A blog to share my love for the greatest horror franchise in history,talking about the 1980's original series/trilogy as well as the remake that came out back in May 2015 and other news about possible sequels to the remake and special releases of the remake and the original trilogy.
It's the spookiest month of
the year, and you know what that means! It's time to figure out whether
you believe in curses or simply unfortunate coincidences. A reboot of
the classic 1982 horror film Poltergeist
came out this year, but let's be honest: nothing could compare to the
original. While no horrific accidents occurred on the set of this year's
film (that we know of, anyway), the release reminded us of the rumors
of a curse on the original film trilogy's cast. The movie revolves
around a suburban family who move into a new home and begin to notice
strange things surrounding their young daughter. Take a look below to
find out about the mysterious events that have made people speculate
that Poltergeist may be the most cursed franchise in Hollywood.
Months After the Release of the First Film, a Star Was Murdered
Poltergeist was released in June 1982, and in
November of that year, 22-year-old Dominique Dunne, who played Dana (the
family's older daughter), was murdered. Dunne was brutally strangled in
her own driveway by her abusive ex-boyfriend and was removed from life
support five days later.
An Exorcism Was Performed on the Set of the Sequel
Concerned about the use of real skeletons on the set of the first film, Native American actor and Poltergeist II: The Other Side
star Will Sampson performed an exorcism on the set of the second film
in 1984. According to Williams, he went to the set late at night by
himself to do it. The next day, the cast supposedly felt relieved.
Two More Cast Members Died Within a Couple Years of the Sequel
Julian Beck, who starred as Kane in Poltergeist II: The Other Side,
died of stomach cancer at age 60. He was diagnosed before he accepted
the role, and he passed away in September 1985, months before the film
even came out in theaters. In June 1987, Will Sampson, the actor who
performed the exorcism, died of malnutrition and postoperative kidney
failure at age 53. While their deaths may not seem so unusual, some fans
still believe they're connected to the curse.
Poltergeist's Young Star Died at 12
The untimely passing of Poltergeist's iconic young
star is perhaps the most convincing case for a curse. Heather O'Rourke
(aka Carol Anne, who said the famous line, "They're heeere") was
incredibly young when she died of cardiac arrest and septic shock caused
by a misdiagnosed intestinal issue. She died in February 1988 at 12,
several months before the release of Poltergeist III, the final chapter in the original series.
Richard Lawson was aboard USAir Flight 405 when it crashed into
Flushing Bay in March 1992. A total of 27 people (out of the 51 on
board) were killed. Lawson survived, but the event is yet another reason
people claim the movie is cursed.
In 2009, a Cast Member Was Brutally Murdered
Lou Perryman played the small role of Pugsley in the original film.
He was 67 years old when a recently released ex-convict killed him in
his own home with an ax.
What do you think — is it a curse, or simply a series of terrible
events? If you want more creepy true stories behind movies and TV, check
out the following:
When
her uncle carried her , her head was down and they didnt show her
face...she died and she didnt get to finish it.. thats pretty crazy...i
also heard that one of the girls that was possessed, in the movie
exorcist, the old movie, ever since heard and felt evil things...and
also the priest died while making the movie...isnt this all so crazy and
frightening??what do you think on this?? i think that those,
without-knowing, actors,actresses etc were calling out the demons..
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Following the death of Heather O'Rourke in Feb. 1988 after she finished
her work on the film (April-June 1987), it was the decision of director
Gary Sherman to temporarily shelve the project during its
post-production phase. However, due to the amount of money that had
already been spent, MGM insisted that the film be finished and released
as scheduled for June of 1988 or they would find someone else to do it.
Apparently, after the film was given a PG rating by the MPAA in November
1987, the studio had already decided to have Sherman re-shoot the
ending with more graphic scenes, in order to "up" the rating to PG-13.
Planning for this re-shoot began in December 1987 and continued into
January 1988, but was temporarily put on hold when O'Rourke died Feb.
1st. The re-shoot (which used a body double stand in for Heather)
eventually took place in March, and the film was then "re-edited" and
given a PG-13 by the MPAA in April 1988. Director Sherman would later
claim that no such "re-shoot" took place, instead insisting that Heather
died before they could film the "original ending" and that the current
ending using the body double was what they hastily threw together when
forced to "finish" the film by MGM. However, he is contradicted by at
least six other people who also worked on the film who confirmed that
the original ending was in fact filmed before Heather died and that the
re-shoot of the ending took place after her passing. These people
include producer Barry Bernardi, actor Kipley Wentz, assistant editor
Jeanne Bonansinga, composer Joe Renzetti, special effects makeup artist
Doug Drexler, and the man who provided the voice for the Rev. Kane,
Corey Burton. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095889/triv...
the girl who
played the older sister in the first poltergeist, Dominique Dunne was
killed sometime after the making of the movie. i think she was killed by
her ex boyfriend or something. she was the daughter of Dominick Dunne
the famous reporter and writer.
BLAST FROM THE PAST!POLTERGEIST
3is a film that fascinates me to this day. It has been
shrouded in controversy from Heather o Rourke's untimely death to the
conflicting accounts on the ending.
Was is re-shot or not? In an
interview that I did with Director Gary Sherman eons ago he stated
this about the ending: -The
ending was not a re-shoot. The original ending was never shot. Heather died a
week before we were scheduled to shoot the ending. There was no way we could (or
even wanted to, for that matter) shoot the scenes without her. There were some
17 pages left to shoot. But actor
Kipley Wentz (who played Scott in the film)had this to say: -The
"original" ending was shot. The movie was wrapped about seven months before
Heather died. After she died, they wanted to re-shoot the ending because it
obviously featured Heather prominently and it was all very upsetting for
everyone. Confusing?
Yup! It gets better! Below are pictures from the supposedly "initial ending" of
the film.
So what's going on? Was the first ending ever shot or what? Your answer may lie
below.
See Talk page for a different version, which needs further merging with this one "Reverend" Henry Kane, also known as The Beast is the fictional main antagonist of the Poltergeist
film series. He is the ghost of an angry cult leader who wishes to
abduct the youngest child of the Freeling family: Carol Anne, to use her
innocence to capture souls trying to enter the Afterlife. He was portrayed by Julian Beck in most of the second film and Nathan Davis in the final.
Kane clams to be a Reverend, likely from the American South, who started and became leader of a utopiancult in the early 19th century. However, Kane simply wanted to harvest the energy of his followers' spirits in the Afterlife to gain supernatural power. He led his "flock" across a desert t southern California into an underground cavern
under the premise that the world was about to end, but in truth Kane
simply wanted to kill his disciples and himself and then harvest their
souls in death. It is implied in Poltergeist II: The Other Side that Kane became enemies with a Native Shaman known as "Medicine Man" (Medicine Man, the spiritual figure, not the character) who is also known as Taylor. The novelization for Poltergeist II: The Other Side
states that Taylor is the reincarnation of a man named Ben Lagou. Lagou
was a member of Kane's cult, but when he witnessed Kane's growing evil,
he turned against him. Ben Lagou was briefly possessed when he drank
tequila, just as Steven Freeling later would be. Ben was able to free
himself from the possession, while Kane told his followers that had
witnessed this event that Ben Lagou was evil. Kane's cult headed for the
cavern and sealed themselves in. Ben tried to find Kane to stop him,
but could not find him. He used his shaman abilities to reincarnate
himself through lifetime after lifetime until he was reborn as Taylor,
who helped the Freeling family defeat Kane.
After Kane died, his ghost absorbed the energy from his followers and
this fused with the power-hungry evil in his heart, transforming Kane
into a monstrous apparition that the psychic Tangina Barrons
would go on to call "The Beast". Kane/The Beast was able to gain his
powers from his followers. However, he desired the energy of more souls
which he could not obtain because they kept entering the Light, but when
a house was built over his cavern in 1980s and the Freelings moved in,
Kane immediately sensed the power of the Freeling's daughter Carol
Anne's innocence, and realized that it shone like the Light. As the
Beast, Kane persuaded other benign spirits(possibly his followers) to
abduct Carol Anne through the screen of a TV set (showing only static)
and bring her to their realm, dubbed the "Other Side" where he could
use her to attract more souls. Luckily, Carol Anne was rescued by her
mother, Diane and brought back to the real world whilst Tangina was able
to persuade most of Kane's minions
to enter the Light. A vengeful Kane/The Beast used his remaining
strength to make the corpses of his followers rise from their graves and
eventually consumed the entire Freeling house, but unfortunately for
Kane, the Freelings escaped.
A year later, Kane tracked Carol Anne to a new house where her grandmother, "Grandma Jess's" clairvoyance
was able to forbid him from entering the house without permission. This
is the moment that Kane takes his human form and attempts to gain the
Freeling's confidence but Carol Anne's father, Steven, manages to see
through Kane's lies and Diane even has visions of Kane's life. This is
known as the famous "Let Me In" sequence. After Grandma Jess dies, Kane
attacks the Freelings but is stopped by the Medicine Man, now calling
himself "Taylor". Taylor gives Steven the Smoke Spirit,
which has the power to resist Kane's attacks. Kane also manages to
possess Steven and in a disturbing scene, it is shown that Kane is also a
rapist, as he tries to use Steven's body to rape Diane, this echoes a
scene from Poltergeist,
where the Beast telepathically drags Diane above her bed and lifts up
her top to reveal her undergarments. Luckily, Diane's love for Steven
forces Kane out of the body. At the end of the film, the Freelings
travel to the "Other Side" and Kane is defeated by Steven using a
magical spear that Taylor gave him.
In Poltergeist III, Kane manages to trace Carol Anne to her new home at the John Hancock Centre
and takes possession of the entire building, using the mirrors as a
gateway to their world and getting his minions to take the form of
reflections. Once again, Tangina comes to Carol Anne's aid but is
captured by Kane. The now defenseless Carol Anne is almost taken by Kane
but thanks to Tangina's sacrifice, a softer side to Kane is shown as he
is offered redemption if he enters the Light, which he obliges to and
moves on to the Afterlife.
See article: Poltergeist
Only Kane's current incarnation is shown to the audience, Tangina Barrons simply reveals that he is Wikipedia:The Beast and wrongfully tells the family that he is a Wikipedia:demon,
due to his monstrous aspects. His attempts to abduct Carol Anne fail
and he wreaks vengeance by exhuming the corpses of his followers and
consuming the entire house.
See article: Poltergeist II: The Other Side
Kane's backstory is revealed to the Freelings and he also reveals
himself to them in human form. This is the film where his archenemy is
revealed to be the Medicine Man. Kane is also shown to be a frightfully
cheerful man and this hints towards how insane he was in life. His
insanity is shown again as he attempts to rape Diane Freeling. Thanks to
the Medicine Man and Tangina, the Freelings escape yet again.
In Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), he was played by Julian Beck.[1]
See article:Poltergeist III
Kane traces Carol Anne to her new home at the John Hancock Center
and manages to trick and capture Tangina, but this however turns out to
be his downfall (or redemption) as Tangina ultimately offers to lead
Kane into the Light, seemingly ending his reign of terror as the Beast,
but in epilogue, ominous lighting strikes over the skyscraper and his
maniacal laughter is heard, hinting that Kane may not be gone for good.
In Poltergeist III (known in Australia as Poltergeist III: The Final Chapter) (1988), he was played by Nathan Davis, but an uncredited Corey Burton
provided his voice. He is depicted as a power-hungry zealot and
religious leader who predicted the "end of days" in order to entice his
followers into a cavern.[2]
In death, Kane possesses relatively Wikipedia:canonical
poltergeist powers such as possession, invisibility, transparency and
telepathy. But he also contains a vast amount of power due to him
harvesting the souls of his followers, enabling him to shapeshift and
virtually bend all matter to his will. Kane is able to transform into
demonic monsters. He also can create minions such as in the third film,
where he transforms the protagonists' reflections into flesh and blood
servants. Kane does however have various weaknesses that can be used
against him.
He cannot enter the property of the living without access to an electric item or permission from the owner.
Clairvoyant energy acts as a barrier to his power.
Displays of good emotions, love, kindness, and belief weaken
him, yet bad emotions such as rage, frustration and despair strengthen
his evil.
↑Coauthors=
Jay R. Nash, Stanley Ralph Ross, title= The Motion Picture Guide 1987
Annual: The Films of 1986, publisher=Cinebooks |location=page 224,
date=1987, edition=illustrated |pages=726 |isbn=0933997159,
9780933997158
After losing his job to corporate layoffs, Eric Bowen (Sam Rockwell)
is forced to relocate his wife (Rosemarie DeWitt), two daughters (Saxon
Sharbino as well as Kennedi Clements), and son (Kyle Catlett) to a more
affordable neighborhood. Burdened by mounting debt, the couple struggle
to find a new home but settle on a modest fixer-upper after their
realtor suggests recent foreclosures around the area have created wiggle
room in local real estate pricing. However, as the family gets set
up in their new house, six-year-old Maddy begins to notice strange
events: moving objects, static-electricity discharges, and voices that
no one else can hear.
Middle-child Griffin begins to worry these
unexplainable occurrences are something sinister – and tries to warn his
family. Unfortunately, the concerns are dismissed by his parents, who
believe Griffin is just overly-anxious about the move, until Maddy goes
missing – and resurfaces as a disembodied voice inside the family TV.
Unable to explain what is happening, the Bowens turn to a team
of parapsychologists to learn about the malevolent force that has
infiltrated their home – in the hope of finding a way to bring Maddy
back.
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Based on the original 1982 film of the same name, directed by Tobe Hooper and co-written by Steven Spielberg, the 2015 Poltergeist
remake lands firm in the category of entertaining but entirely
unnecessary remakes. Aside from improved visual effects, a modern
setting, and some cathartic moments of chuckle-worthy humor,
director Gil Kenan’s version of Poltergeist is a, comparatively, common haunted house movie. Longtime fans of the original film will have little reason to revisit the Poltergeist
series in this reboot – but Kenan’s film is still more
enjoyable (albeit only slightly) than similarly unoriginal horror films
that find success at the box office.
Sam Rockwell and the cast of ‘Poltergeist’
Whereas the 1982 film focused heavily on the responsibility and sacrifices of being a mother, the 2015 Poltergeist
reboot is much more egalitarian – including roles for each member of
the family; though some are better, and more memorable, than others. The
result is a film that flirts with some interesting ideas in effort to
remake Hooper’s classic but comes across as more paint-by-numbers
updating/revision than inspired storytelling. All the essential pieces
are there, with a few cosmetic “twists” (example: the “medium” is a man
not a woman), but in his attempt to ground the movie with
relatable character drama (such as Eric Bowen’s financial troubles)
Kenan fumbles in connecting the movie’s most important element:
overarching mythology. Instead of a clear-cut (albeit parapsychological)
tale of undead souls, a malevolent entity, and the “light,” all of the
remake’s supernatural components are thrown together in a convoluted mix
– anchored by little more than throwaway lines of expository dialogue.
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Sam
Rockwell is well-intentioned in the role of Eric Bowen, blending humor
and authenticity in a part that, with a different actor, could have been
a hollow outline. Given the actor’s extensive filmography, it shouldn’t
come as a surprise to see Rockwell steal the spotlight in Poltergeist.
Still, while Eric Bowen is entertaining, he’s also one of the biggest
victims of Kenan’s choppy narrative. Early on, the movie
plants interesting seeds for Rockwell to unpack (including
self-destructive pride) but quickly abandons nearly all of them
once Maddy goes missing.
Kennedi Clements as Madison Bowen in ‘Poltergeist’
The
same can be said for nearly every other character. As an example,
significant emphasis is placed on Amy Bowen’s failure as a novelist –
without revisiting or utilizing the otherwise random detail later on.
Ultimately, Kenan sets an interesting stage but fails to
construct anything particularly notable on top of it. Even the team of
parapsychologists, led by Dr. Brooke Powell (Jane Adams), is bland –
reduced to technobabble-spouting background dressing rather than
insightful touchstones that inform Poltergeist‘s audience on the finer points of supernatural consciousness.
Out
of everyone, Griffin is given the most complete arc – with a
personable turn from Kyle Catlett (who even gets to make light of
familiar horror cliches). Griffin’s journey in the film isn’t
groundbreaking but Catlett, and a touch of subtle writing, imbues
Griffin with affecting vulnerability – instrumental
in providing much-needed emotional punch as events unfold in Poltergeist.
Catlett’s interactions with Rockwell are especially good – as the
banter he shares with Jarred Harris (portraying TV
personality/accomplished medium Carrigan Burke).
That all said, as a horror genre entry, Poltergeist falls
short in its primary goal: the remake simply isn’t very scary.
Regularly trading (budget) CGI effects in place of haunting build-ups
and spooky payoffs, the only semi-successful moments of terror are
uninventive jump scares. For that reason, Poltergeist isn’t
essential horror movie viewing for anyone well-versed in the genre,
especially the remake’s 1982 inspiration. Long time horror connoisseurs
will find very few new ideas or scares in Kenan’s film.
Instead, Poltergeist
(2015) is a forgettable diversion – one that may satisfy casual viewers
looking for a mildly eerie (and sometimes humorous) ghost story – but
is far from the imaginative and, downright terrifying, storytelling that
made Poltergeist (1982) an enduring horror film classic.
TRAILER
Poltergeist (2015) runs
93 minutes and is Rated PG-13 for intense frightening sequences, brief
suggestive material, and some language. Now playing in 2D and 3D
theaters.
Let us know what you thought of the film in the comment section below.
Agree or disagree with the review?
Poltergeist III is a 1988 American supernatural horror film. It is the third and final entry in the Poltergeist film
series. Writers Michael Grais and Mark Victor, who wrote the screenplay
for the first two films, did not return for this second sequel; it was
co-written, executive produced and directed by Gary Sherman (Death Line aka Raw Meat; Phobia (story only); Dead & Buried), and, after a troubled production and re-shoots, was released on June 10, 1988, by MGM.
The film was panned by critics, and was a box office
disappointment. Sherman has said that although he is proud of portions
of the movie (particularly the creative use of mechanical “in camera”
effects instead of the traditional optical effects often seen in movies
of that genre), it is the least favorite of his films.
Heather O’Rourke and Zelda Rubinstein were the only original cast
members to return. O’Rourke died four months before the film was
released and before post-production could be completed. It was dedicated
to her memory. Plot teaser:
The Freeling family has sent Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) to live
with Diane’s sister Pat (Nancy Allen) and her husband Bruce Gardner (Tom
Skerritt). Pat and Bruce are unaware of the events of the first two
films, just noting that Steven was involved in a bad land deal. Along
with Donna (Lara Flynn Boyle), Bruce’s daughter from a previous
marriage, they live in the luxury skyscraper of which Bruce is the
manager.
Carol Anne has been made to discuss her experiences from the first
and second films by her teacher/psychiatrist, Dr. Seaton (Richard Fire).
Seaton believes her to be delusional; however, the constant discussion
has enabled Rev. Henry Kane (Nathan Davis) to locate Carol Anne and
bring him back from the limbo he was sent into at the end of the second
film. Not believing in ghosts, Dr. Seaton has come to the conclusion
that Carol Anne is a manipulative child with the ability to create mass
hysteria and to perform mass hypnosis, making people believe they were
attacked by ghosts. Also during this period, Tangina Barrons (Zelda
Rubinstein) realises that Kane has found Carol Anne and travels
cross-country to protect her…
Reviews:
‘Sherman’s sensible approach to the material was to eschew the ILM
overload that marked the series up to that point and opt for (much
cheaper) in-camera optical effects and low-tech illusionary. At its
best, Poltergeist III recalls that surreal mix of DIY ingenuity
and narrative ineptitude that mark some of Lucio Fulci’s lesser
efforts. At its worst, well, it’s just another soulless, hacky-tacky
horror sequel.’ Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
‘A low-budget sequel which tries, and fails, to make a virtue out of
adversity by substituting cheap mechanical effects for the expensive
light and magic of Parts I and II … A couple of choice moments cannot
compensate for a threadbare scenario bereft of attention-grabbing visual
effects.’ Nigel Floyd, Time Out
‘The storyline is more cohesive than Poltergeist II but it
never reaches the heights of the original movie. It’s eerie to watch the
movie knowing that O’Rourke was seriously ill whilst making it and the
fact she died before it was released makes it even more difficult to
watch in places. Poltergeist III is a good little horror that
works well as a standalone movie and as a final chapter to the
much-loved horror trilogy.’ Pip Ellwood, Entertainment Focus
Buy on Blu-ray with Poltergeist II from Amazon.com
Indeed. Gary Sherman tried something more focused on fear and high-rise closeness but it didn’t work.
And are you forgetting The Howling sequels which have to be the WORST ever?
I actually think many of the Howling sequels are so bad as to be
entertaining. Poltergeist 2 (with the exception of the late Julian Beck)
made me angry. I mean “rip the video store apart” angry.
It is however far superior to 2, which I still think is the worst
sequel ever made. I might have enjoyed this one better if they dumped
the highly obnoxious psychiatrist character, or toned him down a bit,
And poor Heather. may she rest in peace.
Edit
And are you forgetting The Howling sequels which have to be the WORST ever?