- Oliver Robbins played Robbie Freeling in the 1982 cult classic horror film
- He was the terrified brother of Heather O'Rourke, the girl possessed by an evil spirit residing in their family's TV set
- A series of tragic and bizarre events earned Poltergeist the reputation of being cursed
- Dominique Dunne, 22, was strangled by her boyfriend in the driveway of her West Hollywood home
- Lou Perryman was killed with an ax by an ex-convict in his own Austin, Texas home
- Spielberg's fear of clowns and scary looking trees inspired him to write creepy scenes for Robins' character
- The producer drew diagrams for Oliver to help him visualize scenes
Steven Spielberg's hit movie Poltergeist chilled millions of viewers to the bone when it was released in 1982.
The
horror flick saw a suburban family's youngest daughter held captive by
terrifying apparitions. The movie became an instant cult hit sparking
two sequels.
But
in the years after the first film's release a series of tragic and
bizarre events earned Poltergeist a very different tag - the most cursed
production of all time.
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Oliver
Robbins was cast as Robbie Freeling in the 1982 cult classic. In an
exclusive interview with Daily Mail Online the former child actor recalls the tragic deaths of his two on screen sisters. Now 43, Oliver gave up acting to produce films
Oliver starred
with Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams and Heath O'Rourke as the
terrified brother of Carol Anne O'Rourke), the blonde girl possessed by a
spirit in their family's TV set
And
in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Online former child actor
Oliver Robins - who played Robbie Freeling in the first two films -
recalls the tragic deaths of his two on-screen sisters.
Just
weeks after Poltergeist hit the cinema Dominique Dunne, who played
Robins' older sister Dana, was strangled by her boyfriend in the
driveway of her West Hollywood home.
The
sinister curse seemingly grew after 60-year-old actor Julian Beck, who
played insane preacher Henry Kane in Poltergeist II, died of stomach
cancer in 1985 and Will Sampson who played Taylor the Medicine Man in
the second flick, passed away of kidney failure aged just 53 in 1987.
And
the bizarre incidents didn't end there. In 2009, 67-year-old Lou
Perryman, who played Pugsley, was killed when a recently released
ex-convict killed him in his own Austin, Texas home with an ax
But
for Robins, now 43, the most difficult loss came in 1988 when younger
screen sister Heather O'Rourke, who starred as possessed Carol Anne in
all three films, died suddenly aged 12 from cardiac arrest.
Everyone was shocked by the deaths and millions of fans instantly blamed 'the curse of Poltergeist'.
For
Robins – speaking days before the release of the Poltergeist remake set
to hit the big screen on May 22 - the tragic events were nothing more
than a coincidence.
Classic scene: It wasn't a Disney
cartoon that Heath O'Rourke saw when the TV turned on - it was a
malevolent ghost that abducted her
Besties: Oliver and Heather were more
than co-stars. They were so close they stayed friends after the film
wrapped and saw each other frequently. She was devastated when
Just weeks after Poltergeist hit the
cinema Dominique Dunne, who played Robins' older sister Dana, was
strangled by her boyfriend in the driveway of her West Hollywood home
He
said: 'To be completely honest, I don't think anyone that was involved
in the movie ever really took the curse seriously. There is no curse -
it is just tragic coincidences.
'With
this curse mythology, I never spoke to Steven [Spielberg] about it, but
I guess he thinks the events that took place were horribly tragic and
awful but had no relation to the events that took place on set.
'People
may try and connect the dots and make something out of it, but they are
possibly going to make connections that probably aren't there.
'They do make for great spooky stories, but at the end of the day, they really aren't true.
'If
anything, I think the mythology of the curse has kept the film alive
for many new viewers and maybe that's a good thing because the film
almost developed a life of it's own from 'the curse' and maybe that's why there's a remake?
'Maybe even a remake based on the mythology of that curse that was born out of the production.'
Robins
was just nine-years-old, with only a fertilizer commercial on his
resume, when he was cast as Robbie Freeling, the terrified brother of
Carol Anne, the little blonde girl who was possessed by a spirit in
their family's TV.
A young Spielberg, who produced and write the film with Oliver and JoBeth Williams hang out after a scene. Oliver
And after three decades, he reveals how the movie was a collection of Spielberg's worst nightmares as a child.
His
character was the victim of a lethal clown and a possessed tree, but
for a young Robins it felt more like spending the day at a theme park
than work.
He
also revealed how his time on the movie watching Poltergeist co-writer
and producer Spielberg inspired him to step away from acting to focus on
making movies.
Robins reflected on the tragic loss of his co-stars and on screen sisters and admits he's saddened to this day over the loss of his co-stars.
'When
Dominique Dunn passed away I believe my parents told me, but they also
wanted to protect me, so all that I learned during that period was that
she had died and was having a funeral,' he said.
'I
did not attend the funeral but my parents went and I was just very
upset by the fact that she had passed on because, as a child, most
children aren't really exposed to that at such a young age, so it gave
me a sense of mortality and taught me that things can happen and you
should celebrate every moment of your life because it is so fleeting.'
Dunn
was 22 when she was strangled by her abusive former boyfriend John
Thomas Sweeney on November 4, 1982. Sweeney was convicted of voluntary
manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison, but was paroled after serving three and a half years.
This is one of Spielberg's handwritten
instructions to Oliver. Oliver left acting to become a producer to
follow in his idol's footsteps
How do you film a ghost? Spielberg drew this diagram for Oliver.: Silk over golfball or tissue
'Say 'roll' start camera & move ghost over to where you imagine Heather was,' Spielberg instructs Oliver
The loss of his second co-star, Heather O'Rourke, struck another blow for Robins six years later.
O'Rourke was just 12 when she died during surgery to repair an acute bowel obstruction in 1988.
'I
was in high school at the time, at a really intense prep school in the
San Fernando Valley and so my only focus were my studies. I'd lost touch
with Heather at that point and unfortunately I never knew she was
actually sick until she passed away.
'I
attended her funeral and it was really heartbreaking to see that
happen. I was at an age where I had so many fond memories of her and I
was able to reflect upon the experience, so it was tragic for me on
multiple levels.
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'I had
a relationship with her as a child and she was part of my childhood
memories. We were losing someone who had such a bright future and we
lost her due to circumstances that were really beyond anyone's control
at that time.
'Heather
and I used to hang out together on the set with Steven and Tobe
[Hooper] and we would play with our toys. We were pretty much just like
brother and sister on that set.
'She
lived in a different part of Southern California but she visited me at
my parents' home and we hung out with each other, but as we got older we
lost touch.'
Robins says the last time he saw her was when he was 12.
'She was precocious and a very intelligent girl for someone who was only five years old,' he recalls.
'She
was actually far more intelligent than her character was and sometimes
people took for granted that Heather was truly acting at trying to
become a different character, and so when Tobe would call cut, Heather
was a different person.
Robins says there is one tragic but
vivid memory that sticks with him. 'My parents bought a bottle of Dom
Perignon champagne to give to Steven to congratulate him on finishing
the movie,' he recalls. 'I remember giving it to him and he said to
Heather, "You know Heather, when you turn 21 this is how we are going to
celebrate your birthday".'
'She
wasn't just being a child in that moment, she was in a thought process
of performance and it was really quite impressive to watch.
'I'm certain she would have gone on to do other great things with her life if she was still with us today.'
Robins
says there is one tragic but vivid memory that sticks with him about
Heather – and it came on the very last day of shooting Poltergeist.
'My parents bought a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne to give to Steven to congratulate him on finishing the movie,' he recalls.
'I
remember giving it to him and he said to Heather, "You know Heather,
when you turn 21 this is how we are going to celebrate your birthday."
'I always remember that moment because she never made it to 21. It was certainly tragic on some many levels.'
One
of the most memorable scenes in Poltergeist was JoBeth Williams, who
played Robins' mother, being attacked by skeletons in their backyard.
The movie's producers and director Spielberg insisted that they use real life dead people's bones
'Those
skeletons were real and as a kid I thought that was really cool. I'm
sure they added hair and things to them. 'But they weren't shipped in
from foreign countries with scabs and skin hanging off, I'm pretty sure
of that.'
Robins
has seen a lot in the 30 years he has been in the entertainment
industry but, unlike his own experiences, he fears child acting is now
becoming a very different arena.
'There
are so many people who want their fifteen minutes of fame and I see
parents forcing their children to do it for all the wrong reasons.
'JoBeth Williams, who played my mom,
was also incredibly helpful in getting me to think about what I was
screaming at and what I was afraid of'
Most of the effects of the Poltergeist were added in later so the young actors were often staring at blank walls
'I just didn't see that as a child in the early 80s but I see it all the time now that I'm an adult directing movies.
'It's
hard to say whether or not it is because there are too many people
involved, but I think at the end of the day the best performances comes
from children who want to be there and are doing it because they love
it.'
Robins says his experiences of working alongside Spielberg were some of the most life-shaping memories he's ever had.
He
says he fell in love with film making and at the end of the movie his
parents bought him a Super 8mm camera so he could start shooting his own
films.
'I started making short movies and I showed Steven and he said, 'You know, these are really good.'
'A
few days later Steven brought a silver case to the set and I said, 'Oh
my God, what's in that?' and it turned out to be his old Super 8mm
camera. It was a top of the line Super 8 that you could do absolutely
everything with. Over-exposure, slow-mo, you name it. Steven then said,
'This is yours. Go out and start making movies and show me your films.''
Unfortunately, Robins says the camera was later stolen when he was studying at USC Film School.
Another influence Spielberg had on Robins was writing his own personal nightmares into Robins' storyline.
Robins says his experiences of working
alongside Spielberg were some of the most life-shaping memories he's
ever had. The multi-talented director drew this invitation to the wrap
party for the film
The
director had been scared of clowns and scary looking trees since he was
a child and these fears inspired him to write creepy scenes that
Robins' character would experience in the movie.
'I
haven't seen that clown since I acted with it, but they actually made
three clown dolls for the movie and people have told me one doll is sat
behind glass at a Planet Hollywood hotel in Las Vegas,' said Robins.
'It
was back in the day, before CGI and almost all the effects were
practical effects which, as an actor, you had to try and simulate.
'So
whenever the clown was on top of me I had to hold it against my body
but make it seem like the clown was actually strangling me.
'It
was really low-tech and they used a camera that shot in reverse and I
remember the director, Tobe Hooper, told me, 'You're going to have to
act backwards here and we're going to use this reverse camera. We're
going to wrap the clown's arm around you and we're going to pull the
clown away, but when we play it back it'll actually look like it's going
towards you and wrapping it's arm around you because we'll be shooting
in reverse, which will give an optical effect.'
Robins recalls Tobe talking to the children about what scared them to get them in the right frame of mind for filming.
Most
of the effects of the Poltergeist were added in later on and so the
young actors were often staring at blank walls. 'Tobe would ask us to
imagine the scariest thing that we could think about,' he said.
Poltergeist remake, in theatres
tomorrow, is directed by British born Gil Kenan, whose work includes
lesser-known horror movies such as Monster House' and'City of Embers,
but Robins is confident Kenan will do a fine job
Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, and Jane Adams star in the 2015 version of the film
'JoBeth
Williams, who played my mom, was also incredibly helpful in getting me
to think about what I was screaming at and what I was afraid of.
'I'm
almost certain that our performances are as strong as they are because
we were tapping into something very real and they weren't forced and
were coming from a real place within all of us.'
These
days Robins' career and future is firmly set in writing and directing
TV and movies and he is currently in the process of making a film about
Queen Victoria's swans, called 'Order of the Swans'.
He also revealed that he hopes to one day work on another Poltergeist movie.
Fans
will get to see the remake this weekend, and Robins felt that Spielberg
always had it in his mind to read the Poltergeist remake.
'They've
remade so many 80's films already that it seemed to only be a matter of
time before they got to Poltergeist and would attempt to reinvent it to
some degree,' he said.
Robins said he even contacted the new film's writer on Facebook when he heard about the movie asking for a cameo role.
He said that the writer promised to run the idea by the director but he never heard back.
The
remake is directed by British born Gil Kenan, whose work includes
lesser-known horror movies such as Monster House' and'City of Embers,
but Robins is confident Kenan will do a fine job.
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