Editorials
‘Beetlejuice 2’ – We Visited the East Corinth, Vermont Filming Location of Tim Burton’s Sequel
In 1988, Tim Burton turned the quiet village of East Corinth, Vermont into Winter River, Connecticut for Beetlejuice. 35 years later, the filmmaker returned for Beetlejuice 2. While the majority of filming took place in London, the exteriors of the original filming locations were recreated in East Corinth for two days of on-location shooting. After it wrapped, fans — myself included — flocked to the quaint town to experience Winter River in person.
Burton originally chose East Corinth after stumbling on postcards featuring scenic photos of the area while location scouting for Beetlejuice throughout New England. According to locals, the studio wanted him to recreate the necessary locations on a sound stage for Beetlejuice 2, but Burton insisted on returning to the original site.
The town hasn’t changed all that much over the years, but the production experience certainly has. While those who were around for the original Beetlejuice shooting recall the cast and crew freely interacting with the locals, news of the sequel spread fast on social media, resulting in an onslaught of tourists hoping for a glimpse of Hollywood. The production used the fake working title Blue Hawaii, perhaps a nod to the scrapped ’90s sequel Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian as well as Star Wars: Return of the Jedi‘s well-known working title, Blue Harvest.
Burton was joined in East Corinth by Beetlejuice 2 stars Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, and Jenna Ortega as well as Burn Gorman (Pacific Rim, The Dark Knight Rises), who has not been formally announced as part of the cast but was spotted on set. The Ghost with the Most himself, Michael Keaton, was not present, nor were co-stars Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe.
The iconic Deetz residence is situated atop a hill overlooking the town. The façade was recreated where the original once stood. Since it’s located on private property, it was inaccessible to fans but could still be seen from a distance. The sequel finds the home shrouded in sheer black drapery for a post-funeral sequence in which the house itself is in mourning. O’Hara and Ryder were present for the scene, as was Delia’s sculpture from the original film.
Samson Zilic, a Massachusetts-based aspiring actor who worked as an extra in the scene, tells me, “It was very organized and professional. Tim Burton was hands-on and amazing to watch. We were on top of a hill in beautiful Vermont. It was a great atmosphere to be in.” It was O’Hara’s final scene for the film, with Burton and Ryder celebrating her wrap with hugs while the rest of the cast and crew gave her a round of applause. She graciously responded by recognizing the importance of the background actors.
Janai Planck, owner of Corinth’s Winter River Glampground — its name an homage to the location’s Beetlejuice roots — also worked as an extra. Despite the long hours and out-of-season wardrobe in 90° heat, the experience was worthwhile. “To have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand in the midst of such incredible talent was something I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. The cast and crew were all incredibly kind, patient, funny, and down-to-earth. They treated us very well, and we all tried hard to exceed their expectations.”
Maitland Hardware is no more in Beetlejuice 2, with a new façade for Rewind Coffee Roasters now standing in its place. The shop’s advertised offerings include coffee, tea, smoothies, shakes, and “Frulacto” vegan yogurt. Pammy’s Pet Parlour has replaced Old Bill’s barber shop next door. The fire department, church, and Jane Butterfield’s Real Estate & Travel Agency remain in the surrounding area, along with the new addition of Winter River Vintage.
All of the locations, along with several neighboring houses, were decorated for Halloween. Indeed, at least a portion of Beetlejuice 2 will be set on Halloween, including a trick-or-treating sequence that was filmed at night in East Corinth. Not unlike John Carpenter’s Halloween, the crew was equipped with bags of brown leaves to make the summer season look more like fall. Eagle-eyed viewers may be able to spot a pumpkin carved to resemble The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ Jack Skellington in the window of the vintage store.
Brandon, an aspiring local filmmaker who was hired as a security guard, was tasked with keeping spectators off the set. “A lot of the locals have been coming together to engage with all of this. There’s been a lot of community around it. It’s been really cool to see. You never expect these cinema legends to pop up in East Corinth, a town that’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s an incredible experience for all of us.” He adds, “It’s like one big celebration of not just Beetlejuice but East Corinth as a town itself.”
Down the street is Miss Shannon’s School for Girls, which Lydia Deetz attended in the first film. A permanent landmark, the 101-year-old schoolhouse had served as a Masonic lodge for decades until last year, when it was purchased by Beetlejuice super-fan Kendall Gendron with the goal of renovating it into a nonprofit community center, event venue, and Beetlejuice museum. It will make another appearance in Beetlejuice 2, complete with a new sign out front identical to the original.
“The shoot was a surreal experience. I got to be an integral part of the shooting of the sequel to my favorite film,” says Gendron. “I have a lifelong love affair with Beetlejuice, which is why I moved to East Corinth, why I hustled for two years to purchase a piece of its history, and why I ultimately named my nonprofit [Miss Shannon’s School House] after the school in the film. I’m hoping they let me keep the sign for my future museum!”
Just around the corner from downtown is the red-covered bridge where the Maitland’s plummeted to their death in Beetlejuice. The original bridge cover has been relocated to the nearby Northeast Slopes, where it’s been repurposed for storage, so a new one was constructed for the sequel. The speed limit posted on the nearby “Welcome to Winter River” sign has been adjusted from 30 miles per hour in the original to 15 for the sequel, perhaps due to the Maitlands’ fatal crash.
Jerry Coles, who documents horror movie filming locations via the Instagram account Famous Horror & Film Locations, utilized his airline job for an impromptu flight from England to visit East Corinth. “I really wanted to come here. I read other peoples’ comments online saying they were going to tear it down. I had four days off, so I jumped on a plane and came over. It’s amazing. It’s like walking into the film.”
In addition to the funeral, trick or treating, and school scenes, additional footage shot in East Corinth included Jenna Ortega (along with her stunt double) riding a bicycle through town and a driving sequence with Gorman.
Epic Film Guys podcast co-host Justin Esquivel drove nine hours from Vermont to visit the locations. “To walk the sets early in the morning with a very Tim Burton-like heavy fog roaming in the air gave the perfect atmosphere to take it all in with my own two eyes. After all of these years of hoping and waiting for a Beetlejuice sequel, knowing it’s finally happening and being able to see the experience, it all was a dream come true.”
Massachusetts native Nick Rodolosi has been a Beetlejuice fan since seeing the original in theaters as a child, going so far as to get a large tattoo dedicated to the film. “I was a kid who wore a lot of black, so I vibed very well with Winona Ryder’s character. The aesthetic, the characters, I loved it. I definitely wanted to see the locations. Fans were giving each other advice on where to go for the best views and helping each other out with pictures. It’s nice to see a big community for the movie itself.”
The SAG-AFTRA strike brought Beetlejuice 2‘s production to a halt after two days in East Corinth. While the general consensus is that shooting was completed in the area, additional filming was being prepared in the Boston suburb of Melrose, Massachusetts. I stopped by the location to find a dilapidated treehouse in a gnarled tree that screams “Tim Burton.”
The East Corinth sets have already started coming down and will be completely removed by the end of the month. Unfortunately, reports of theft of props have dampened the experience for the production and locals alike. If you plan to venture to the location, please be respectful. (I also recommend getting a cartoonishly large Italian sub from East Corinth General Store.)
Beetlejuice 2 is scheduled to haunt theaters on September 6, 2024, although the ongoing strikes could delay its release. Until then, you can enjoy more of my photos below. Perhaps if we all say his name three times, it’ll be showtime for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
College kids, strippers and vampires—those were Donald P. Borchers’ only requirements when he approached Richard Wenk about writing and directing a movie for New World Pictures. As requested, Wenk cooked up Vamp (1986), a tailor-made blend of the decade’s teen movie craze as well as its horror boom.
Grim and earnest stories were still very much a part of the ’80s horror landscape, yet Vamp is something of a comedy. One difference between it and, say, Saturday the 14th, though, is the former avoids using schtick. Wenk’s movie proves that horror comedies also don’t have to subtract thrills from their recipes. Of course, it takes a minute before reaching that point; college antics and culture shocks preface this one macabre misadventure.
Vamp‘s initial setup is apt for a typical college-set, sex-driven comedy; to bribe their way into a fraternity house, two pledges (Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler) go looking for some adult entertainment. Without wasting time on any further exposition, the characters embark on an all-in-one-night trip that quickly detours into terror.
To procure their elusive MacGuffin—a stripper willing to gyrate for some frat boys—Keith (Makepeace) and AJ (Rusler), plus a third wheel named Duncan (Gedee Watanabe), trade the safety of their remote college campus for the seediness of some unnamed city. The setting is recognizably L.A. by day, but as soon as night falls, downtown, along with the characters, slips into a kind of surreal universe. Director of photography Elliot Davis gave this early entry on his prolific résumé an unusual yet distinctive look; that Mario Bava-esque, magenta-green lighting is omnipresent, so much so that it’s almost its own character.
Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler in Vamp
The faint comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s After Hours are merited, although not just because of Vamp’s distinguishing nighttime aesthetic. Save for the primary characters, the supporting roles in Wenk’s movie are also quite colorful and transactional in their behavior. The difference here, though, is the additional urge to ruin Keith and his friends at every turn. Some of that harm is humorous and tolerable enough, whereas the moment Vamp dishes out its first fatality, it’s abundantly clear how this movie qualifies as horror.
Vamp falls into that category of horror movie that reveals its genre with a scream rather than a series of whispers. The opening scene can function as a hint of what lies ahead—things are not at all what they appear to be—but otherwise, Wenk is more than happy to hold off on the horror. When that time does come, though, it catches the viewer off guard. In addition to the pure shock value is that sudden decision to upend the movie’s foremost feature. Or so it would seem.
If afraid of major spoilage, those new to Vamp would be wise to stop reading here. There’s just no skirting around the fact that the central fellowship in this buddy movie hits a serious snag when AJ is killed. That development causes the story to become more of a “long, bad night” journey for Keith and his romantic interest. So while Wenk scores points for subverting expectations, there is also a touch of sadness in his decision. Because if Vamp does anything well, it’s making the characters likable.
Something that comes easily to Vamp—and other teen horror movies from this same era—is its ability to invent young characters worth caring about, or at the very least, are interesting and not so immediately off-putting. More impressive is how Wenk did all this without actually fleshing out those characters. Still and all, Keith and his kind are a grade above cookie-cutter, and in some cases, aren’t completely devoid of growth.
Grace Jones in Vamp
Vamp appeals with an assorted cast of characters. No two are the same, nor are they operating on the same wavelength. The cinematically extroverted AJ, whose actor conveyed charm and vulnerability in near equal amounts, comes alive when he’s at his most undead. Makepeace then makes the chronically cautious Keith a sympathetic fellow, even as he’s more and more affected by the night’s bizarre events. Meanwhile, Duncan is indeed the designated loser of the whole bunch, but Watanabe still manages to humanize him. As a bonus, the role didn’t require him to pull a Long Duk Dong.
As for Dedee Pfeiffer, she is plain adorable as the mysterious After Dark server nicknamed “Amaretto”. She spends all night fixing her dress strap while at the same time trying to get Keith to remember how he knows her. As their offbeat romance grows, it becomes another highlight of this movie. Whether or not Pfeiffer’s character is really a vampire also creates some welcome tension in the story.
Like a lot of its contemporaries, Vamp went on to become a bit of a cult classic. That current status is determined by several factors, but without a doubt, the casting of Grace Jones is the most considerable. The image of her writhing on that unique-looking chair, a Keith Haring original, springs to mind whenever this movie is brought up.
Chris Makepeace, Billy Drago and Paunita Nichols in Vamp
Prior to that first display of unequivocal horror, local vampire queen Katrina (Jones) took to the stage and delivered a strip show like no other. One would expect nothing less from that renowned model and performance artist. By now reports of Jones’ tardiness on set are no secret, yet it’s also hard to deny her commitment to the part of Katrina. It was, in fact, Jones who took charge of her character’s appearance—on top of Haring painting her body and that now-iconic chair, she had Andy Warhol handle her costuming. And not too many actors could seize a room’s attention without saying a single line of dialogue.
In 2022, Vamp received a retrospective novelization from Encyclopocalypse. This literary union of preexisting source material—Wenk’s original screenplay—and new ideas from author Christian Francis amounts to a more comprehensive visit to the After Dark Club. The basic story there is no different than what’s shown on screen; however, Francis gets creative with the characters’ origins and designs, and he enhances a number of key scenes.
The novelization expands on the urban and social decay of the main setting, and supplies a background for the After Dark Club. Sandy Baron’s character, Katrina’s emcee and familiar, is given ample motivation for sticking around; up until the fiery end, he is loyal to his friend and former business partner “Squeak”, who looks like he was “fed through a combine harvester, and left as nothing more than a heap of mangled remains”. Then there is Billy Drago’s character Snow, the leader of a street gang called The Dragons. His reason for menacing Keith and AJ is more altruistic than in the movie; he and his peers act tough to scare off any potential food for the vampires.
Lisa Lyon in Vamp
If not for all the backstories, Francis’ Vamp would be a hell of a lot shorter. Instead, this tie-in read dives into how AJ met Keith—the orphaned Anthony Joseph hailed from a broken home back in Brooklyn—and how their friendship flourished over the years. Keith’s archership is no longer just an assumed part of his entire being; it’s a confidence-building extracurricular for a boy who got picked on before coming into the protection of the new kid in town. These supplemental, in-depth looks at the protagonists, plus their close connection, are maybe unnecessary. The movie already did a fair and concise job of addressing their platonic intimacy without the need for flashbacks and insights, specifically in that scene where AJ lays it all out as he sacrifices himself.
Where the novelization gets off course is its approach to the minor characters. Intermittently backstorying the likes of Katrina’s indentured servants, Seko (Leila Hee Olsen) and Vlad (Brad Logan), ends up disturbing the flow of the writing. Was it absolutely essential that readers know Vlad was the Grand Duke of the House of Romanov, or how Snow’s accomplice Maven (Paunita Nichols) became so dentally challenged? No, not really. However, one’s mileage with these random biographies may vary.
The novelization is a more substantial experience, but for a movie like Vamp, less is more. And as plentiful as they are, it never simply coasts on its campy charms, either. The character work sits comfortably in that realm between cursory and meticulous, the script is sharper than first realized, and Greg Cannom’s vampire makeup is straightforward yet effective. Most of all, the movie didn’t squander its out-of-the-box concept. Richard Wenk made his vision of a “comic nightmare in which just about anything that can go wrong does” come true, and it is very enjoyable.
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