Tuesday, September 12, 2017

43 Scary Facts That Will Give You Nightmares

36. Memento Mori

In Victorian England, middle class people could not afford to hire artists to paint portraits of their families. So, when photography became popular, people decided to get family photos done. However, if someone died, and the family didn’t have a chance to get the photo done yet, they would prop up the dead body and take the family photo anyway.
Nightmares facts

35. I Pray the Lord My Soul to Take

During the filming of the 1982 horror movie Poltergeist, many people were injured, and some even died. Nearly everyone who was connected to the making of the film suffered such horrible fates that some believe the movie is cursed.
Nightmares facts

34. The Boogie Men

In Uganda, children are kidnapped and used as child sacrifices by witch doctors. They pay off local police to be sure that they’ll never get caught.
Nightmares facts
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33. More than a Nightmare

In the 1970’s and 80’s, over 100 healthy people suddenly died in their sleep. Their families couldn’t explain it. Wes Craven was inspired by this idea, and it helped him to create Nightmare on Elm Street, where the villain finds and kills people in their dreams.
Nightmares facts

32. Off With Your Head!

The Guillotine was a machine used for executions, and it would chop people’s heads off. Witnesses reported the eyes moving on the heads moments before death. A modern-day experiment on rats confirmed that brains are still thinking several seconds after a head is removed from a body.
Nightmares facts

31. Love Lost

While many people take medications to cope with feelings of despair, certain types of antidepressants have been known to eliminate someone’s ability to feel love and compassion. Relationships have been ruined because these pills made their partner fall out of love with them.
Nightmares facts

Monday, September 4, 2017

Best Haunted House Horror Movies

Movies/Tv
If there is one thing that scares me in a horror movie its ghosts *shiver. Seriously give me endless zombie, vampire and slasher movies but give me a movie based on ghosts then I’m going to sleep with the lights on for about a week. Here is a list of the best haunted house horror movies.

Once you have read my top 10 list, leave me a comment and let me know if your favorite haunted house movie was listed.  After all, I am only human and forget about some great movies.

The Shining:


This horror masterpiece and definitely deserves to be placed at the top of this list. The movie is eerie, creepy and very ghostly. It was also, in my opinion, Jack Nicholsons best movie ever.

Poltergeist:


This movie has always scared the socks off of me and even now when I watch it I tend to hide behind a pillow.

1408:


Ok, so maybe it’s not a haunted house its a haunted hotel room but its bricks n cement all the same. I will never watch this movie again because I couldn’t sleep for a week after watching it.

The Amityville Horror:


This movie set the bar for all great haunted house movies. The Amityville Horror was based on actual true events which makes it even more creepy, don’t you agree?

The Conjuring:


Another ghostly movie loosely based on true events was this one. The movie may be a little slow to start but it soon picks up speed.

The Others:


This great haunted house movie is definitely one you should watch if you haven’t seen it. The movie ends up having one hell of a twist in it.

TheWoman In Black:


At first while watching this I could not get over the fact that a grown up Harry Potter was starring in a creepy horror movie lol. It’s another movie that I will never watch again because it scared me way to much. (Yes, I know I’m a wimp).

The Haunting In Connecticut:


I couldn’t leave this movie off the list due to the fact that I think it’s a fantastic haunted house movie and is more than a little creepy.

The Orphanage:


Ghosts are one thing but scary ghost children in a haunted house are a completely different level of creepiness.

Paranormal Activity:


What makes this movie stand out and what makes it so creepy is the fact that it’s a found footage movie with lots of ghostly going on’s.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Tobe Hooper, ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ and ‘Poltergeist’ Director, Dies at 74

Mandatory Credit: Photo by BEI/REX/Shutterstock (432336p)Tobe
BEI/REX/Shutterstock
Tobe Hooper, the horror director best known for helming “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “Poltergeist,” died Saturday in Sherman Oaks, Calif. He was 74.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said it was reported as a natural death.
The 1974 “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” became one of the most influential horror films of all time for its realistic approach and deranged vision. Shot for less than $300,000, it tells the story of a group of unfortunate friends who encounter a group of cannibals on their way to visit an old homestead. Though it was banned in several countries for violence, it was one of the most profitable independent films of the 1970s in the U.S. The character of Leatherface was loosely based on serial killer Ed Gein.
Hooper also directed the 1986 sequel “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” which took a more comedic approach, as part of his Cannon Films deal.
The 1982 “Poltergeist,” written and produced by Steven Spielberg, also became a classic of the genre. The story of a family coping with a house haunted by unruly ghosts starred JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson. The film was a box office success for MGM and became the eighth-highest grossing film of the year.

Related

Tobe Hooper Texas Chainsaw Massacre
After “Poltergeist,” Hooper directed two movies for Cannon Films, “Lifeforce” and “Invaders from Mars,” a remake of the 1953 alien movie.
His 1979 CBS miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s bestselling novel “Salem’s Lot” is considered by many fans to be a high-water mark in televisual horror. Combining the intrigue of a nighttime soap opera with the gothic atmosphere of a classic horror film, the two-part program was eventually reedited and released theatrically throughout Europe.
He continued working in television and film throughout the 1990s and 2000s, but none of the films had the impact of his early works. His last film, the 2013 “Djinn,” was set in the United Arab Emirates and produced by Image Nation. His other more recent works included “Toolbox Murders,” “Mortuary” and two episodes of “Masters of Horror.”
Among his other works was the music video for Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself.” In 2011 he co-authored a post-modern horror novel titled “Midnight Movie” in which he himself appeared as the main character.
Willard Tobe Hooper was born in Austin, Texas and taught college before starting out in documentaries.
He is survived by two sons.

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Monday, August 14, 2017

Top 10 Scariest 80’s Horror Classics

Movies/Tv
The 1980’s are well known for the ending of the cold war, tutus, big hair, rock ballads and of course amazing movies. I thought I Should take a look at some of the scariest 80’s horror movies and try to pick out a top 10.  It was a really tough choice if I’m honest because although sometimes cheesy 80’s horror movies were pretty amazing and brought us a lot of amazing horror icons.  

Poltergeist:  

No doubt in my mind what so ever that this movie had to be at the top of my list. Poltergeist scared the s**t out of me when I was a kid and I have to admit I haven’t watched it since. Just the sound of Carol Anne’s voice saying “They’re Heeere!” Sends a shiver right up my spine.  

The Thing:  

This old 80’s classic is one of the creepiest movies of all time in my eyes. Even now as I sit typing this blog post I have the creepy spider head image stuck in my mind and playing on repeat. Not to mention the poor guy who gets his arms chewed off by the chest cavity of the person he is trying to save.  

Evil Dead II:  

Even though my favorite scene from this movie is Bruce Campbell going mad and the furniture laughing, it also had some very disturbing scenes too. The dead by dawn scene is a one that definitely sticks in my mind and although quite cheesy compared to today’s movies it was truly terrifying.  

The Shining:  

The shining is an epic 80’s horror classic with so many amazing scenes. It’s the twin girls from the movie that sticks in my mind the most. It’s super creepy, poor kid is just riding his trike down the hallway then he’s faced with 2 dead girls repeating come play with us.  

A Nightmare on Elm Street:  

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a billion times Freddy Kruger seriously creeps me out and why wouldn’t he, he kills you in your dreams! The body bag scene is always the one that gets to me the most it seriously terrified me for months. Even when I went to the cinema to see the remake I literally hid behind my hands at the body bag scene.  

 Aliens:  

True Story: When I was about 10 or 12 I watched Aliens with my uncle in my Nan’s sitting room one night once it was finished we turned off the tv and he made a run for the sitting room door (which was glass) then turning off the light shouting “Soph it’s behind you”. A terrified me ran up banging on the door screaming stop it, let me out I was that scared I actually went through the glass door. Anyhow back to the movie… I think every aspect of this movie scared the crap out of me, however, I did go on to watch the rest of the franchise and wasn’t seriously hurt or put off by the door escapade.  

 Poltergeist II The Other Side:

Yup, as much as the first one scared me I still went on to watch the sequel. In this poltergeist movie it was the creepy man who scared me senseless, let’s not forget the part with the boy’s braces too. The scene that really caused this movie to be on this list is when the dad vomits out the demon that had him possessed.   

Pet Sematary:  

Everyone knows that Gage the little boy who was brought back to life made the movie what it was. Sure he was a creepy kid and played the part so well but it was the Zelda scenes that got to me the most. *Shiver!  

Fright Night:  

I’m a massive vampire fanatic so it comes to no surprise that I love this movie (the remake was terrible). I have to admit though when I was younger this movie did scare me. My friend and I watched it at a sleepover and the scene of Billie’s death is the one that always comes to mind whenever this movie is mentioned.  

Child’s Play:  

These movies were huge in the 80’s but were also enough to put me off dolls for life. Safe to say Chucky is one evil, horrid doll! The scene that scared me the most though was actually the moment she realizes the doll has no batteries in and it suddenly says “Chucky wanna play” that s**t was creepy!  

So that is my top 10 scariest 80’s horror classics. What would you add to the list and what would you take out?

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

My First Stab at Fanfiction: Part or Chapter 1

Okay,here's my own first stab at Poltergeist fanfiction. Now,for this story,it takes place or covers the events right after the events of the second sequel (as most Poltergeist fanfiction stories tend to ignore the crappy second sequel),so here goes Part or Chapter 1 of "Starting Over":







Once the smoke settled and dissipated, Carol Anne, Aunt Pat, Uncle Bruce, Donna and Scott all slowly, deliberately move away from each other, totally relieved and utterly exhausted from their epic battle with the forces of evil in the form of Rev. Kane and his followers. Donna happily and even giddily walks Scott out and downstairs to his apartment, figuring out a way to sneak Scott into the apartment before his mother finds out that the evil shell of her son that had first came back from The Other Side was not her son, both of them stopping a few times to French kiss like they did twice before last night. Meanwhile, Bruce and Pat were utterly exhausted from the battle of the ages and all they wanted to do was retire to their master-bedroom, take off his wedding tux and "last year's salary", and make out in bed, Bruce skipping the stiff drink that he had been promising himself since "the garage". Carol Anne, meanwhile, was totally exhausted as well and though she was in her footed blanket sleeper, sweat already starting to trickle down her cherubic face, she didn't have the strength to even unbutton the top button on her footies. As she settled down to sleep, Carol Anne couldn't help but feel sad that Tangina had to sacrifice herself into the Light in order for her to be rid of her nightmare once and for all and she knew that she would be eternally grateful to Tangina for that. 

Monday, August 7, 2017

Fanfiction- some ideas for stories that I have

There are plenty of web-sites out there now devoted to fan-fiction stories; stories that fans of movies and TV shows write that expand concepts and ideas explored in said movies or TV shows that some fans feel weren't expanded enough by the show or movie's writers.The 1980's trilogy is just one movie franchise that has gotten the fan-fiction treatment. I was going to post some of what I found here but apparently these web-sites don't allow one to copy-and-paste text off the site and onto blogs like this one so I was thinking of doing some of my own fan-fiction,as I fashion myself as a writer, albeit a self-published one,so look for some Poltergeist fan-fiction stories of mine in future posts.

Documentary to Explore 'Poltergeist' Movie Curse

The Curse of Poltergeist' will attempt to unravel the mystery that surrounds the spooky franchise.

Producer and filmmaker Adam Ripp wants to get to the bottom of the supposed curse that has plagued the cast of the Steven Spielberg-produced Poltergeist film series.
Ripp is directing The Curse of Poltergeist, which his company, Vega Baby, is financing and producing alongside Indonesia-based MD Pictures. He's set to start shooting in November.
The documentary will focus on the life and experiences of Poltergeist actor Oliver Robins, who played Robbie Freeling in the first and second installment of the franchise, as a way to explore the tragedies that have befallen those involved with the films.
“It will be a journey into the unknown as I attempt to understand the meaning behind the tragedies surrounding the movie,” said Robins, of the The Curse of Poltergeist. “It's something that will hopefully bring closure to a dark chapter in my life."
Many of the actors involved in the project have met dreadful ends, including Dominique Dunne who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, and young star Heather O’Rourke, who died at the age of twelve of acute bowel obstruction right before the third film was released.
In 2002, the curse was the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story.

Poltergeist Curse Exposed in New Documentary

B. Alan Orange
Fans of E! and their True Hollywood Story docu-series will be quite familiar with the supposed 'curse' surrounding the Poltergeist franchise. It was a subject that was fully explored on that program quite well. Now, the mystery behind the curse will hopefully be solved in what promises to be a very spooky new documentary titled The Curse of Poltergeist.
The Curse of Poltergeist hopes to unravel the truth behind all the ugly incidents that have followed those associated with the 1982 classic and its sequels. Producer and filmmaker Adam Ripp wants to get to the bottom of this intriguing and scary curse that has plagued the cast and filmmakers behind the Steven Spielberg produced horror movie series for the past three decades. Adam Ripp is directed the movie through his Vega Baby company. Vega Baby is financing the project, and producing along with Indonesian studio MP Pictures. Shooting will start in November.
The Curse of Poltergeist will be told through the eyes of still-living actor Oliver Robins. He played the young son Robbie Freeling in the first two movies. The documentary will focus on his life and experiences, filtering the tragedies that have befallen those involved with the film through his perspective. About appearing in the movie, Oliver Robins had this to say.
"It will be a journey into the unknown as I attempt to understand the meaning behind the tragedies surrounding the movie. It's something that will hopefully bring closure to a dark chapter in my life."
Oliver Robins hasn't done much acting since appearing in 1982's Poltergeist and the 1986 sequel Poltergeist II: The Other Side. His only other substantial credit is the sequel Airplane II: The Sequel, which opened the same year as Poltergeist. He has been much more active in recent years, writing, producing and directing a handful of independent projects. He was one of the few not to seemingly suffer any blowback from the Poltergeist curse.
That can't be said for several of the other actors involved with the original thriller and its two follow-ups. Many of them have met a gruesome ending. Dominique Dunne, an up and coming young actress in 1982, played Dana Freeling, the oldest daughter of the Freeling clan. She was murdered by her ex-boyfriend the same year the first movie hit theaters. Heather O'Rourke, the only actor to appear in all three original movies, died during the production of Poltergeist III in 1988. She was only 12 years-old when she succumbed to acute bowel obstruction. The film was finished without her and released later that year.
Five deaths occurred in all, along with a strong of other bizarre accidents. Many believe the The Curse of Poltergeist was brought on by the fact that the film crew used real human bones as props in various scenes for both Poltergeist and Poltergeist II: The Other Side. The 2015 Poltergeist remake, which was released this past summer, seems to have broken the curse. But we won't know until we get all the facts in The Curse of Poltergeist. The documentary does not have a set release date at this time, but could be ready by next Halloween. We've provided a video that gives more insight into the curse.

Poltergeist This work is considered exceptional by our editorial staff. Custom User Avatar By ShellyD, berwyn, IL More by this author Email me when ShellyD contributes work

hellyD contributes work
Poltergeist a suspenseful movie based on many events around a family and the kids. Director Gil Kenan made this film as a rewrite movie of Poltergeist (1982). Starring as one of the main characters was Kennedi Clements, playing Madison Bowen, the little girl who was taken from the house and was put in an alternative universe away from her family. Kennedi, at 8 years old, was very professional, and her acting was top notch and was absolutely believable. As a fan of the original movie, I was really looking forward to seeing how well Madison would be in the original movie and how it was now.  The characters were really alike and I have have to say I really enjoyed Kennedi playing Madison.
One really good part of this movie was the special effects. These effects felt real. It was super enjoyable knowing that it was fake, but seeing everything coming together had the real effect that you saw come alive right in front of you. When the part of the movie happens when the little girl was flying into the closet and the lights were flashing and you only got glimpses of the different dimensions she went into gave to the suspense of wanting to know more; not being able to get the whole picture, you really felt like you were missing a part of the story and you needed to watch more to find out. Passing this part of the movie seeing the full part of the dimension you got to see and the cool effects and dead bodies or the underworld people who had these faces that you could never forget.

When the movie had just started, I had seen it at North Riverside mall; the movie theater was very cold and uncomfortable to sit in while watching the movie. When there is cold air blowing down your back and while you are more worried about being cold than you are worried about watching the movie, you get a little distracted . I feel when the movie was at the highest or at the middle of the movie the  air conditioner was that full of cold air. Go see the movie in a normal temperture movie theater.

I felt like the plot was very believable and the writing having the character and the people looking realy like they were scared and having the fear in their eyes showed how the movie came together. When the older daughter had to babysit, she felt relatable, knowing she was a teenage girl and having her babysit and her not wanting to made me think of me and how I do the samething. I feel like that's how the director showed the interest in teenagers, too.

I really enjoyed this movie, and if it wasn't for the coldness of the movie theater, I think I would have enjoyed it more. I would go see this movie and take the time out to look at this movie from a teenager’s eye and see how scary it is to have it happen to them.

The FANFICTION Ending

 
I decided to combine the early (never filmed) scripted ending with the ending filmed during principal photography, AND the re-shot ending. Using a little fanfiction to tie them all together, I came up with this. It begins on the window washing rig, right after the evil Carol Anne tells Pat to "GO AWAY!"

**************************************
ANGLE-PAT AND CAROL ANNE-Pat recoils in horror, wildly swinging the necklace at the evil presence in front of her. The fake Carol Anne steps back, disappearing into the fog.

INT. CAROL ANNE'S BEDROOM-GARDNER APARTMENT-NIGHT
Ice is starting to form on Bruce's face. He frantically attempts to wipe it away from his face and nostrils. His has not heard, and is thus not aware, of what has just transpired outside the window with Pat.
BRUCE
Donna!
(a beat)
Carol Anne!
Attempting to keep his eyes open against the storm, he searches. Bruce is startled as he collides with a solid object. He spins to look at it.
HIS POV-It is one of the white plaster statues from Pat's gallery, the one that turned and looked at her menacingly that morning.
ANGLE-BRUCE-At first he looks confused. After the constant assault, it is an almost comical relief seeing something familiar, albeit out of place, standing like a pillar of salt amidst the terrible wrath that has been unleashed. His half smile quickly disappears when the statue SLAMS! down its plaster hand on his arm, digging into his flesh. As it strengthens its grasp, the plaster cracks and splits open revealing an icy skeletal hand beneath.
ANGLE-STATUE-The plaster face glares at him.
ANGLE-BRUCE-He wrests his arm away, hefts the spade back and aims the shovel end squarely into the statue's face.
CLOSE ON FACE OF STATUE-CRACK! The spade connects with the face, shattering the shell into dust.
ANGLE-BRUCE-His determined stare turns to shock.
HIS POV-The statue's face is now the face of KANE. It glares at him and lunges.
EXT. WINDOW WASHING RIG-NIGHT
Pat is being slammed from side to side as she holds on to the saftey line. She's finally pulled forward and down onto the floor of the rig as she struggles to hang on.
PATRICIA
Bruce!
INT. CAROL ANNE'S BEDROOM-GARDNER APARTMENT-NIGHT
Bruce struggles with Kane, a statue with a human head. The plaster body begin to crack, fracture as if it were bone, splitting under terrible pressure. Kane's icy hands rip and tear at Bruce as he struggles to gain distance and a swinging grip to the spade. The long icy nails shred Bruce's clothing as Bruce hefts back the spade and carries through with a warrior's swing.
CLOSE ON-KANE-The spade connects with Kane's neck, but rather than slicing through, Kane's neck shatters like dry plaster. The head flies off SCREAMING!; whisked away by the howling wind, which absorbs the terrible disembodied scream.
ANGLE-BRUCE-He stares off into the direction of the flying head. Shock turns to terror as the SOUND OF THE SCREAMING HEAD builds over the howl of the wind.
HIS POV-The disembodied head flies out of the storm, its teeth bared, a fierce baboon like creature. Razor sharp incisors burst from gumless bone. They snap! onto Bruce's shoulder.
EXT. WINDOW WASHING RIG-NIGHT
Bruce's cries of pain can almost be heard amid the howling wind as Pat fights to her feet, the rope pulling her about the rig, slamming her against the building, against the back of the rig. CAMERA MOVES IN ON HER HANDS slowly losing her grip on the rope.
INT. CAROL ANNE'S BEDROOM-GARDNER APARTMENT-NIGHT
Bruce is slowly being covered with frost, his wet clothes going rigid, as he struggles with the head. He's losing strength, his fingers becoming numb, losing their grip on the spade, which is now ice-encrusted. He strikes the head again! Again! The head is gnawing its way up his arm to his shoulder, slowly feasting its way to his neck and a vulnerable artery. He hefts the spade back and swings again with the end at the face. The head of Kane seems to welcome each blow as a mark of Bruce's futility. The icy spade slips from Bruce's grasp, and is carried away by the internal storm. Bruce begins slamming his fist at the head as its powerful jaws clamp and climb their way up his torso. Suddenly, Bruce bashes the face with both hands. The head doesn't seem fazed at first, but soon the clamped jaws begin losing their grip. Bruce pulls back and continues his flurry of blows. Just as the head is about to snap its incisors down on Bruce's throat, he smashes the front of the face with his fist again, this time jabbing his finger into one of Kane's eye sockets.
With one more final desperate blow Bruce pounds Kane's face. The head shudders. Bruce pulls his useless fingers back from Kane's face. Its mouth flies open emitting A TERRIBLE SCREAM! as the head jettisons backward away from Bruce. ANGLE-THE HEAD-The head is propelled through the storm at a tremendous speed on a collision course with its mirror image. The images collide! CRASH! The mirror explodes!
ANGLE-BRUCE-The explosion knocks Bruce to the floor.
EXT. WINDOW WASHING RIG-NIGHT
Pat is slammed back against the saftey railing. The rig shakes and quivers. The icy wind blasts out catching Pat and pinning her against the saftey railing. Ice begins to cover her, draining her of strength and attempting to knock her free of the rig. The rig begins to tremble and vibrate as Pat struggles to hold onto the rope.
INT. CAROL ANNE'S BEDROOM-GARDNER APARTMENT-NIGHT
Bruce almost devoid of strength, frozen, faltering tries to stand amid the tremendous wind, but he is being pelted by debris and objects that have caused a dangerous whirlwind. Bruce looks back toward the source of the wind. His nearly frozen face drops in disbelief.
HIS POV-A FLASH OF RED collides with him, knocking him to the ground. He turns to see Carol Anne (the real one this time, finally), her eyes frozen shut, her lips barely moving. He throws his arm around her as debris continues to swirl about them.
ANGLE-ANOTHER HUGE OBJECT FLIES TOWARD HIM. It slams into him, frozen arms reaching to hold on. It's Donna. Her SCREAMS! hardly audible over the building storm. With barely enough time to thrust his arms around his daughter, another object slams into him, holding on for dear life. It is Scott. They are like attached sculptures, frosting over as the ice begins to build on their bodies.
BRUCE
Hold on! Hold on!

EXT. WINDOW WASHING RIG-NIGHT
Pat suddenly crashes back against the safety railing, horrified by the sight in her hands. The tether is broken.
PATRICIA
No! No!
INT. CAROL ANNE'S BEDROOM-GARDNER APARTMENT-NIGHT
The melded mass of Bruce, Donna, Scott, and Carol Anne come flying through the fog, tossed about in the storm. Slaming into a wall and sliding along the icy floor. Ice rapidly builds up on them as they finally collide with a corner of the room and stop. A SHRIEK! cuts through the howling wind. They look up.
THEIR POV-Through the raging fog, an enormous icy sculpture of a face begins to push through. It is KANE. His face the essence of pure evil. The foul, decomposing champion in this war between life and death, one eye socket sunken, devoid of an eye, oozes with an icy flow. His mouth opens like that of an enormous jungle cat, hissing out an evil wind.
ANGLE-BRUCE, DONNA, SCOTT, CAROL ANNE-The wind pins them back, covering them with a deadly frozen ice, draining them of life, reducing them to a frozen sculpture.
EXT. WINDOW WASHING RIG-NIGHT
Pat holds on to the trembling rig as she fights the icy wind and attempts to lengthen her safety cable.
INT. CAROL ANNE'S BEDROOM-GARDNER APARTMENT-NIGHT
CLOSE ON KANE-He hisses out his foul, cold breath.
ANGLE-BRUCE, DONNA, SCOTT, CAROL ANNE-The last ounce of life drains out of them. They have become a hideous ice sculpture. THE CAMERA MOVES IN ON THEM. The intense cold begins to crack the frozen mass. Fractures lines radiate across it. The ice connecting the four of them shatters and the lifeless bodies slide over to opposite ends of the room.

EXT. WINDOW WASHING RIG- Pat finally unlatches her safety belt and plunges from the washing rig through the broken window and into the screaming maelstrom.

INT. CAROL ANNE'S BEDROOM-GARDNER APARTMENT-NIGHT
Pat tumbles to the floor in a room which has become a world of pure, freezing rage. Shielding her eyes from the icy light and howling wind she staggers forward, searching and screaming.

PATRICIA
Bruce! Bruce!

She is startled as a violent gust suddenly forces her to lose balance and she collides with a solid object. She falls and turns to it.

HER POV-She is eye-level with the top of Carol Anne's bed. A few inches away, Carol Anne's Speak 'n Spell, frosted with ice suddenly comes to life. Its sound eerily cuts through the din.

SPEAK 'N SPELL
B-R-U-C-E. Bruce. Can you spell Trish?

CLOSE ON PAT-As she scrambles back away from the bed. She falls again over another object on the floor. It is Carol Anne's body, frozen in the throws of death and pinned to the floor by a solid sheet of ice. Terrified, Pat screams and rolls away. She is immediately confronted by another ice statue. This one contains the bodies of Donna and Scott, twisted in death beneath the ice. Pat recoils and stumbles onto a third ice statue. It holds the grotesquely frozen body of Bruce. She screams in agony and horror.


PATRICIA
Bruce! Oh my God...Bruce!


Pat throws herself at the frozen form, desperately beating and clawing at it with her hands. Her eyes wild with emotion, she suddenly focuses on something.

HER POV-She sees Kane looking down at her through the ice and fog.

ANGLE-PAT-As she rises and hurls herself at Kane. She SLAMS into the mirror. With a passionate fury, her hands madly tear away at the ice and frost on the surface.

PATRICIA
You can't take them! Tangina said you can't, as long as someone here loves them. Well I love them! And I have this [she holds up the necklace] to protect me!

She suddenly stops. She spins around, realizing that Kane is not behind the mirror, but behind her in the room!
HER POV-KANE is moving toward her. He grins behind his cold breath.

ANGLE-PAT-As she slides along the mirror, just out of his grasp. She is crying.

PATRICIA
NO!

Suddenly, Pat's mirror image spins around, it's face a death mask, it grabs her viciously. It reaches for the necklace. Kane laughs as Pat screams. She hits out at her evil image. It releases its grip.

Pat sees her reflection is back to normal. From behind her:
KANE:
The necklace!
Pat spins around, as Kane moves up behind her and slaps her hard across the face. She falls down and hits something on the floor. There is the sound of dried leaves. It is the rotting body of one of Kane's followers. It sits up out of the mist and tries to grab the necklace. Pat screams and backs away, now falling on top of another withered corpse. It lunges. Pat kicks it in the stomach, but it lunges again, this time joined by the other corpse. The two of them hold her down. Follower #2 grabs the necklace, but BOLTS OF GLOWING BLUE ELECTRICITY shoot out from the amulet and COURSE OVER the zombie's body. It screams, as LINES OF LIGHT erupt across its face. There is an explosion of light as the ghoul dissipates back into the fog which has been floating along the bedroom floor.
Kane looks annoyed. Realizing the power of the necklace, Pat pulls herself up and presses the amulet directly into Corpse #1's face. It screams in agony, as the the same LINES OF LIGHT spread across the face. Another FLASH! as the follower dissolves back into the mist. Pat backs up against the wall mirror and into something on the floor. It is the spade Bruce was using earlier.
KANE
Give me the necklace!
PAT (slowly standing up, taking the spade with her)
No.
KANE
The necklace!
PAT
NO!
She swings the spade, neatly slicing off Kane's head. His body falls back to the floor. Pat looks down at the severed head, lying on the ice covered floor. Its mouth begins to twist in pain, low gutteral sounds emanating from within. Suddenly the face begins to decompose and peel away from the bone.
Her POV-The flesh continues to peel away revealing the mummified face beneath. Kane's mouth opens letting out a blood-curdling SCREAM. But, from somewhere in the distance comes Kane's unmistakable laugh. The storm grows more violent than ever.

Close on PAT-Her eyes fly toward the mirror.
Over PAT-Kane steps out of the fog.
Her POV-She looks toward where the head was.
Her POV-There is nothing on the floor but snow.
Back to PAT-She looks up at Kane.
Her POV-Kane laughs at her.
KANE
You cannot win....because I am SMAAARRTTT. And, you shall never see your family again.
With this, Kane pushes his hand into the mirror. At his touch, a circular bluish bilocation point appears, a direct portal to The Other Side. The opening begins to suck things toward it. Kane motions his hand toward the four frozen bodies still on the floor. The frozen forms slide along the floor and are sucked, one by one, into the opening. Carol Anne is the last to vanish into it.
PAT
No, you bastard!

Kane touches his hand once more to the portal, and it closes shut. As Pat backs away, sobbing, his begins to sing a familiar hymn.
KANE
God is in, His Holy Temple....Earthy Thoughts...be Silent Now.....
Suddenly, TANGINA's  off screen voice intrudes.
TANGINA
Kane!
ANGLE: Pat turns toward the mirror. She has to guide her face to look into the storm.
Over Pat and Kane: Tangina steps toward them, but only in the mirror.
Pat looks from mirror to Kane back to mirror.
Pat's POV of Tangina in mirror.
ANGLE-Kane looks at Tangina.
TANGINA
Give her back her family. You don't need them. You don't need Carol Anne. I can lead you into the Light. I have the knowledge...and the power!
Angle-Pat looks at Kane. A slight smile appears on his face, as he walks toward the mirror and INTO his own reflection with a FLASH of light. He joins Tangina on the other side of the mirror. She takes his hand, and they walk into the fog. In the distance, we SEE that THE LIGHT has appeared.
PAT
No! Tangina don't. Tell me how to use the necklace, so I can save all of you.
TANGINA
Thank you, Pat. But this is the way it has to be. Say goodbye to Carol Anne for me. Tell her I'll always love her, and that her nightmare is over.
Close on PAT-Fear wipes across her face.
Pat (shouts)
Tangina!
Angle-Pat runs toward the mirror as Tangina and Kane begin to disappear in the ever increasing glow behind the fog and growing storm. THUD! Pat hits the mirror.
The glow behind the fog grows into a blinding light. The sound of the storm builds to an ear-splitting level, drowning out Pat's scream.
Tangina and Kane walk into the Light, and are gone.
Pat (screams)
Tangina, wait! Where are they?
Close on PAT-Tears run down her face, as she claws at the mirror. Then distant voices come wafting through the violent storm. Pat pries her eyes open. Along the floor we see that the ever present mist has started to glow. The voices are coming from there. The mist rises up and takes human forms. We SEE that these are the last few of Kane's followers and people from the Cuesta Verde cemetery. Now free to go into the Light at long last, they rush into it, turning into spirit lights themselves as they do.
Pat watches all this. Suddenly it is quiet. And the Light is beginning to fade. Pat closes her eyes, softly crying to herself, lost and alone. But then Bruce's voice breaks the silence.
BRUCE
Pat!
Pat looks up. Her POV:
Angle-in the mirror, far away, FOUR FIGURES emerge from the fog. Bruce carries Carol Anne in his arms. Donna is on Bruce's left, holding on to his arm, while Scott walks slowly next to Donna .
PAT
Bruce!....Bruce!
She smiles through her tears as her family and Scott get closer to the mirror. Bruce steps INTO the mirror from his side as Pat reaches out toward him. There is a FLASH of light and a huge explosion of energy as the four of them step through the mirror and join Pat. Another BURST of LIGHT and the five of them are blown back away from the mirror and onto the bed.

EXT. JOHN HANCOCK BUILDING-NIGHT
One final catastrophic violent surge BLASTS! through the window sending energy swirling up through the clouds. Its dissemination creating prismatic beams which shoot up into the sky, dissipating, absorbed into the vast dark expanse.

INT. CAROL ANNE'S ROOM-GARDNER APARTMENT-NIGHT
The storm is quickly dissipating-Visibility returns. THE CAMERA MOVES IN ON BRUCE, PATRICIA, DONNA, CAROL ANNE, AND SCOTT on the bed. Their arms intertwined around each other. The five of them together in a family embrace sharing tears of joy and relief. Bruce has lifted Carol Anne. Pat stretches up and kisses her lovingly on the cheek. The necklace is lying on the bed where Pat has dropped it. They are all facing away from the mirror except for Carol Anne who is facing it over Bruce's shoulder. Her eyes focus on the mirror.


HER POV-In the mirror is the reflection of the whole group. Amid them stands Tangina, though in transparent, glowing spirit form. She smiles into CAMERA and waves a gentle "goodbye" to Carol Anne with her fingers.

ANGLE-CAROL ANNE-As she returns the gesture, a solitary tear wells up in one eye and gently rolls down her cheek.
ANGLE-OVER CAROL ANNE-and into the mirror. Tangina appears to walk around the group and in front of them. Carol Anne turns her head into the camera.

HER POV-There is no one in front of them, just the silence of the room and the remains of the now unbroken window looking out to the skyline.


ANGLE-THE FAMILY AND SCOTT-Tangina is no longer in the mirror behind them. All that remains is a family together and safe.

THE CAMERA BACKS out of the room and passes through the unbroken window. It PANS across the face of the building, finally settling on the morning sun rising over the shimmering waters of Lake Michigan, it's cleansing light wiping out the nightmare that claimed a special life, a life sacrificed to save a family.

THE END        

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Poltergeist: The Sequels That Never Came to Be

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Given the success of the original Poltergeist, it was inevitable that a string of sequels would follow in its wake. Surprisingly, however, the franchise never made it past its terrible third installment. After the death of young star Heather O’Rourke and the poor box office performance of 1988’s Poltergeist 3, the once profitable series fell completely off the Hollywood radar.
Of course, Poltergeist was given the remake treatment this year, almost three decades after the franchise’s last installment. The modern day revival landed into theaters this past weekend, pulling in nearly $30 million and scaring up mostly negative reviews. It was yet another pointless remake, lazily recreating iconic moments and bringing no new ideas to the table.
Though the box office failure of Poltergeist 3 spelled the end of the original franchise, and directly led to this year’s inevitable remake, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t ever plans for a Poltergeist 4. In fact, according to the information that is publicly available, there were at least three different iterations of Poltergeist 4 in the works at various points in time.
Scary picture in 3, 2, 1…
Reverend Kane
One of the ideas that was tossed around in the early 1990s, not long after the release of Poltergeist 3, was to make a prequel film about creepy villain Reverend Kane, telling the character’s origin story that was only briefly explored in Poltergeist 2. It was to be a psychological thriller with little in the form of special effects, taking the franchise in a new direction.
Allegedly, one of the ideas being tossed around was that the prequel would attempt to tie Kane directly to the Freeling family, explaining why he specifically decided to aggressively target them. According to an industry insider by the name of Macklin Crux, it was eventually going to be revealed that Carol Anne was the great-great granddaughter of the once-respected Reverend Kane.
A prequel centering on Kane is no doubt an interesting proposition, as Kane was without question the best thing about Poltergeist 2. His story of starting a Jonestown-like cult and convincing his followers that the end was near is one that could easily be expanded into a feature, and it’s somewhat of a bummer that it wasn’t – even if such a film would be, at the end of the day, quite unnecessary.
It was many years before another peep was heard about Poltergeist 4, and by the time talks resumed, the project had taken a completely different shape. News of a new sequel hit the net in 2005, when it was revealed that Clint Morris had been hired to write a film titled Poltergeist: Kayeri. It was to be a direct sequel to the second film, mostly disregarding the events of the third.
The plan for Kayeri was for Craig T. Nelson to reprise the role of Steve Freeling, a character so haunted by the past that he ditched his family and became a hermit – living alone in the mountains of California. But the patriarch of the Freeling family of course cannot truly escape his family’s curse, as the persistent spirit of Reverend Kane eventually finds him – engaging him in one final battle.
Poltergeist Kayeri
Steve Freeling was to be aided in the battle by both an Indian friend as well as a young band filming a video in the mountains, the latter characters being written into the script to cater the film to a younger audience. In the end, Steve was going to reunited with both his wife and daughter, and it was at one point rumored that Hilary Duff would play the fully-grown Carol Anne.
One thing Poltergeist 2 touched upon was how traumatized Steve Freeling was after the events of the original film, as he was haunted by the fear that he couldn’t protect his family. He turns to booze and refuses to ever own another television, so becoming a full-on hermit seems like somewhat of a natural progression for the character. Again, would’ve been very interesting to see.
The death of Kayeri, it seems, was the merger between Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sony. The project had apparently been in the works back in 2003, but when Sony bought MGM in 2004, it simply wasn’t a priority for the studio. By the time we learned about the sequel in 2005, it appears as if the film had already been dead in the water for at least a year.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available about the third attempt to resurrect the Poltergeist franchise, which was going to feature the return of Poltergeist and Poltergeist 2 co-writer Michael Grais. The news broke in 2007 that Grais was hired to write Poltergeist: In the Shadows, which was described as a sequel that had no connection whatsoever to Kayeri.
But much like Kayeri, Poltergeist: In the Shadows vanished shortly after it was announced. A remake of the original classic was set in motion the following year, and after a few changes of both writers and directors, production finally began in 2013. The lackluster Poltergeist remake, it seems, has forever vanquished any and all hopes of the Freeling family’s return.
If you could bring only one of these three sequels back to life, which one would it be? And why? Comment below and let us know!

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The Movie-Remake Craze: How Hollywood’s Empty Ideas Are Filling Theaters

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06/02/2015 01:52 pm ET | Updated Jun 2,2016

The Movie-Remake Craze: How Hollywood’s Empty Ideas Are Filling Theaters

Long before his voice became an inescapable fixture on pretty much every one of your car radio’s presets, Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Keidis was playing a surfer with attitude in the 1991 film “Point Break.” The singer shared a short scene with Keanu Reeves, whose character asked a gang of local thugs whether they were going to lecture him about surfing etiquette. Kiedis’s character’s response: “That would be a waste of time.”
You know, kind of like the film’s remake 24 years later.
At least that seems to be the consensus among those of us who watched the new “Point Break” trailer that was released by Warner Bros. Pictures last week. The clip received more than 6 million hits on YouTube, many of which came from fans of the original who seem less than pleased that the movie is getting a reboot. Among the comments that viewers wrote:

- “You are about to create a horrible remake and worse yet, give the original movie a bad name.”
- “They are about to destroy a classic.”
- “(Original star Patrick) Swayze will be turning in his grave.”
- “Disrespectful to the original.”
But let’s be honest: many of us casting hate on the new version will go see it when it comes out in December. We always do. Several of the “Point Break” comments asked why Hollywood continues to churn out remakes and sequels instead of doing something new and original. But by going out of their way to watch the trailer for a remake they supposedly detest, they answered their own question.
The most interesting question about the movie industry’s seemingly constant retreads isn’t why they’re happening; rather, it’s why we continue to gobble up whatever doses of nostalgia are being fed to us, then deny that we wanted them in the first place. Don’t blame Hollywood for lazily remaking the classics instead of bringing brand-new ideas to the table: the real culprit is every movie fan who goes to the theater. If no one was buying tickets to see this endless stream of reboots, sequels and spinoffs, they wouldn’t be made.
“Point Break” isn’t the only 2015 remake to irk movie fans: in February, for example, 20th Century Fox released the trailer for its new take on 1982’s “Poltergeist.” Fans of the original checked it out and left comments such as, “This is gonna be bad,” “Some stuff shouldn’t be rebooted,” and “The original is unmatched, this film is unnecessary.” Yet since its Memorial Day weekend release, the new “Poltergeist” has grossed more than $46 million worldwide. Which means that, for the studio that produced it, this film was hardly unnecessary.
For all of our complaints about Hollywood’s lack of originality, we have already turned out in droves this year to see everything from “Pitch Perfect 2” to “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Taken 3” to “Furious Seven.” And starting this weekend, the summer’s most anticipated releases will continue the pattern: coming your way in just the next couple of months are “Entourage,” “Jurassic World,” Ted 2,” “Terminator: Genisys,” “Magic Mike XXL,” “Pan,” “Mission: Impossible 5,” “Fantastic Four,” “JEM,” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” Why? Because the movie studios know that, as much as we say we hate remakes, sequels, spinoffs and adaptations, we’ll buy a ticket to see them.
Hollywood’s reliance on expanding its proven commodities, rather than offering us new ideas, is a relatively recent phenomenon. Of the 10 most popular films released in 1985, only one (“Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”) was a sequel or a remake; a decade later, none were, as all 10 of the most popular movies released in 1995 were original, first-run concepts. But in the new millennium, things have changed: of the 10 most popular films that came out in 2005, “The 40 Year Old Virgin” was the only one not based on a previously existing movie, comic book, graphic novel, or classic literary work.
The same trend can be seen in our favorite TV shows: of the 10 highest-rated shows in both 1985 and 1995, none were remakes, updates or spinoffs. But in 2005, our top 10 favorite shows included two separate versions of “CSI” and “Law & Order.” And things are even worse in 2015: last month’s top 10 included two versions of the “NCIS” franchise, as well as “The Voice” and “Dancing With the Stars” (both of which are just American versions of programs that had already proven successful overseas).
Our late-night talk shows have also become a haven for nostalgia. Jimmy Fallon sits atop the late-show ratings, but much of what he does is mere reinvention. We may love his “Saved by the Bell“ and “Full House“ reboots, “History of Rap“ segments, and music video parodies, but what’s so new about material rooted in the past? Speaking of which, even Fallon’s house band, The Roots, were already an established brand by the time he brought them on board.
Whether it’s film, prime-time TV or late-night talk, we may publicly demand something new, but the numbers don’t lie: privately, we go with what we know. We shouldn’t be mad at the entertainment industry for merely updating instead of inventing; if anything, we should be mad at ourselves for providing an audience for projects we claim to despise. Sure, many of our favorite movies, TV programs and late-night talk shows are not original. But they’re also the ones we’re most excited about watching, whether we want to admit it or not.

The Poltergeist remake is a reminder of what makes the original unique


Contributed by
May 26,2015
The 2015 reimagining of Poltergeist is mostly what we've come to expect from horror remakes -- a passable if tedious display, hitting a lot of familiar beats from its source material but dressed up in the current horror fashions. In fact, the one thing that's brought into sharpest focus by the new Poltergeist is that the original has held quite a bit of influence on modern horror.
Insidious, Sinister and The Conjuring all have one unifying theme in common -- family. At the heart of each of their stories is a family struggling to deal with the supernatural. It's a theme that has served each franchise well enough to merit lucrative theatrical sequels.
There is an important distinction between those films and Poltergeist, though. Poltergeist isn't just a movie about a family; it was designed to be for family viewing. Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper actually fought the MPAA over the film's initial R rating until it was lowered to PG. Granted, we're talking about a time before PG-13 existed, but the result is no less noteworthy. Poltergeist went from being briefly considered a largely adults-only affair to a rating that told parents "Yeah, bring the kids along, too."
Although Poltergeist does have its fair share of scares, that PG rating is earned, because the focus of Poltergeist really isn't the scares -- it's the family. That is at the heart of what makes Poltergeist stand out. But much like the Freelings' home, this film has many hearts.
The closest modern-day comparison that can be drawn to Poltergeist is not its own remake but 2013's The Conjuring. (Note: this article will discuss plot elements from both films.) Both feature a family in distress due to a supernatural disturbance within their home, and both seek the aid of gifted paranormal investigators. Both also place the mother in a central role, but that is exactly where the two films diverge, and where Poltergeist's uniqueness once again comes into play.
Whereas Carolyn Perron in The Conjuring is the focus of the haunting and eventually becomes possessed, Diane Freeling is consistently the one person strong and wise enough to protect her family from the titular poltergeist. This distinction is essential in understanding why the storytelling in Poltergeist is unlike any other horror movie ever made.
Although every member of the family plays their part, Poltergeist is largely Diane Freeling's story. While Carol Anne may be the first to discover the disturbance, it's Diane, portrayed by the luminescent JoBeth Williams, who seeks to understand it. The film even makes a point of telling the audience that Carol Anne's gift of seeing beyond what most humans do comes from Diane. 
As a result, once Carol Anne is taken by the spirits inhabiting the Freeling house, it is Diane who is most capable of remaining in communication with her. Placing a maternal figure at the heart of Poltergeist has a profound effect on the way we experience its brand of horror. Take, for example, this sequence, in which Diane communes with Carol Anne for the benefit of Dr. Lesh and the other paranormal investigators:
You can see from that scene how Poltergeist's scares are tempered by Diane's strength as a woman and as a mother. Her energy makes it so we can see something larger than just the scary parts of Poltergeist. And her energy is strengthened by two other strong female characters -- Dr. Lesh and, of course, Zelda Rubinstein's career-defining Tangina. Each, despite their own fears, treats the situation they find themselves in as something not just frightening but wondrous.
Meanwhile, the audience throughout the film are treated like children, struggling with all the big questions they don't yet have the experience to understand. That is the role that the Freeling's son Robbie plays -- he asks the questions we want answers to, not just in the film, but in life. Take this scene, for example, in which Dr. Lesh tries to explain to Robbie what happens after people die:
Both this and the earlier clip form the backbone for Poltergiest tonally, and so much of Poltergeist uses this tactic in dealing with the supernatual -- not only with jump scares or dread, but with wonder and compassion.
Ultimately, Poltergeist has much more in common with Spielberg's other film of 1982, E.T., than it does with The Conjuring. In fact, it could be argued that if it weren't for the one malevolent spirit in the Freeling house, Carol Anne's relationship to the other spirits in her home would have probably been much more similar to the one between Elliott and E.T.
There are so many aspects of Poltergeist that people talk about. Whether it's ILM's effects work, the conflicts between Spielberg and Hooper, or the supposed curse surrounding the franchise, Poltergeist is one of those horror movies that appears on every best-of list. But plenty of movies have great effects and scores, most have creative conflicts galore, and stories of "real-life" curses crop up in myriad horror movies.
All those things combined aren't what makes Poltergest distinct. What does make Poltergeist so genre-redefining and singular is that, despite the scares along the way (and there are lots of very memorable ones), the story of Poltergeist isn't as simple as one of good defeating evil -- it's a story of reuniting lost souls, be they living or something beyond. It's a story that isn't just scary, it's one that reminds us that it's OK to be scared sometimes.
Poltergeist takes the most ordinary of family lives and makes them extraordinary, not just through dreams or nightmares, but through the spaces in between. Not only does the Poltergeist remake fail at doing any of the above, but it stands in such stark contrast to the original Poltergeist that it serves as a reminder of just how truly unto itself the 1982 classic remains.
Poltergeist was a true original when it came out, and even with the obvious nods in decades' worth of filmmaking since, it remains wholly unlike any movie that was made before or since -- a horror movie that tugs at the heartstrings of the whole family.

Poltergeist Remake (Review) They know what scares you

Director – Gil Kenan (Scream: The TV Series, Monster House)
Starring – Sam Rockwell (Cowboys & Aliens, Iron Man 2), Rosemarie DeWitt (The Watch, Mad Men), and Jared Harris (Resident Evil: Apocalypse, The Boxtrolls)
Release Date – 2015
Rating – 2.5/5
I enjoy remakes.  I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again.  I really enjoy remakes.  A lot of people immediately shit talk remakes without even checking out the film but they quickly forget that the classics like House of Wax starring Vincent Price and John Carpenter’s The Thing are both remakes.  House of Wax is the remake to the 1933 horror thriller Mystery at the House of Wax and The Thing is a remake of The Thing from Another World.  Hell, I even love the remakes for Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Halloween (not the abysmal sequel).
I’m always open to remakes so when it was announced that one of my favorite horror films growing up was getting the remake treatment I was very excited.  I bought a copy of this film back in November during the Black Friday on blu for just a few dollars and never watched it.  Never had the time really but that changed.  When Scream Factory said they were sending over Poltergeist II and III for review I decided it was the perfect time to sit down and watch all the film, including the remake.

**Spoiler Alert**The film follows the Bowen family that is forced to downsize their home due to the father, Eric (Rockwell), losing his job.  They find a house in their budget but needs some major work.  They settle on it and not long after moving in they learn that the property was once a cemetery that was relocated to another neighborhood.  Sometime passes and strange things occur and before long they are engulfed in a full fledged haunting.  Their youngest daughter, Madison, is then taken to another realm by the spirits and they learn that their bodies were never relocated, only the grave markers.  The family enlist the help of television paranormal investigator Carrigan Burke (Harris) to help get Madison back.**Spoiler Alert**
I was very excited for this film and when the opportunity to watch it in theaters past me up I knew it would be some time before I could actually make the time to see it.  I didn’t think it would be as good as the original but I thought I would still have fun with it.  The film had some moments, and a few characters I enjoyed, but most of the cast was just all wrong.
The acting was not bad.  Not in the least but they were not believable.  Sam Rockwell will never be able to convince me that he is a loving family man.  He is continuously typecast as the wise cracking asshole that only looks out for himself.  I have yet to see a film where I thought otherwise and this film is no exception.  The remainder of the cast is decent as well but they are unable to capture the charm of the original cast.  They feel awkward and out of place.  With that being said, Jared Harris was fantastic.  The team behind the remake knew they would never be able to make a character as iconic as Zelda Rubenstein’s character so they took a different approach.  Harris’ paranormal investigator character was brilliant.  Honestly, I would have preferred to watch an entire film about him and his exploits.
The story for this one is mostly what we got in the original with some minor changes.  The dad is unemployed where the father in the original was a real estate broker and so on.  These minor changes does not affect the story but the execution does.  Some of the scenes in the remake are very long winded and boring.  These scenes need trimmed down drastically and cut to make the story feel more streamlined.
Finally, the film is full of practical and visual effects.  The practical effects we do get are great.  The team really went for it and it shows.  However, the visual effects are not consistent.  Some effects look cheap and quickly put together while others look great and really surprised me.  The effects department needed to get on the same page.  Overall, Poltergeist just didn’t go the distance.  I wasn’t expecting a perfect film but I was expecting something enjoyable.  This one failed.


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Collins’ Crypt: The POLTERGEIST Sequels Are Finally Worth Seeing Again

The followups to Poltergeist were underwhelming - but their production histories are fascinating
I've mentioned before in previous Crypts that Poltergeist II: The Other Side was the first horror movie I ever saw in theaters (and that the original film was likely the very first horror movie I ever saw), so you might think it's odd that I never owned a copy of it as a kid. I didn't buy it on VHS or tape it off of HBO or anything like that - it wasn't until 2008, when I bought the double feature DVD of the two sequels, that I think I ever even watched the whole film again from start to finish. Perhaps that's why my nostalgia blinders - which should be very strong considering its "historic" significance in my life as a horror fan - don't cloud my judgment of the film: it's "fine", but a big step down from the original. And Poltergeist III isn't even as good as that, though it at least improves in the FX department, with in-camera (and often very hard to spot) tricks replacing the previous film's woefully sub-par optical work.
But what the films occasionally lack in their on-screen quality (though both are masterpieces compared to the 2015 remake), they more than make up for in fascinating production histories, which apart from Heather O'Rourke and Zelda Rubinstein are the only things that stuck around for all three films. Any horror fan knows about the so-called Poltergeist "curse", which was drummed up by superstitious types to explain the high number of deaths from the series, and it will come up again whenever another actor dies even if it's from old age. That a number of the deaths are tenuous at best (Julian "Reverend Kane" Beck died of the cancer he had before he even got the role, for example) doesn't really seem to matter to anyone who likes to spice up a slow news day by bringing up the "curse", but I won't deny it certainly encouraged more interest in the behind the scenes drama for all three films. Until now, we never really got much detail about them - the first film's "special edition" release has a documentary about real life ghost hunters and nothing else, and the two sequels got even less on their joint release (trailers, basically).
Naturally, Scream Factory has come to the rescue, at least for the sequels (which are controlled by MGM; Warner Bros still retains rights to the first film, and they're notoriously "eh" about releasing special editions for their library titles). Each film has been released with two commentaries, additional interviews, and for Poltergeist III, footage of the film's original ending, which has been a subject of controversy since the film was released in 1988. Anyone with half a brain would be able to spot that Heather O'Rourke's face is never shown in the film's closing minutes, and that's due to the fact that she tragically passed away after the film's original production, but before reshoots/pickups, necessitating the use of a double. And while The Other Side didn't have to deal with that ungodly situation, it too went through its share of obvious reworking, with a goofy/abrupt ending and some reshuffling of key scenes, resulting in glaring continuity errors (keep an eye on Tangina in the final scene - she completely vanishes at one point). For the first time, we're able to hear someone's side of the story at length on these matters, and for me (and presumably some of you), allowed me to finally get some legitimate enjoyment out of my time with these films.
Don't go looking for truly eye-opening dirt, however - these discs had to go through MGM legal, after all, so while there's plenty of nitty gritty you'd certainly never find on an EPK, everything is cordial and people only blame themselves for the films' lapses - rarely will they badmouth another person from the production. The commentaries have noticeable silent gaps on occasion, often whenever the conversation turns to original endings or other reshoots*, but plenty of good stuff makes it through. It's been 30 years, so there's a "water under the bridge" tone to the stories of rushed timeframes (screenwriter Brian Taggert apparently only had about ten days to write the third film) and miffed actors (Rubinstein was upset about a cut scene from Poltergeist II). Of course, backstage drama is a Poltergeist tradition - we will be debating about who really directed the first film until the end of time, and there was that unfortunate business with the real skeletons (they were cheaper than plastic ones, apparently), but the original film was seemingly released as envisioned and clearly didn't suffer from whatever issues might have come up between Hooper and Spielberg. The sequels, however, are a much different story.

Now, by nature, any sequel is subject to some overthinking and "too many cooks", but at least a good number of them have the major creative forces returning, and that may be why the Poltergeist sequels dropped so far in quality. Spielberg, Hooper, producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, and others all either declined or weren't asked to return for the sequel, and so the only major contributors to the first film (besides composer Jerry Goldsmith) that came back were Michael Grais and Mark Victor. However, that wasn't exactly something to point out in the marketing; they were the team who wrote the original screenplay (based on Spielberg's idea), though it was rewritten by Spielberg after that, and they didn't have much of a role in its production after turning in their draft. So while The Other Side is technically from the same writers, it's about the loosest possible example of the idea, and - nothing against the men - something WITH Spielberg is kind of always going to be better than something WITHOUT him. But hey, it was something, and they were able to get the core family of actors back minus Dominique Dunne, who was murdered in 1982 and thus her character (Dana, the oldest sister) was written out without any explanation in the final cut (there was a scene explaining that she was off at college, but it's not in the released version of the film - she is simply retconned out of existence, like Chuck Cunningham).
It's possible that the scene would have been left in had there not been so much tinkering, but what was once a 130-minute movie was released at a lean 90 - nearly a third of the film had been excised, though some material (including the references to Dana) were retained for the novelization. As for the aforementioned re-ordering of scenes, it's unclear if they would improve the film or not had they been shown in their intended order, but such things aren't done unless there's a panic of some sort. Fansite guru David Furtney (who provides commentary for both films) helpfully points out how the scenes were originally ordered, so any fans with a lot of time on their hands can recut the film as it was intended and find out - though they can't restore the original finale, as the footage isn't there, so we'll forever be stuck with the lame one we got. New director Brian Gibson wasn't around for the reshot ending (John Bruno directed it, thirteen years before boring us to death with Virus), which suffers from poor FX and a generally dull confrontation, allowing the audience to spend their final few minutes with the film (and, as it'd turn out, the Freeling family) alternating between laughing and being bored. It's a shame, too, because before the ending is a pair of terrific sequences that are every bit as good as the original: a sequence where Steven (Craig T. Nelson) is possessed by and then pukes up a giant worm, followed by a garage-set escape attempt with a flying chainsaw (an effect that looks better on Scream's Blu-ray than it did on DVD, shockingly enough - usually high def makes bad FX look even worse). Had the movie more or less ended there, it might have a better overall reputation, but instead we get this weirdo trip to the subtitular "Other Side" that seemingly no one likes (certainly not Grais, who expresses his dismay on his commentary track - his partner Mark Victor is MIA for whatever reason).
HR Giger is also less than thrilled with the finished product, as he designed some of the film's creatures but was not on hand to supervise their construction/execution as he was for Alien. Making matters worse, Gibson didn't quite understand the complexities of working with these kinds of effects, and so they'd be designed for certain angles/lighting which he would apparently change on the spot, necessitating quick (read: not ideal) adjustments and underwhelming "performances" from the creatures. Some of the accidents turned out well - the Kane-worm's creepy snarl when he looks at Steven and Diane was apparently not intentional but a misbehaving servo in the facial apparatus, for example - but this obviously created friction on the set, and was probably part of the reason Gibson wasn't involved when the studio decided the film needed more scary stuff. Luckily, their thinking seemed to be correct - the reviews weren't great, but audiences (including a very excited six-year-old BC!) flocked to the film in the summer of 1986, ultimately making it the year's highest grossing horror film, though it failed to generate as much box office at the original.
This fact was not lost on MGM, who wanted to continue the series but cut costs. Poltergeist III's budget was only around half of what The Other Side had, though they clearly got to save on cast costs: of the Freelings, only O'Rourke returned (with Rubinstein popping up for good measure). But they didn't recast (weird how MGM, who changes out James Bonds every decade, was seemingly unwilling to ever let anyone else play these roles besides the original actors), so the plot had O'Rourke sent to Chicago to attend a special school for gifted children, and living with her aunt (Nancy Allen as Patricia, a previously unmentioned sister to Diane Freeling) and uncle (Tom Skerritt). It's not the worst idea, as sequels go - the change of scenery was a big plus, and there's only so much they can do with the same characters going through the same situation - it'd be like if Holly got held hostage once again in Die Hard 3. Unfortunately, Grais and Victor (and Goldsmith) all moved on as well, making the two actors the only ones to have any previous connection to the series. The Freeling family is mentioned a few times (not Dana, of course), but even when Carol Anne disappears no one thinks to call her parents - it's the kind of sequel where you just have to accept that no one will behave logically because they can't include pre-existing characters who should have gotten involved.

One major change was actually for the better - the FX. Not wanting to deal with opticals, new director Gary Sherman (a bit of a horror guru thanks to the awesome Death Line and underrated Dead & Buried) wanted to do every effect in camera, using doubles and fake mirrors to pull off some truly impressive shots (this is one case where the Blu-ray's quality DOES hurt a bit - it's easier to spot the slight differences between Allen, Skerritt, etc. and their doubles, who are miming their movements). These shots are pretty much all the movie has going for it, but they were not that easy to pull off, and consumed a lot of the production's time (it went at least a week over schedule), which - along with the reduced budget - left them unable to complete major sequences as originally intended. On the commentary, Sherman points out several scenes (like the ones involving the group of teens that seemingly stepped out of a particularly bland slasher film) that are only in the movie because it'd be too short otherwise, and would have been trimmed or cut entirely if they had anything else they could use. If you ever wondered why the film was paced so awkwardly (the first 20 minutes are actually quite good, for what it's worth, then things start falling apart), that's the reason, or at least, the given one - the film runs 97 minutes, so they could have chucked some of this stuff and still been OK on the runtime. Listening to the commentary, I suspect Sherman (who has said repeatedly that this is his least favorite of his films) didn't care too much about the plot or even the pacing, and just focused all his energy on the trick shots. With the script being so wonky, I can't say I blame him - I'm still trying to understand why Allen's character is so much more loving and caring to her newly acquired stepdaughter (Lara Flynn Boyle, playing Skerritt's daughter from a previous marriage) than Carol Anne, who is her blood relative.
But at least it seems like it was a much more relaxed set than the previous film; they were working under the gun, but Sherman knew what he was doing and there were no major clashes among the actors (and Sherman is the only director! A Poltergeist first!). The real drama began after the film was shot, when O'Rourke's tragic and awful death (she was misdiagnosed with Crohn's disease, the medication caused a bowel obstruction, and she died during surgery to repair it) put them in a major bind that couldn't have been foreseen. Not only was the ending that they shot unsatisfying, it also had Carol Anne appear dead (frozen) at one point, which would have been far too ghastly for a film that was already going to have an unfortunate icky air to it (how do you market a movie about a little girl being terrorized when nearly all of the intended audience will know she died in real life?). So they had to reshoot it without her, resulting in an even less satisfying ending as it reduces the series' star to a mute who buries her face inside the arms of another character (another character, Donna's boyfriend Scott, disappears from the film entirely, as the actor wasn't involved with the reshoot and thus his character's fate is left unknown). And, not for nothing, but the story wasn't so great to begin with, and it wasn't helped by the fact that a new actor obviously had to stand in as Kane - the one time in this cast-ravaged series that they deemed it OK to hire a new actor to play an existing character. Nothing against this actor (Nathan Davis), but he's no Julian Beck, and as a result Kane, so terrifying in the previous film, has kind of a stiff, oft-muted presence here, like they were trying to keep the audience from realizing it was a different actor. Insult to injury, Davis was dubbed by the same guy who did some of Kane's voice on P2 (as Beck had passed away before doing his ADR), so he is made up to look like one actor while being voiced by another - the most thankless gig in history, I assume. Carol Anne's asshole teacher/therapist from the school, Dr. Seaton, is actually a better protagonist in the movie - but he unfortunately gets killed off with 30 minutes to go.
Basically, who the hell knows what kind of insanity they'd have to put up with if they ever made a proper Poltergeist IV, though we can be almost 100% sure it wouldn't be a very good movie. While all of the early deaths related to the series are tragic, the real curse of the series is that they could never even come close to matching the magic that Hooper and Spielberg created together with the original, but inexplicably kept trying. After the third film tanked hard (its total gross was barely more than Poltergeist II's opening weekend), the film series died for a while, but the brand name lived on with an entirely unrelated cable series in the '90s, followed by the 2015 remake which couldn't even clear the low bar set by the other sequels (though, to be fair, put together a good cast at least). And yet, if you recall my review of that film's Blu-ray features, I was disappointed that there was no real behind the scenes information on its production - as if they hadn't yet caught on that a Poltergeist follow-up is at its most entertaining when the movie itself isn't a factor. These films have their fans, I'm sure, but I'd be far more excited about an oral history/tell-all documentary in the vein of Crystal Lake Memories about this series than I would be about ever watching anything besides the original again. The real "curse" is that no one can manage to make another good Poltergeist movie - but the stories of trying will entertain us forever.
*Or just benign observations - Furtney has posted a list of things from his tracks that were cut, which ranged from salary information to merely pointing out that one of Kane's followers was the kid from Nightmare on Elm Street 5. We really need a Wikileaks but for commentary tracks.