Beetlejuice

Spooky Pinball, 2025 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

Open Beetlejuice in the Pinball Genie app →

Beetlejuice is Spooky Pinball's 2025 standard-width machine designed by Luke "Spooky Luke" Peters and Corwin "Bug" Emery, based on the 1988 Tim Burton film. It ships as a Collector's Edition (999 units) alongside a standard edition; the two differ only in trim (armor, glass, topper, dust cover), not in rules. The headline gimmick is SpookySpeak voice control — the first pinball machine with voice controls — but it lives on the optional topper and is never required to play; every voice action has an Action-Button equivalent. Documentation for this recent machine is still filling in: multiballs and modes are well understood, but playfield-multiplier math, end-of-ball bonus, and the top wizard mode remain unconfirmed.

Layout

Three flippers — two lower plus a full-size upper-right flipper that services the "Waiting Room" upper playfield. Reading roughly clockwise: Left Orbit (figure-8s to the upper flipper), Left Ramp with the physical Dante's Inferno roulette wheel, the Spinner (feeds pops/Juno Scoop), three pop bumpers, the upper-left Juno Scoop, the center Polaroid Camera targets and Center (multiplier) Scoop with 1-2-3-4-5 inserts, the motorized Sandworm guarded by an Attack-from-Mars-style wall-target bank, the dual-lift Right Ramp (up = couch lock, down = loopable), the Handbook target, the convertible Right Orbit / Deadend vari-target with a drop target, the Beetlejuice captive-ball sculpt, and the Mystery (coffin) Scoop. Up top sit the Afterlife Couch ball lock, the Upper Loop (Knock inserts), and the Waiting Room standups/scoop/orbit. A Magna-Save magnet between the lower flippers auto-rescues outlane and center drains, making the game unusually forgiving.

Skill shots

The Standard Skill Shot rewards releasing the plunge on a lit value and feeds the right flipper; a miss is auto-caught by the magnet without spending a save. The Super Skill Shot — the only chain the code scores as a true "combo" — asks you to immediately hit Left Ramp -> Right Ramp -> Spinner while lit.

Modes (the purple stack)

All eight Beetlejuice modes use one flow: shoot purple-lit shots three times to light Mode Start, cycle to your pick with the Mode Change switch and press Launch to lock it, then shoot the Right Orbit to start. Documented modes: As Seen on TV (7 easy shots then the captive ball), Grave Dig (scoops -> headstone -> ramps -> orbit), Day-O Dinner Party (timed; the machine takes the flippers; switch hits build a multiplier), Head Shrink, Charades, Beetle Snake (3 pops, 30 spins, 3 ramps), 'Til Death (blue shots; spinner raises multiplier, right ramp raises shot value), and Otho's Seance (start and finish at the Handbook target). Modes cannot be started during a multiball. The Juno/Waiting Room chain runs Take a Number (Juno Scoop) -> Advance Counter -> Now Serving.

Multiballs

• Afterlife Couch / Now Serving (3-ball, easiest): loop the Upper Loop to light locks, lock 3 on the Right Ramp; green shots for jackpots, Knock loop builds value, re-lock for the Super at Spinner/Juno.
• Strange and Unusual (2-ball): inlanes light the Camera targets, hit each to start, shoot ramps for jackpots, complete flashing sets to add a ball.
• It's Showtime: spell S-H-O-W-T-I-M-E on yellow shots (only available when a mode is qualified but not started), start at the Right Orbit, then ricochet a locked ball off the Right Orbit Drop Target into the vari-target for the Strength Test Super Jackpot (first one adds a ball).
• Sandworm Battle: bash the wall targets, lower the wall, shoot the mouth to deplete its health bar (battles include Gut Punch, Sharp Shooter, Walk With Rhythm).

Multipliers, toys, and awards

Returning Souls is the playfield multiplier: pops spawn Lost Souls, returned via lit shots to briefly raise the X shown on the Center Scoop's 1-5 inserts (values/duration TBD). A separate bonus multiplier is fed by the upper-right Waiting Room standups (exact mechanics unconfirmed). The Dante's Inferno Wheel (Left Ramp) awards Super Pops/Ramps/Spinner/Worm at 5x, Extra Ball, points, or "You Lose." The Mystery/coffin scoop grants Lite Lock, points, Advance Now Serving, Lite Ball Save, or the Shooting Gallery video mode. Magna-Save re-qualifies at the Handbook target.

Wizard

Singing in the Stairwell is the documented mini-wizard multiball, lit by completing 2 modes or starting 4; it has built-in add-a-balls and a Super Jackpot at the Juno Scoop collected with the Action Button. A top-tier wizard mode and the Scare-o-meter remain undocumented.

Strategy

The strong opener is the Super Skill Shot into 1-2 Wheel spins for guaranteed value, then the Upper Loop to light the easy Couch multiball, tapping upper standups for bonus X along the way. Big scores come from stacking a brief Returning Souls playfield X and a Wheel Super onto Afterlife Couch Super Jackpots via the Knock loop — not from any combo chain, as the game has no formal combo system.

Goals in Beetlejuice

Every goal below is tracked step-by-step, with shot paths drawn on the playfield map, inside the app.

• Standard Skill Shot skillshot · Easy

  Time the plunge to the lit value to feed the right flipper. A miss is auto-caught by the magnet, so it's a near-free bonus.

  Reward: Boosted skill shot value; ball fed to the right flipper

• Super Skill Shot skillshot · Medium

  The only shot chain the game scores as a true combo: land the skill shot, then rip Left Ramp, Right Ramp, Spinner while lit.

  Reward: Highest-value plunge award (Super Skill Shot)

• Knock Loop Value Builder combo · Medium

  The signature repeatable loop: cycle the Upper Loop around the couch with the upper flipper to light locks and pump jackpot value.

  Reward: Lights locks and builds Knock jackpot value

• Right Ramp Loop Farm combo · Medium

  The safe repeat-flow shot: with the vari-target down the Right Ramp loops back to the right flipper for stacked jackpots.

  Reward: Repeatable ramp jackpots / rising shot value

• Super Spinner Rip combo · Easy

  Win Super Spinner off the Wheel, then rip the spinner during the 5x window for cheap multiplier growth.

  Reward: 5x spinner value during the boosted window

• It's Showtime Super Jackpot Ricochet combo · Hard

  The highest single-hit payoff: lock a ball in the Right Orbit, then bank it off the drop target into the vari-target for a Super Jackpot.

  Reward: Super Jackpot + Add-a-Ball on the first one

• Dante's Inferno Wheel Spin combo · Easy

  Repeatedly hit the Left Ramp to light the roulette wheel, then spin for a 5x Super, Extra Ball, or points.

  Reward: Wheel award: 5x Super, Extra Ball, or points

• Afterlife Couch / Now Serving Multiball multiball · Easy

  The easiest multiball to reach and the best beginner target: loop the couch to light locks, lock 3 on the Right Ramp, cash green-shot jackpots.

  Reward: 3-ball multiball; Super Jackpot at Spinner/Juno

• Strange and Unusual Multiball multiball · Medium

  Lydia's Camera 2-ball MB: light the Polaroid targets via the inlanes, hit each once, then farm ramp jackpots with add-a-ball sets.

  Reward: 2-ball multiball with add-a-ball loops

• It's Showtime Multiball multiball · Hard

  Spell S-H-O-W-T-I-M-E on yellow shots between modes, start at the Right Orbit, then chase the Strength Test Super Jackpot.

  Reward: Multiball + Strength Test Super Jackpot

• Sandworm Battle multiball · Hard

  Bash the three wall targets to start a battle, lower the wall, and shoot the worm's mouth to deplete its health bar.

  Reward: Battle jackpots; progress toward Extra Ball

• Start a Beetlejuice Mode mode · Medium

  The universal mode flow: three purple shots to qualify, cycle-and-lock your pick, then start at the Right Orbit.

  Reward: Starts your selected Beetlejuice mode

• As Seen on TV mode · Medium

  An easy opener mode: shoot 7 easy lit shots, then hit the captive ball to stop Lydia and score jackpots.

  Reward: Jackpots for stopping Lydia

• Day-O (Dinner Party) mode · Hard

  Timed survival mode where the machine takes the flippers: farm switch-dense targets to grow a multiplier, then cash before the timer dies.

  Reward: Big multiplier-driven mode score

• Otho's Seance mode · Medium

  Start and finish this mode at the Handbook target, clearing the green shots it spawns in between.

  Reward: Completes the seance mode

• Returning Souls (Playfield Multiplier) multiplier · Medium

  Hit the pops to spawn Lost Souls, return them via lit shots to light a brief playfield X, then dump it into a big scoring window.

  Reward: Brief playfield multiplier (shown on Center Scoop 1-5)

• Bonus Multiplier (Upper Standups) multiplier · Medium

  Tap the upper-right Waiting Room standups whenever you have upper-flipper control to climb the end-of-ball bonus multiplier.

  Reward: Higher end-of-ball bonus multiplier

• Singing in the Stairwell (Mini-Wizard) wizard · Hard

  The marquee scoring chase: complete 2 modes or start 4 to light this add-a-ball multiball, then collect the Super at the Juno Scoop with the Action Button.

  Reward: Mini-wizard multiball; Super Jackpot at Juno

• Best Opener: Super Skill Shot into the Wheel strategy · Medium

  The recommended opener: land the Super Skill Shot, bank a Wheel Super, then light couch locks up top.

  Reward: Front-loaded guaranteed value plus an easy multiball lit

• Beginner First 30 Seconds strategy · Easy

  A safe, forgiving opening line: lean on the auto-save magnet, bank Wheel value, reach the easiest multiball, and start an easy mode.

  Reward: Safe, high-value beginner progression

• High-Score Stacking Line strategy · Hard

  The score ceiling: stack Returning Souls playfield X and a Wheel Super onto Afterlife Couch Super Jackpots via the Knock loop.

  Reward: Score ceiling — the 600M+ lines

• Light and Collect an Extra Ball strategy · Medium

  Three paths to a free ball: bank one off the wheel, defeat Sandworms until it lights, then cash it at the Extra Ball standup.

  Reward: Extra Ball

• All Three Multiballs in One Game strategy · Hard

  The order that gets every multiball started in one game: easiest first, camera targets second, then spell out the Showtime letters between modes.

  Reward: All three main multiballs started in a single game