Character Relationship Map: Beetlejuice

Characters

• Adam (played by Alec Baldwin) — protagonist

  Deceased architect, gentle ghost trying to protect his home from new owners.

• Barbara (played by Geena Davis) — protagonist

  Deceased homemaker, Adam's loving wife, struggles with ghostly existence.

• Lydia (played by Winona Ryder) — supporting

  Gothic teenager who can see the dead, becomes key to the Maitlands.

• Delia (played by Catherine O'Hara) — supporting

  Eccentric sculptor, Lydia's stepmother, obsessed with modern art.

• Maxie Dean (played by Robert Goulet) — supporting

  Greedy real estate agent who buys the Maitland house.

• Charles (played by Jeffrey Jones) — supporting

  Lydia's pragmatic father, Maxie's son, tries to manage family chaos.

• Jane Butterfield (played by Annie McEnroe) — minor

  Charles's mother, traditional and somewhat stern family matriarch.

• Betelgeuse (played by Michael Keaton) — supporting

  Alternate spelling for the chaotic bio-exorcist.

• Otho (played by Glenn Shadix) — supporting

  Lydia's high school classmate, somewhat awkward.

• Juno (played by Sylvia Sidney) — supporting

  Afterlife caseworker, strict and no-nonsense.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Charles → Maxie Dean (Professional Business Partner)

  Charles pitches a supernatural amusement park to investor Maxie Dean.

• Jane Butterfield → Barbara (Professional Real Estate Agent)

  Jane Butterfield pesters both Maitlands about selling their large country home.

• Jane Butterfield → Adam (Professional Real Estate Agent)

  Local real estate agent Jane Butterfield constantly pesters the Maitlands to sell their home.

• Delia → Otho (Professional Employer)

  Under the guidance of interior designer Otho Fenlock, Delia begins renovating the house.

• Juno → Betelgeuse (Professional Former Employer)

  Juno discourages the Maitlands from contacting Betelgeuse, her former assistant-turned-freelance bio-exorcist.

• Barbara → Juno (Professional Caseworker)

  Juno calls Barbara and Adam back to the afterlife office and berates them.

• Adam → Juno (Professional Caseworker)

  Their caseworker, Juno, arrives and discloses three months have passed.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Betelgeuse → Otho (Conflict Tormentor)

  Betelgeuse drives away Otho after saving the Maitlands.

• Betelgeuse → Delia (Conflict Terrorizer)

  Betelgeuse terrorizes the Deetzes including Delia during the snake attack.

• Betelgeuse → Charles (Conflict Terrorizer)

  Betelgeuse possesses the banister, transforming it into a giant snake, and terrorizes the Deetzes.

• Maxie Dean → Barbara (Conflict Skeptic)

  Maxie Dean demands proof from the Maitlands, who refuse to appear again.

• Maxie Dean → Adam (Conflict Skeptic)

  Maxie Dean demands evidence of paranormal occurrences, but the Maitlands refuse to manifest.

• Lydia → Otho (Social Classmate)

  Otho is described as Lydia's high school classmate, somewhat awkward.

• Lydia → Barbara (Alliance Ghost Friend)

  Lydia discovers the Maitlands inside the model and almost summons Betelgeuse for them.

• Lydia → Adam (Alliance Ghost Friend)

  Lydia can see the Maitlands and becomes their key ally in the living world.

Story Analysis

A deceased couple haunts their former home and summons a chaotic bio-exorcist to drive out the new living owners.

Plot Progression

1. Death and Discovery
2. The Deetzes Descend
3. Bio-Exorcist Unleashed
4. The Séance Disaster
5. Final Reckoning