It all played out in glorious live-action. A sight to see. A spectacle to behold. It’s a shame that it’s only a remnant of the past now, but at least we have Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, right? After 36 years, moviegoers finally got to see the iconic (and mischievous) name on the big screen once more. Alongside some new cast members that were added to the mix, like Jenna Ortega and Justin Theroux, the Warner Brothers sequel was undoubtedly a success, becoming the second-biggest opening weekend of September 2024. But as much as Beetlejuice’s theatrical entries are the most memorable outings for the undeniable freelance poltergeist, there was a time when Universal Studios possibly made an even bigger event for the character by crossing him over with the Ghostbusters. Not once, but twice!
When you think about it, merging these two worlds makes a lot of sense. Beetlejuice is technically a troublesome ghost, and, well, the Ghostbusters are known to bust them. The first time this pop culture clash occurred was in 1991 in a well-choreographed street show called Streetbusters. Even though that was sadly shut down two years later, an updated version came about in the early 2000s called Extreme Ghostbusters: The Great Fright Way. Let’s look at the ’90s edition first and see just how the stage for this showdown was set into motion.
Making the Ghostbusters Sing and Dance
Remember how Adam and Barbara possessed Delia and her colleagues in the original 1988 movie? How they put on an endearing performance of Henry Belafonte’s “Day-O” song from 1956? This time around, Beetlejuice himself hilariously uses those same powers of bodily control in order to cleverly distract the four Ghostbusters from vaporizing him. The best part? These one-of-a-kind street shows (exclusively performed at Universal Studios Florida Theme Park) were graciously and innocently filmed by theme park attendees and are now available to watch for free on YouTube.
Exercising their rights to use both IPs and a New York Public Library branded backdrop, the event starts with Beetlejuice casually roaming, greeting guests in his own special way, and taking pictures with anyone who wants one. With the entire theme park captured in an early ’90s vibe, the Ecto-1 suddenly flashes its lights and roars down the street. The actor who plays Beetlejuice (Ken Harrington in this case) starts to more slyly interact with the audience, trying his best to blend in and not get noticed.
The infamous ghost tries fooling the team one step further by posing with them for a picture (along with a father from the crowd), but Egon Spandler picks him out with the help of his PKE meter. With the Universal Studios audience intensely watching, the Ghostbusters are about to capture him with their proton packs, but Beetlejuice quickly takes over their minds and bodies. Here comes the singing and dancing. But it’s not just “Day-O” — it’s so much more. There’s even an appearance from Slimer!
Creating a New Version 10 Years Later
Through his magic, the Ghostbusters are turned into a boy band and act out renditions of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (by Diana Ross) and “U Can’t Touch This” (by MC Hammer). The hysterical rendition comes to a close when Slimer — from his location inside the Ghostbusters’ station wagon — douses his green goo on BJ, rendering his spell useless. From behind a library pillar (not viewable to the audience), the Ghostbusters finally clash with Beetlejuice. Proton packs sizzle, lights flash, objects fly, and the team thinks they have finally captured him. We know that can’t be true because if a sandworm couldn’t eat him at the end of his first movie, the Ghostbusters certainly couldn’t contain him.
In 2002, Universal Studios decided to do it again, but this time, they incorporated the team from the animated series Extreme Ghostbusters. As seen most clearly from the YouTube channel The Universal Vault, a similar story played out in Extreme Ghostbusters: The Great Fright Way but with a few notable differences. Slimer was removed and never got to goop up Beetlejuice. In his place, many more songs were inserted into the Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters crossover, like “Oops, I Did It Again“ by Britney Spears, “Bye Bye Bye” by N’Sync, and “All Star“ by Smash Mouth (a lot of solid hits from the early 2000s, as you can tell).
Can Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters Work on the Big Screen?
The biggest difference, though, is that Beetlejuice is never inevitably caught by the Ghostbusters. Instead, both franchises suddenly realize that they can make good money (with BJ’s help) with this act and decide to take their singing gig on the road. Beetlejuice then asks the audience to buy some wacky t-shirts that promote their new band and yells out a website where they can buy CDs. As much as this spiritual successor to the original Beetlejuice was undoubtedly entertaining for those in attendance on those special nights, the fascinating recordings (that have now been uploaded to the internet for the world to see) also shed some light on what would happen if these two entities ever did meet each other on the big screen (possibly in a third Beetlejuice movie?)
Not only does Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters easily mesh when it comes to plot elements, but both of the original films relied on an abundance of practical effects. In an age where reboots and modern adaptations are all the craze, it would be nice to have a film that not only revisited two of the most iconic ’80s movies but also pays homage to the titles by doing it right. Of course, modern camera work and revised shooting techniques could bring a certain je ne sais quoi to Beetlejuice’s musical takeover of the Ghostbusters. Whether in the bustling, hustling setting of New York or the dingy depths of the Neitherworld, moviegoers would probably never want to go home. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in theaters now.
