the life and career of the titular director, who was best known for making cult classic sci-fi and horror B-movies in the 1950s, as well as his friendship with actor Bela Lugosi. One notable character featured in the movie is Vampira, aka Maila Nurmi, the real-life host of the 1954 series The Vampira Show.

Thirty years later, Beetlejuice 2’s Lydia emulates Ed Wood’s Vampira with her new horror talk show hosting gig. However, Vampira wasn’t using a gift to see and speak with ghosts in her show, which seems to be the basis for Lydia’s Ghost House with Lydia Deetz talk show. Still, given how similar Lydia looks to Vampira and her successor, Elvira, it wouldn’t be surprising if Tim Burton included a more direct nod to Ed Wood’s TV host character in the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel.

Why Ed Wood Is Still Tim Burton’s Highest-Rated Movie On Rotten Tomatoes

Ed Wood has a 92% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Although Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and Batman are among the most recognizable and beloved Tim Burton movies, they don’t hold his highest score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Rather, that accomplishment goes to his 1994 biopic Ed Wood. The Johnny Depp-starring film boasts a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes, besting Edward Scissorhands’ 90% rating by a close margin. Part of why Ed Wood is his highest-rated movie is that Burton didn’t actually direct The Nightmare Before Christmas, which holds his highest producer score at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Furthermore, Ed Wood is arguably Burton’s greatest showcase of filmmaking with his black-and-white medium, stellar cast performances, and love letter to Hollywood outcasts excelling in horror and sci-fi. Ed Wood sees Burton relate his passion for Wood’s movies and the genre in more depth than many of his other film subjects. The entertainment value, industry significance, poignancy, and evocative nature of Ed Wood elevates many of the best parts of Burton’s stylistic accomplishments in Edward Scissorhands only four years prior.

Beetlejuice 2 will be released in theaters on September 6, 2024.