58. Poltergeist III (1988)
On the surface, the third chapter in the Poltergeist franchise is nothing but class: Tom Skerritt, Nancy Allen, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Chicago’s iconic John Hancock Center. But inside … well, inside, the film’s marred by the tragic death of young Heather O’Rourke, who, of course, played Carol Ann. Prior to filming, the 11-year-old actress was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an illness that would take her life following production. Filmmaker Gary Sherman was reluctant to complete the film, but came to a sluggish finish at the insistence of the studio. Naturally, the film’s a broken mess, but to his credit, the surreal optical effects and abyssal nature of the Hancock are the stuff of nightmares. –Michael Roffman
28. Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
A much darker sequel lacking the Spielberg touch, Poltergeist II: The Other Side works fairly well until its goofy climax. Fortunately, before then we are introduced to a character who haunted the childhood dreams of this here author for years. No, I’m not talking about the kindly shaman Taylor. I’m talking about Father Kane, played by Julian Beck. Research shows that Beck lived a wild life, but who cares? This character scared the shit out of me growing up.
His introduction on the Freeling family front steps remains disturbing. Despite the sunny day without a cloud in the sky, Kane makes for a terrifying presence through the screen door. With his demands of “Let me in!” and “You’re all gonna die!”, lil’ Justin Gerber wasn’t having any of it. I’m only talking about the TV trailer. It took me years to sit down and watch the whole movie!
The effects are impressive, with the best example being the tequila worm-turned-Kane-monster that Steven (Craig T. Nelson) vomits up. Kudos to the production team for figuring out a way to make Kane even more terrifying. Beck passed away before this movie’s release, and while Kane appears in III, it just isn’t the same. –Justin Gerber
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