February 1st just passed, which is the day Heather O'Rourke tragically died at the young age of 12, back in 1988.
i love the first one, no doubt. i am sure most of us do. but what about Poltergeiest II: The Other Side and Poltergeiest III?
i always preferred the third one over part 2. part three gets a lot of bad reviews, but i always liked it. i remember having it recorded on a vhs tape and would watch it constantly.
in part two, the family goes to live with diane's mother, but the troubles continue to follow them.. part two always freaked me out... the preacher Kane, the scene where mr. freeling drinks the worm from the tequila bottle...and that vomit creature...YUKKK!
part three, carol anne goes to live with diane's sister in an apartment building, but the preacher kane has followed her, and troubles still come about. tom skeritt, nancy allen and lara flynn boyle, also star.
it is the role of tangina barrons, played by zelda rubinstein, who helps carol anne fight off the evil force that haunts her throughout. also, just over a year ago, was zelda's passing. she was mainly known for her role as tangina and most of us remember her from teen witch as well.
i was wondering what Oliver Robins has been up to all this time... the boy that played Robbie. pretty sad when you think that in between the three Poltergeist movies, his co-stars (both playing his sisters) died. the only other movie i know him from, was the made for tv film "Don't Go To Sleep"..another thriller... and in that movie, he plays the brother of a younger sister who is disturbed... similar to Poltergeist in a way.
what about you guys? do you like all three movies? What are your thoughts about Poltergeist III?
Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
Great post Ronnie. Poltergeist is one of my all time favs, and scared me as a kid. Again, one of those movies I've seen 20 + times as a kid, so, ingrained in my brain forever.
I've seen parts 2 and 3, but it must have been a while ago, as I don't remember much about them. I do recall, for some reason, not liking part 3, but really have nothing to base it on...looks like it might be time to re-visit each. I recall liking part 2 and I think Preacher Kane has got to be one of the scariest dudes to grace the screen....he seriously gives me the heebie jeebies!
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
Cool Post Ronnie! I still love the first....it really is a great movie with a great cast....it's the only one I own. It's funny how bad some of the special effects are now....the clown floating around lol but it's such a solid movie all around.
Now I agree about part 2!! it's bad.....I remembered liking it back then and when i tried to watch it a few years ago it bored me to death......and I always hated Kane I agree with you both he is one creepy mother!
Because I was so bored of part 2 I never revisited part 3......I always love Tom Skerritt in movies haha I remember the pool scene totally. I just added it to my Netlfix Ronnie because of you Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Excellent thread Ronnie!
I'm a huge fan of the original "Poltergeist" and even though it is only coincidence.. I've always been intrigued by the 'Poltergeist Curse'.
The Poltergeist Curse is an urban legend largely derived from the fact that four cast members died in the six years between the release of the first film and the release of the third, with one dying during production of the second film. Two of them died at young ages, Heather O'Rourke at age 12 and Dominique Dunne at the age of 22. The Poltergeist movies are creepy enough, but if you add in the tragedies surrounding the actors/actresses from the films it takes watching it to a whole new level for me.
I've only seen the 3rd movie once, so thanks for the Netflix tip Muffy. Ronnie.. was Heather O'Rourke trapped in a highrise apartment building for the third one? That is about where my memory on it ends..
Posted by Ronnie (Member # 465) on :
thanks guys and muffy.
it's all very strange and disturbing, to think of all the deaths. poor heather died of an illness and dominique's death was just horrific. i remember seeing some kind of interview with the cast members, after the movies all came out. craig t. nelson was talking about the deaths. i know there have been specials on the movies and the tragedies of the actors. heather's special is on youtube, where her mother talks about her illness and the day she died. so sad.
back to part 3... ya val.. she goes to visit her aunt who lives in the highrise where she ends up disappearing again when she gets yanked through a puddle of water in the garage...taking her to the other side and appears only through reflections. there are a lot of mirror tricks used in the film.
at the film's end, there is a dedication to heather in the credits (due to her death). there's also a sweet, pleasant sounding instrumental song that plays during the credits, similar to part 1.. where they used the famous 'carol anne's theme.' i always liked how they used such sweet music at the end of a scary movie. Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:in part two, the family goes to live with diane's mother, but the troubles continue to follow them.. part two always freaked me out... the preacher Kane, the scene where mr. freeling drinks the worm from the tequila bottle...and that vomit creature...YUKKK!
I don't know... those things were always pretty memorable to me. Kane was meant to be creepy, and unlike most horror movies where they cast someone fairly decent looking and ask them to be menacing, they actually cast someone genuinely odd.
Never saw three.
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
Kane is one of the scariest characters I have ever seen in my life. That one scene in part 2 when the family is at that mall and he starts creeping up on Carol Anne always used to scare me when I was little, to the point where I was terrified of being separated from my Mom at the mall! I think I still have nightmares about that guy....
I read somewhere online that the character Dominique Dunn played in part 1 was supposed to be pregnant? They never say it in the movie but it's hinted at.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Okay.. all this Poltergeist convo is really making me want to watch these flicks again in order. Spook me!
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
I bought Poltergeist 1-3 dvdīs couple of months ago and will also watch them soon. The first one is a classic and i remember that the second one was a good movie. Donīt recall anything about the third one. Maybe iīve never seen it...?
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
I feel like watching them again too! Amazon.com has part 1 on DVD for $5.99 Posted by Ronnie (Member # 465) on :
cool! hope everyone gets around to seeing the movies. part 1 is just awesome. Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
I have part 1 on Blue Ray....so I might check that out this week end....
Posted by Devolution (Member # 1731) on :
Devolution here,
I bought part 1 on Blu-ray when Circuit City was closing. My favorite happens to be part 2. Maybe because, for me, it was easier to handle than the terror that was part 2. Part 2 and 3 I bought on DVD as a 2 pack. Part 3 makes you remember what Lara Flynn Boyle looked like when she ate.
Out of curiousity... Was she in ANYTHING good? Or more importantly, was she GOOD in anything? She's never done anything for me. Just an opinion.
Anyway, Back to Poltergeist. You know the first one is awesome when it's made reference to in everything.
On Family Guy, Stewie doing "In the Air Tonight" in the TV is one of my favorite moments on that show.
We are DEVO
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
Devo? your favorite is part 2 because it's easier to handle then the terror that was part 2? i'm confused?
I loved Lara in TWIN PEAKS she was great and how about How I Got into College she was great in that movie also.....then she got way to skinny and scary in my opinion.
and then.........(don't look unless you wanna be scared?)
Posted by Pittsburghgirl (Member # 7514) on :
That is a painful looking picture of LFB in that tutu- yuck!^ I only remember seeing Poltergeist part one. I may have seen Poltergeist 2 but I really don't remember it from your descriptions. My older brother has always been into scary movies, ghost stories, and stuff like that. He does not scare easily. He went to the theater to see Poltergeist and was so scared afterward he had trouble driving home, lol! Now you guys are making me want to see 2 and 3. Or all three in a row would be nice.
Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
Poltergeist was crazy scary as a kid. I've told the story before about me first seeing the movie as a kid. I was having a sleepover with a few friends...we were going to sleep in my camper/trailer which was parked in my driveway. Needless to say, after watching Poltergeist....we slept in the house!
Posted by Pyromantic (Member # 7658) on :
Though Poltergiest has left a permanent scar in my childhood by scaring me probably more than any other spooky movie I saw as a kid, it still remains one of the all time greats in my book.
of course 2 and 3 can't even hold a simmer of a torchlight to the first. But I still kinda liked em regardless. I still own all 3 and I don't have plans of giving them up anytime in the near future.
Posted by Devolution (Member # 1731) on :
Devolution here,
Sorry Muffy. I meant part one.
We are DEVO
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
It's all good I was playing with you Devo :)I did want to know which you meant hahaha and you were dogging Lara......isn't it you who likes How I Got into College alot? or the opposite?
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:I loved Lara in TWIN PEAKS she was great and how about How I Got into College she was great in that movie also.....then she got way to skinny and scary in my opinion.
I was gonna say the same thing.
Lara needs to lose some weight. She looks like a Hippo in that pic. Seriously, what does she think bulimia is for? It's for giant thighs like hers!
Posted by Devolution (Member # 1731) on :
Devolution here,
I do love How I Got Into College. But Lara isn't the reason why. It's probably Phil Hartman.
We are DEVO
Posted by Ronnie (Member # 465) on :
i remember when lara wore that outfit to an awards show.
she was also in the 90s comedy/drama "Threesome", some thriller called "The Secretary" which i have only seen once and the "Men In Black" movie(s).
i also saw her on some made for tv movie just the other day on the LMN channel. she didn't look skinny at all, but she has definitely had a lot of pulling and tugging to her face!
well i am happy that so far, no one here has trashed part 3 haha. for those that haven't seen it, and plan to do so, it's somewhat disorganized and there are parts that aren't explained very well. but as a kid, watching it, it had a lot of scary moments. and the whole thing about all of them running around, trapped in this building, was cool to me.
logan - i agree about kane. he was very creepy and that song he kept singing, was creepy as well. he wasn't as creepy in part 3 (he's played by a different guy). there were several freaky moments in that movie but it still remains my least favorite of the three.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Is it just an eerie coincidence that "Poltergesit III" is the featured trailer on The Rewind main page today?
"Y'all mind hanging back? You're jamming my frequency."
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
quote:Originally posted by Valley: Excellent thread Ronnie!
I'm a huge fan of the original "Poltergeist" and even though it is only coincidence.. I've always been intrigued by the 'Poltergeist Curse'.
The Poltergeist Curse is an urban legend largely derived from the fact that four cast members died in the six years between the release of the first film and the release of the third, with one dying during production of the second film. Two of them died at young ages, Heather O'Rourke at age 12 and Dominique Dunne at the age of 22. The Poltergeist movies are creepy enough, but if you add in the tragedies surrounding the actors/actresses from the films it takes watching it to a whole new level for me.
I've only seen the 3rd movie once, so thanks for the Netflix tip Muffy. Ronnie.. was Heather O'Rourke trapped in a highrise apartment building for the third one? That is about where my memory on it ends..
I have never seen any of these movies but I am too scared to watch them after reading about the eerie curse.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Watched Poltergeist yesterday and itīs a very good movie. I thought that the special effects still looked great after all these years.
It was a bit odd to see this movie again after some 20 years. Iīm a father for two kids now so you care about the kids a lot But i still think that the best time to watch this flick is when you are around 15 years old. It will most surely haunt you.
I love the Jerry Goldsmith score, a big part of the movie.
Itīs so nostalgic to watch this because they play the national anthem on tv when the station is about to go off-air. Nowadays every station has tv-programs all the time 24/7.
I liked the kids room, Star Wars and Alien movie posters and all kinds of Star Wars toys around.
All in all, itīs not that scary anymore but itīs still a very good, atmospheric fantasy film.
Posted by Helen_S (Member # 5804) on :
I watched 1 and 2 last year afer a long time. I dunno, they seem a bit childish looking at 'em now, sub-par.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Watched Poltergeist II: The Other Side again and it was a decent sequel.
All the main actors are back except Dominique Dunne of course (RIP) Jerry Goldsmith composed the score once again but this time itīs not that memorable.
The movie takes place one year after the first Poltergeist movie but in the real world it came four years later. You can see that the actors are older, especially Oliver Robins who played Robbie. And he reads MAD magazine instead of Captain America
The special effects look very cool, the tequila worm monster is amazing! Julian Beck is great as Kane and i liked Will Sampson.
But something is missing. Maybe it was too childish like Helen said. It just isnīt scary enough.
This was more successful than i thought, budget 19 mil. gross 40 mil. Now i understand why they made a third one
btw, this monster was created by H.R. Giger so no wonder itīs awesome:
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
Atomik! How did you get my picture?! Posted by Ronnie (Member # 465) on :
thanks aTomik. i read this post in the middle of the night before going to sleep, and your picture popped up and nice and big on my screen haha....i literally cringed! that creature freaks me out. blech! haha Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Sorry Ronnie Donīt let Logan get into your dreams Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Originally posted by aTomiK: Sorry Ronnie Donīt let Logan get into your dreams
No, do... you won't regret it Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Watched Poltergeist III last night. It wasnīt as bad as i thought it would be but it wasnīt good either.
This time Heather O'Rourke and Zelda Rubinstein were the only original cast members to return.
Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) has been sent to live in Chicago with Diane's sister Pat (Nancy Allen), her husband Bruce Gardner (Tom Skerritt) and his daughter Donna (Lara Flynn Boyle) They live in this new hi-tech skyscraper (Chicago's 100-story John Hancock Center) of which Bruce is the manager.
The beginning is pretty good including some family scenes, school stuff and the skyscraper is a very nice location for a horror flick. Iīve always loved Nancy Allen and Flynn Boyle looks cute.
But it all goes downhill after reverend Kane comes laughing again. (Now played by Nathan Davis because Julien Beck died during the making of the second movie). After that itīs the same old same old. You can see some cool mirror tricks but thatīs about it.
The score composed by Joe Renzetti sucks when compared to Jerry Goldsmith melodies. I hate those cheap "thrill" sounds/effects.
O'Rourke was very ill during the filming and died four months before the film was released. That explains why it feels like Allen and Skerritt are the real stars of the movie. We can see them kissing a lot.
Spoiler alert!
The story ends nicely when Tangina manages to convince Kane to go into the Light with her. Donna, Bruce and Carol Anne are returned to Pat from the other side. But after that the final scene shows lightning flashing over the building and Kane's laughter is heard. Why did they do this? Did they still think that they can make movie number four? So stupid.
Posted by Nostalgic for the '80's (Member # 37454) on :
Re-watched Poltergeist I earlier this year - obviously, great iconic film that has been discussed many times over the years. "They're back!" obviously became a well-known catch-phrase as a result of the film.
And, I just watched Poltergeist II in in it's entirety for the first time. Wow - amazing sequel! Though not as good or iconic as the original, this was a very well-done horror flick, and actually was more disturbing than the original because of several aspects:
-The freaky-looking insane ghost preacher, played by the late Julian Beck. Wow - that dude was creepy as he$$!! He definitely looked like he was half-dead - and I don't think he was wearing any make-up - LOL. He also played a small but memorable role in Season 2, Episode 1 of "Miami Vice" (1985).
-The "vomit creature" that came out of Craig T. Nelson's mouth & transformed into first a demon-like corpse, and then a huge worm-like creature; apparently this was the tequila worm that he accidentally swallowed - quite sickening. The creature definitely looked like something that would have come from the H.P. Lovecraft "Call of Cthulu" mythology.
-The scene where the brother's braces started to attack him - weird. I used to wear braces as a kid, so I'm glad I never saw this film when I was wearing them - LOL.
Need to watch III at some point soon as well.
It's unfortunate that both Heather O'Rourke & Dominique Dunne (the older sister in the first film) died in '82 & '88, respectively. Extremely tragic death for the little cherubic O'Rourke, and an extremely horrific & violent death for Dominique - very sad in both cases. I just found out about Domnique's death re: this thread; after doing some research, I also found out she was 22 when she did Poltergeist I, even though she played a high school sophomore?! in the movie - she obviously looked a lot younger than she actually was.
I was wondering why Dominique didn't return for Poltergeist II - but I figured her character was in college by that point.
It's interesting that back in the '80's, I wasn't even aware of Heather O'Rourke's death, Domnique's death, or even the fact that there was a Poltergeist II or III. I was only aware of the first film and that's it.
[ 12. November 2016, 09:45: Message edited by: Nostalgic for the '80's ]
Posted by Devolution (Member # 1731) on :
Devolution here,
Heather's death was very apparent because she and I would have been the same age. (41) Child actors dying is always scarring because you don't think that someone your age that young can die.
We are DEVO
Posted by Nostalgic for the '80's (Member # 37454) on :
Just watched Poltergeist III for the first time. Amazing horror film - IMHO this is almost as good as II - well done.
The effects re: the demonic-like Carole Anne were quite creepy, as were all of the other effects re: seeing people in the mirror who weren't "actually there", etc. It was interesting to set the film in a large high-rise instead of a house, and this set this apart from the previous two films.
One of the most horrific scenes was when Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) became a corpse-like creature, and Donna (Lara Flynn Boyle) came "out" of her, screaming (though it wasn't actually her). Quite grotesque.
Too bad that Julian Beck had passed away several years earlier, and couldn't reprise his role as the crazed ghost preacher Kane from II. The guy they chose to replace him was OK, but not nearly as creepy as Beck would have been.
Heather O'Rourke was about 4-5 years younger than me, so for whatever reason I just wasn't aware of her passing at the time. It's very possible I saw an article/clip on this in the newspaper back in '88 (this was pre-Internet, obviously) but if so I've completely forgotten about this.
She was a great actress, and I can't imagine anyone other than her playing that role. If she had lived, I wonder if she would have stopped acting after III, or if she would have continued to act as an adult (many child actors get typecast). Too bad we'll never know.
[ 12. November 2016, 18:55: Message edited by: Nostalgic for the '80's ]
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