A woman has revealed her double life as the ‘real life Lydia Deetz’ from Beetlejuice as she lifts the lid on what it is like to communicate with the dead.
Brocarde, a singer and songwriter from Oxfordshire, made headlines after falling in love and marrying Edwardo – the ghost of a Victorian soldier – in late 2021 after he appeared in her home.
While the two called it quits, divorcing by way of an exorcism last year, the 40-year-old has continued to be plagued by spirits of the departed ever since.
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As Halloween approaches, and with it the glamourisation of all things spooky, Brocarde has shared what life as a medium is really like – and how it stacks up compared to Lydia’s experience.
“I’d never actually watched Beetlejucie, but when the movie got released so many people were sending me messages telling me that I had to watch it as I was the real life Lydia Deetz,” the songstress told What’s The Jam.
“So many people have said that there was so much of me within the film.
“I was intrigued – and the inside of my mind literally looks like a Tim Burton movie.”
Having now watched the film, Brocarde can relate to the gothic character – particularly with the lack of understanding that surrounds mediums.
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She said: “I think it’s interesting how her daughter felt frustration at her.
“I think it’s hard for people to understand communication with the dead if they don’t see ghosts.
“You come across all kinds of reactions – the sceptics, those who mock you, those who test you, those who want answers – but it doesn’t always work like that.
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“Communication with spirits is complex.
“Sometimes they will want to share an emotion, or their existence and some spirits don’t want to connect at all.
“That’s why I don’t like to call on spirits and ask questions because I feel like that’s a testing mentality.
“You just have to ensure your channels are always open and work with what presents itself.”
Brocarde’s first experience communicating with the dead came in the form of her former lover, Edwardo – something she said was “really scary” at first.
She said: “[When I first met him] I really wasn’t prepared for this mad journey.
“I fought my gift for years and there were periods of time when I really did not want to see or talk about ghosts.
“When I was experiencing what felt like negative poltergeist style activity from Edwardo, I thought exorcism was the only way, but really acceptance as been a great tool in understanding the undead.
“Sometimes they just want to be seen and heard.”
Of late, Brocarde has interactions with spirits “all the time”.
She explained: “I was recently inside a scare maze at the VIP launch of Dark Harbour in Long Beach, US and a spirit made contact by grabbing my leg.
“I could feel this grasping on my thigh trying to put me down, and I had an intense feeling of drowning.
“I started to struggle to breathe.
“I later found out that the scare maze was in the swimming pool where a young girl is said to have drowned.
“I knew it wasn’t a character actor as they aren’t allowed to touch you – it was something far darker.”
While she is spending Halloween filming in the US at some haunted hot spots, Brocarde warned against getting too embroiled in paranormal activities.
She said: “The most powerful message that I took from Lydia’s journey was the power of living.
“When you communicate with the undead, it can be quite consuming but you have to appreciate the beauty of life and not just focus on the beauty within darkness.
“You have to live in the moment always, even if your moments involve dead people.”
Still, the singer plans to spend her Halloween one way: dressed up as Lydia Deetz.
READ MORE: Ghoul-loving couple reveal what it’s like to live in Britain’s most haunted village
