How does beetlejuice have powers?

The Maitlands were able to transform themselves also, but the living couldn't see it.

Beetlejuice is some kind of ancient spirit, he cited the middle ages, AIR. There was something special in that. Maybe it was from the circumstances of his death, like if he was killed by the Inquisition, and has vengeance oriented powers, something like what Imhotep had in The Mummy (1999). He had the power of bio-exorcism, and so he could be visible to the living and do things related to bio-exorcism.

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The story is king.

He's not real. He has powers because it's a story and a character was written.

This movie does precious little to explain itself.

You just gotta roll with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z55W6ihUY-c
Moderators are terrorists.

It's a novie...

But they all had powers

The way it seemed to work... the dead/ghosts have powers. Remember when Adam gets excited when he tells Barbara, "We're ghosts!" It seemed a bit obvious how Adam & Barbara were new at the ghost magic. Beetlejuice had been around a LONG time (from his initial resources/interview as a bio-exorcist). So he knew a LOT more about the extent of ghost magic than the Maitlands did. What we don't know was how much magic there really was. The types of magic they could cast, cancel, transfigure, etc... Makes you wonder just what all was IN the Book for the Recently Deceased. Did it explain magic, how to do it, when to do it, and how to replete it. Wonder if that was half the reason they couldn't understand most of it. They went with what they knew, and put on bed sheets, but after seeing the OTHER SIDE, they finally use their imagination and disfigure their faces to freak out Lydia, but change their minds. I feel like there is so much more to this silly movie than meets the eye. That we could use a sequel, but NOT with the original cast... but still be in the SAME universe. Make it more on the 'horror' side of things and explain some of the ghost magic side of things too.

Now I do remember an NES Beetlejuice game... I never played it. It didn't look that great and I almost rented it back in the day. But the mechanics actually dealt with Beetlejuice using his magic to SCARE people, and I think the more people you scared, it may have replenished your magic/scare bar... not so sure. But the old game in no ways really explains the movie's logic.


3rd generation American from a long line of Gottscheers... it was Drandul, dude!

Beetlejuice

He probably knew how to use the powers better than anyone

Sylvia Sydney's character said he was her former assistant. She had powers of her own. They were both better than the Maitlands because of practice.