The Headstrong Otho, The Lone Queer of ‘Beetlejuice’
For 36 years, people have been saying Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton, Michael Keaton, Michael Keaton) thrice. That’s kept him in the polterzeitgeist as the ghost with the most since 1988. Countless merch options, throwbacks, a Broadway musical, and a cartoon series (which is top-notch) have occurred due to those thrice repetitions. This September, we get the long-awaited sequel to further Beetlejuice’s adventures.
Throughout these past 36 years, there has always been a queer correlation to Beetlejuice. Search it out on the internet. From Lydia (Winona Ryder) to Beetlejuice himself, queerness in the franchise has been pondered (Although Beetlejuice’s queerness mostly comes from the stage musical). But how about the one queer character in the film? It ain’t Beetlejuice. It may be Lydia. But the lone queer of Beetlejuice is, for sure, Otho (Glenn Shadix).
On a recent rewatch, it struck me that I never actually saw Otho as queer. For sure, he has some of the qualities that Hollywood stereotypically placed upon its queers in the 80s: style, sass, and an association with weirdness. The idea that he was queer popped into my head before my recent rewatch, but I thought maybe it was totally coded. But nah, Otho is 100% definitely queer.
Also Read: The Lone Queer of George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead
We’ll start by noticing how he makes his entrance: through a window of the house that the Deetz’s just bought from the recently deceased Maitlands (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis). Is it weird to think that a window entrance is queer? Possibly. It could relate to him being from NYC, and window entrances are a thing there. I mean, I’ve entered a friend’s house through many an open window in the past, and I’m queer, so I could relate.
I digress.
A lot can be said about Otho’s determination and appreciation for life, and eventually, the afterlife. That appreciation for life can be seen through his multiple career paths: chemist, hair analyst, a product of NYC’s Living Theatre, and eventually, NYC’s leading paranormal investigator. Perhaps it’s reading too much into who he is, but Otho’s plethora of life paths functions as a metaphor for attempting to find himself in life. The fact that there’s an assumption that he succeeded in each of those aspects says a lot about Otho’s determination. Or, at least, his willingness to continue to fit into any aspect of life that he can grasp onto. Again, as a queer myself, I can relate.
After Otho gracefully enters the Deetzs’ new house, he and Delia (Catherine O’Hara) walk through the house, discussing how they can make the countryside house more fashionable, more NYC. Their banter back and forth is full of shade, quips, and hilarity. It’s a montage of a queer and his bestie doing what they do best within a film. This absolutely falls in line with the lone queer of a horror film being the best friend.
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Otho’s sexuality is never explicitly mentioned within the film. Not that it has to be. There are a few moments throughout that do make note of his sexuality. None of them are relatively positive. They’re just digs from other characters. The first comes during the dinner party prior to the infamous haunted dance sequence. The Deetzs invite some very powerful people over to their house to basically make plans to take over the town. One of those individuals is Beryl (Adelle Lutz). Beryl and Otho are constantly at each others’ throats. When it is revealed that Otho was one of the leading paranormal researchers within NYC, Beryl responds with, “Paranormal? Is that what they’re calling your kind, these days?”
Oop. That’s absolutely a dig at Otho’s sexuality, right? It’s the 80s. Even the wealthy elite from NYC can’t help but be a little homophobic. Bless Otho, though, for his response of, “Don’t mind her. She’s still upset because somebody dropped a house on her sister,” is one of the best 80’s queer comebacks that could have been given. There is a very awkward afterwards consisting of Delia laughing nervously, and a very quick subject change.
That subject change comes via Lydia mentioning the ghosts in the house. The first person to have an interest in her subject is Otho. It’s the queer hearing the weird. Of course, this is when the “Day-O” scene occurs, cutting both Lydia and Otho off during their queer experience conversation. Very on-brand for the 80s. There’s no denying the dance scene is everything, but what if there had been a deeper conversation before the shrimp monster hands exploded out of their dishes? Definitely not comedic territory for the 80s, but one can only wonder where that convo could have gone.
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Even Lydia gets in her homophobic digs with Otho later in the film. When Otho offers his help to exorcize Beetlejuice, Lydia responds with, “Wait, Otho, what am I worried about? You can’t even change a tire”—an obvious remark on his lack of masculinity. We won’t blame Lydia for this, though. She’s a teenager growing up in a homophobic 80s world. However, her own social status should reflect a more accepting stance, especially when Otho was the only one willing to initially listen to her when it came to the haunting of their residence.
Digs at Otho’s sexuality doesn’t stop with that. Beetlejuice jumps in on that train not once, but twice. Within the film, Beetlejuice is chaotically macho, coming on to women—underage women, at that—every chance that he gets. When it comes to tormenting Otho, he takes a very pseudosexual route. When Beetlejuice turns into the stairwell snake, he smacks Otho on the ass, which sends Otho tumbling down the stairs.
During the film’s final act, Beetlejuice uses force and slight violence against the Deetz and Maitland families. When it comes to Otho, he switches out Otho’s black ensemble for a periwinkle ensemble, resulting in Otho screaming, and running out, never to be seen, again. How very 80s again to use fashion against the queer character. Also how very 80s to bully the queer character based on stereotypical aspects. Otho exits the film almost as he enters the film: tumbling and screaming.
Also Read: The Surprising Queer Representation In ‘Someone’s Watching Me!’ [The Lone Queer]
One can’t write about Otho, the character, without mentioning the person who portrayed him. Glenn Shadix was a gay man. He was an out gay man during the 80s. Another iconic 80s role that he is remembered for is Father Ripper in 1988’s Heathers. He would continue to work alongside Tim Burton in The Nightmare Before Christmas (Mayor) and Planet of the Apes (Senator Nado). He experienced a very fulfilling career in TV, film, and stage. But he also knew a little about queer trauma throughout his life. He survived a stint in queer conversion therapy when he was younger which lead to suicidal moments throughout his life. I hope that his time throughout his career alleviated this past trauma. Aside from Otho, I’ll always remember him as Lionel Spalding in 1994’s Dunston Checks In.
Sadly, Glenn passed away in 2010. With Otho and his other roles throughout his career, he left a legacy that isn’t often respected and lifted within the community. So here’s a moment of appreciation for what he gave us.
Thank you, Glenn. Here’s to you for portraying Otho, an iconic queer character in 80s film history. Headstrong, influential, and maybe just a little bit antagonistic, Otho is one of the early messy queer characters within queer film history. Oh, how I wish you were around to make an absolutely iconic return in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Categorized:Editorials
