Question: Why does Charles insist on referring to Delia as Lydia's mother, not stepmother? Even when he and Lydia are alone. (For example, the moment when he thinks Lydia is wearing one of the bedsheets, pretending to be a ghost.)
Answer: I think Delia actually is Lydia's mother, at least in this movie. They don't get along, so Lydia rebels by pretending that Delia is a stepmother.
Question: Otho says he was a paranormal researcher until "the bottom dropped out in '72." What does that mean - specifically, what happened in 1972?
Question: What ever happened to Maxi Dean and his wife after Beetlejuice hammered them up into the ceiling?
Answer: It's never explained. It's entirely possible they were both killed considering they were launched through the ceiling, since that would have likely caused catastrophic head injuries. But it's also possible that given the cartoonish nature of the film, they were just ejected out of the house. It's up for the viewer to decide. (I personally am leaning towards them being dead given how violent Beetlejuice is.)
I also wonder if they died, because they could go back to New York and tell others about their experience at the house. They are wealthy and probably have a good-sized social circle, so they could attract some attention to the town. Depending on what exactly Beetlejuice is planning (after he marries Lydia), he may not want that yet.
Answer: Charles is trying to force Lydia into accepting Delia as her mother, making his own life easier if his second wife and daughter get along. Lydia resents Delia and does not consider her as family, and certainly not as her mother.
raywest ★