Beetlejuice 2 set hit by thieves conducting strange and unusual burglary
It's showtime for unusual thievery.
Thieves recently targeted the set of Beetlejuice 2 and made off with an iconic prop. An investigation from the Vermont State Police is currently underway after a lamppost and an art sculpture were stolen from the movie's set in East Corinth.
"The investigation is still ongoing and there are no additional updates at this time," police told EW on Monday.
The police tweeted on July 21 about the series of thefts, writing, "We tried saying the name of this stolen statue three times, but it didn't come back." They also shared photographs of the 150-pound sculpture that was part of the robbery, which fans of the 1988 original will recognize as one of Delia Deetz's (Catherine O'Hara) macabre creations that she is entrapped by twice in the film, first when movers struggle to get it in the house in the beginning and again later when Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) brings her art work to life.
State police received an initial report on July 14 that someone had driven a pickup truck up to a large lamppost topped with a distinctive pumpkin decoration, removed it, loaded it into the truck, covered it with a tarp and fled the scene at high speed. Three days later, a second theft was reported: a 150-pound abstract art statue was somehow lifted and stolen from the vicinity of the set's cemetery.
"We're investigating the theft of this 150-pound sculpture from the Beetlejuice 2 set in E. Corinth, along with a lamppost topped with a pumpkin decoration," the tweet reads. "Call 802-748-3111 with any info."
This isn't the first Hollywood set to be beset by thieves. Last year, antique props estimating nearly $200,000 in value were stolen from the set of The Crown. But it might be the first Hollywood theft that requires a handbook for the recently deceased.
Tim Burton is directing the sequel to his horror-comedy about a newly dead couple who enlist a devious "bio-exorcist" to help scare off the Deetz family who moved into their home. Keaton and O'Hara are both reprising their roles, while Winona Ryder is also set to return as Delia's daughter Lydia, who now has a daughter of her own played by Wednesday star Jenna Ortega.
The sequel film had been slated for a Sept. 6, 2024 release, but could get pushed back given the SAG-AFTRA strike.
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