When it comes to ghostly problems, none handle these situations better than the Ghostbusters. Whether as a team or on their own, each member brings paranormal knowledge and comedic timing to otherwise terrifying situations better than any average person. Since their inception, the team has yet to meet their match, but perhaps that could come in the form of a spirit from a totally different universe. Beetlejuice isn’t like any other spirit from the Ghostbusters series. However, his business as an exorcist for ghosts gives him certain qualities that make him a nightmare for anyone caught in his sight. But when facing down the Ghostbusters, could he get the better of the four heroes, or will he join the many ghosts caught in their traps before him?
The Ghostbusters’ Strengths and Weaknesses
The Ghostbusters consist of Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore. Each member brings a certain skill that the others can’t provide that helps make each teammate integral. For example, Egon is more scientific while Ray mixes his scientific knowledge with the spiritual. By doing so, the team can construct state-of-the-art ghost trapping tools like their proton packs, which lasso ghosts. Since their first job, they’ve tackled ancient gods, evil spirits trapped in paintings and a giant Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
While the team works well together, they have weaknesses that make them susceptible to certain ghostly offenses. For example, they are as fit as an average adult male and lack supernatural abilities. They also have to contend with carrying cumbersome machinery, making them struggle to move quickly. They also have no immunities to supernatural enchantments, like in Ghostbusters II when the slime nearly has Ray, Winston and Egon kill each other. But the one thing that ghosts have over the team is that they are already dead. Therefore, if a spirit wants to play for keeps, the Ghostbusters must be even more careful.
Beetlejuice’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Though it’s never explained how long he’s been around, it’s implied that Beetlejuice has been a spirit for a very long time. As a result, he’s become adept with the many benefits that come from being a ghost. To pass the time, he’s made a business out of his skills by being a bio-exorcist for spirits who don’t want humans living in their homes. All the conjurer has to do is say his name three times, and he will appear. When given the green light, Beetlejuices uses a plethora of powers at his disposal, including possession, shapeshifting, teleportation, conjuring items and making them sentient like the Deetz’s statues in the film. He can also change an environment at will through magic, even creating tests of strength to send the Deans up through the roof.
Beetlejuice is not only powerful; he’s nearly unbeatable. The living can conjure him, but once he has a job, he doesn’t easily abandon it. He also desires to escape the spirit world and join the living, hence why he tries to marry Lydia Deetz. With nothing to lose and an immense apathy for anyone around him, beating him is formidable. That being said, it’s not impossible as the film shows that he has a crippling fear of sandworms. Should one appear, Beetlejuice will likely feel overwhelmed and unfocused just as the creature devours him, like in the movie.
Winner: Ghostbusters
For the Ghostbusters to win, they will likely have to take many risks to outsmart the bio-exorcist. It’s fair to assume that as the team assesses what they are dealing with, Beetlejuice would possess one of their own. That being said, this isn’t the first time this has happened; Ray has been possessed by Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters II. By knocking the host out, they could lure Beetlejuice into a trap as he goes for another body, locking him in with a proton pack. At this point, it would be no problem sending him into a trap and locking him away for good. Granted, Beetlejuice may create monsters or illusions in his favor, but the Ghostbusters have beaten gods and know just how mischievous ghosts can be.
About The Author