Beetlejuice Beetlejuice finds Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) returning to her haunted childhood home with her resentful teen daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), in tow. Clearly, the pair have a strained relationship. A trailer for the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel provides the first clues as to why that may be the case.

Winona Ryder’s recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar confirmed that Lydia’s husband died in a fishing accident before the events of the sequel. Astrid’s annoyance with her mother goes beyond teen angst. She is a child grieving for her father with a mother who appears to be a bit checked out. Lydia is more preoccupied with her show and communicating with the dead than caring for her child.

Beetlejuice 2 Confirms Astrid Doesn’t Believe in Lydia’s “Gift” After Being Unable to Contact Her Dead Father

Astrid’s Journey Mirrors Her Mother’s From The Original Film

Astrid (Jenna Ortega) standing next to a hanging ghost in a school uniform in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) pensive in the cemetery in Beetlejuice 2 Winona Ryder as Lydia talking to Jenna Ortega as Astrid in Beetlejuice 2 Astrid (Jenna Ortega) with a look of fright is taken by the arms by two guards in Neverworld in Beetlejuice 2
 Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz looking up at the camera in Beetlejuice 2Astrid (Jenna Ortega) standing next to a hanging ghost in a school uniform in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) pensive in the cemetery in Beetlejuice 2
Winona Ryder as Lydia talking to Jenna Ortega as Astrid in Beetlejuice 2 Astrid (Jenna Ortega) with a look of fright is taken by the arms by two guards in Neverworld in Beetlejuice 2 Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz looking up at the camera in Beetlejuice 2

Astrid does not believe in her mother’s ability to communicate with the dead. This appears to relate to the fact that Lydia has been unable to contact the person who would mean the most to their family. Astrid lost her father to a tragic and unexpected accident, and her mother is seemingly focused on telling people that she can talk to the dead instead of consoling her child. This places Astrid in a similar position to Lydia in the 1988 Beetlejuice.

In the original film, Lydia Deetz is a sarcastic teenager who loses her mother and has a father and stepmother who ignore her. This leads to her finding comfort in the attic of her home and the ghosts who inhabit it. Making Astrid deal with something similar, a detached parent following the death of her other parent, nicely connects the two films.

Why Is Lydia’s Contact “Alleged Mom” In Astrid’s Phone

It Signifies The Status Of Their Relationship

Beetlejuice 2 Astrid Phone Alleged Mom

As a teenager, Astrid naturally wants to establish an identity separate from her mother. Their relationship, however, appears to be particularly strained because Lydia has gained attention as a woman who can speak to the dead. Astrid does not want to be associated with this because she believes her mother to be a fraud.

The “Alleged Mom” name saved in Astrid’s phone represents the issues between the two. Astrid questions Lydia’s commitment to being a parent following her dad’s death. Astrid views Lydia as a fraud in all aspects of her life, both as a medium and a mother. This tension sets up the film’s through-line and, hopefully for the pair, the eventual reconciliation at the end of the movie.

Astrid and Lydia’s complex dynamic adds emotional depth to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice while harkening back to Lydia’s complex relationship with her family in Beetlejuice in the original movie. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will hopefully allow the two characters to see how their experiences mirror one another. Plus, this particular storyline should help ground a film so tied to the supernatural.