What Happens If You Say Beetlejuice 3 Times? (& Why He Can’t Say His Name)

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Learn how to summon Beetlejuice

Co-authored by Josh Siegel and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: May 18, 2025 Fact Checked

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What if you say Beetlejuice 3 times?

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Summoning Beetlejuice

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Why can’t he say his name?

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Number 3 Symbolism

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FAQ

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Video

Tim Burton’s 1988 film Beetlejuice is a cult-classic. The whimsical American gothic horror comedy featured the “bio-exorcist” Betelgeuse (typically spelled Beetlejuice), a wandering ghost who appears under specific conditions. In this article, we explain everything that happens when you say his name three times, why he can’t say his own name, and more. Read on to learn everything you need to know about the whimsy, wandering poltergeist.

What does saying Beetlejuice three times do?

Saying Beetlejuice three times either summons him or banishes him, depending on where he is on the spiritual plane. If he’s in the afterlife and you say his name three times, he will appear in the real world. If he’s in the physical world already, saying his name three times will banish him back to the afterlife.

Section 1 of 5:

What happens when you say Beetlejuice 3 times?

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This all depends on Beetlejuice’s current location on the spiritual plane. He can’t enter the physical world by himself, but if you say his name 3 times, he will be able to. If you say his name 3 times while he’s in the physical world, he will return to the spirit realm. When he’s trapped in the spirit realm, Beetlejuice is only able to occupy symbolic spaces, like a newspaper ad or TV screen.

Section 2 of 5:

How to Summon Beetlejuice

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Say his name three times in a row. In order to summon Beetlejuice, you must say his name three times in a row. You can’t say any other words in between the summoning, or else it won’t work. For example, you can’t say “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, wherefore art thou, Beetlejuice?” You must say “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.” Once you do, he will appear in his full-sized form, ready to throw the physical world for a loop with his antics!
- Since Beetlejuice is a fictional character, you can’t actually summon him. But you can pretend like he’s there!
- Better yet, pull a prank on your friends by having someone dress up as Beetlejuice and hide, making your friends say his name three times, then having the person dressed up pop out and surprise them.

Section 3 of 5:

Why can’t Beetlejuice say his own name?

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There isn’t an official reason, but Beetlejuice says it’s to stay low profile. Although the film doesn’t provide a particular reason as to why Beetlejuice can’t say his own name, he tells Lydia that it’s because “if I tell you, you tell your friends, [then] your friends are calling me on the horn all the time, I gotta show up at shopping centers for openings and sign autographs and sh*t like that. And that makes my life a hell.”^{[1]
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- Some Reddit users believe he’s prevented from saying it by “greater powers” that keep him from easily tricking someone into summoning him.

Section 4 of 5:

Symbolism of the Number 3 in Beetlejuice

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The Beetlejuice film follows a “three times” rule for most of the spiritual antics. Not only do you say Beetlejuice’s name three times to summon him, but Barbara also says “home” three times to transfer back home, and the Maitlands draw a door and knock three times so they can enter the afterlife. Although the significance isn’t explained, it’s clear that the number 3 is powerful in the Beetlejuice mythology.
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In spirituality and religion, 3 represents joy, optimism, creativity, and totality. Three is an extremely popular number in spirituality. It’s associated with joy, optimism, the beauty all around us, and creativity. According to numerologist Josh Siegel, 3 is a divine number, as gods and goddesses are often represented in threes.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Josh Siegel
Numerologist

Expert Interview} In religions like Christianity and Hinduism, powerful spiritual deities like the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are represented in threes.
- The number 3 also represents totality, as it encompasses the past, present, and future.
- The number 3 is also associated with the devil, as 3 a.m. is considered the Devil’s Hour.
- The devil also tempted Jesus three times when he was in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights.
The number 3 is all over mythology, from genies only being able to grant you three wishes to the animals in fairy tales being paired in threes (like the three bears from Goldilocks to the three little pigs). Shakespeare used three witches in his classic tale of Macbeth, too, showing how much the number 3 represents and is intertwined with mythology, spirituality, and the supernatural.

Section 5 of 5:

Frequently Asked Questions

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No, Beetlejuice’s summoning doesn’t work like that. If you say his name more than three times in a row, nothing will happen. But if you say his name three times in a row, beware. He may be lurking in the physical realm thanks to you!
Yes, anyone can say Beetlejuice’s name three times. There isn’t a limit to who or what can say his name. As long as they can pronounce it, they can say it. To pronounce his name, say BEE-tell-joos.
Although his official age is unknown, Beetlejuice is at least 600 years old. When he’s first summoned, he explains that he lived through the Black Plague, which was around 1348-1350. Because the movie came out in 1988, that means Beetlejuice is at least 640 years old.
The new Beetlejuice movie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice follows Lydia (one of the main characters from the first film) and her daughter. Her daughter discovers a portal to the afterlife, bringing Beetlejuice back to their lives for more chaos.