So imagine Batman battling the Scarecrow, when suddenly the villain manages to dose our hero with his newest concoction: a drug that doesn't just expose you to your fears, but also forces you to perceive yourself as the scariest thing you can imagine. Bruce Wayne then becomes a mish-mash of everything he fears: an undead clown who parties hard and can't help but try to destroy families. Then, right as Batman is overcome with the kind of existential terror that can only come from watching yourself transform into the things you hate and fear the most, he dies.
Which leaves us with the last question: Why the name change? Where does the name "Beetlejuice" come from? Well, as we can see in the movie, he actually spells it "Betelgeuse," like the star.
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It's his right shoulder.
Betelgeuse is a star in the constellation Orion. And Orion, according to legend, died when he was poisoned. By one of his enemies.
So here's what happened: A dose of Scarecrow's fear toxin turned Batman into the embodiment of his worst foe ever. Then he rose from the dead to terrorize the innocent as a vengeful poltergeist-for-hire ... forever. Okay, look, even if you don't buy our theory, please, somebody go write the script for this Batman movie.
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Find out the worst thing ever done to the Beetlejuice franchise in 6 Insane Sequels That Almost Ruined Classic Movies, and learn how Batman is a homicidal lunatic in The 6 Most Brutal Murders Committed by Batman.
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