Poltergeist (franchise)
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The Poltergeist movies are a trilogy of horror films produced in the 1980s. Steven Spielberg co-wrote, co-produced, and some say directed the first Poltergeist although Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) was billed as the director. Poltergeist II: The Other Side and Poltergeist III each had a different writer, producer, and director. Brian Gibson directed Poltergeist II: The Other Side, whereas Poltergeist III was directed, co-written, co-produced and storyboarded by Gary Sherman. Michael Grais and Mark Victor co-wrote the first film with Spielberg, wrote the second film on their own and also co-produced it. Brian Taggert and an uncredited Steve Feke co-wrote the third film. Spielberg's long-time friends (and then-married couple) Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy co-produced the first film. Freddie Fields and Lynn Arost co-produced the second film, and the third film was co-produced by Barry Bernardi. The scores of the first two films were composed by Jerry Goldsmith. H.R. Giger did conceptual designs for the second film.
Poltergeist (1982)
| Poltergeist | |
|---|---|
| File:Poltegeist LD.jpg | |
| Directed by | Tobe Hooper |
| Written by | Steven Spielberg Michael Grais Mark Victor |
| Produced by | Frank Marshall Steven Spielberg |
| Starring | Craig T. Nelson JoBeth Williams Beatrice Straight Dominique Dunne Oliver Robins Heather O'Rourke |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Edited by | Michael Kahn Steven Spielberg |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Distributed by | MGM/UA Entertainment Company |
Release dates | June 4, 1982 |
Running time | 114 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10,700,000 (estimated) |
Template:Spoiler top In the first, and most successful, film (released on June 4 1982), a group of seemingly benign ghosts begin communicating with five-year-old Carol Anne Freeling in her parents' suburban California home via static on the television. Eventually they use the TV as their path into the house itself.
First, there are a few signs that the ghosts have arrived: Tweety, Carol Anne's pet bird, dies; an earthquake occurs that only the Freelings feel; Carol Anne announces "they're here." The next morning, glasses break at breakfast, forks are bent by themselves, and when the mother, Diane(JoBeth Williams), asks Carol Anne "what did you mean, who's here?" She answers - "the TV people." At first the ghosts play harmless tricks and amuse the mother, including the chairs in the kitchen moving around by themselves. Of course, Diane must convince Steven (Craig T. Nelson) that night by showing him. His dominant father mode kicks in, announcing that "nobody goes into the kitchen until I know what the hell is going on."
However, the ghosts have their own agenda. During a terrible thunderstorm, they distract the family with a tree coming to life and grabbing Robbie—Carol Anne's brother—through a window, and then getting what they really came after. Like a wind tunnel, they take Carol Anne through her bedroom closet into their dimension. With Robbie rescued, and the belief that it was a tornado, the family can't find Carol Anne. They search the entire house—including the new swimming pool—until Robbie hears Carol Anne through the TV.
Steven reluctantly calls on a group of parapsychologists from UCLA: Dr. Lesh, Ryan, and Marty, who are awestruck by the manifestations they witness. With the parapsychologists present, the Freeling's show them things they've never before seen. At one point, the door to the children's room swings open, and over 50 toys are flying around by themselves, with voices laughing in the background, lights flashing and doors slamming. Previously, one of the para-psychologists described a Matchbox car taking seven hours to move seven feet, calling it "...fantastic. Of course, this would never register on the naked eye...." After they see the Freelings' house, they are all humbled.
Over coffee (and coffee urns that move by themselves), the parapsychologists explain to the Freelings the difference between a poltergeist and a haunting. They determine that indeed, it is a poltergeist they are experiencing.
It turns out that the spirits have left this life but have not gone into the "Light." They are stuck in-between dimensions, watching their loved ones grow up, but feeling alone. Carol Anne—born in the house and only 5 years old—gives off her own life force that is as bright as the Light. It distracts and confuses the spirits, who think Carol Anne is their salvation. Hence, they take her. (A different explanation was given in the second film).
What is also in the other dimension with the spirits is a hateful spirit, the Beast. He likes that the spirits are confused and lost, and uses Carol Anne as a distraction so they cannot move on into the Light. He "lies to her and tells her things only a child can understand. To her, he simply is another child. To us, he is the Beast." After witnessing a paranormal episode where they hear Carol Anne talking to Diane through the TV, see spirits, and hear the pounding footsteps of the Beast, they leave, admitting they need more help. When they return, they bring a spiritual medium, Tangina Barrons, who informs Diane that her daughter is "alive and in this house."
They realize the entrance to the other dimension is through the childrens' bedroom closet. By tying a rope around a live person who can enter, and presumably exit the other side, with enough time to grab Carol Anne, they could bring her back. Diane is the only choice to go. What happens next is a terrifying sequence where Diane gets Carol Anne, and Tangina coaxes the agonized spirits away from Carol Anne to the real Light. Diane comes through the living room ceiling clutching Carol Anne and holding on to a new head of grey hair, presumably from fright. Tangina pronounces that "this house is clean."
Unfortunately, though the spirits have seemingly moved on, the Beast hasn't, and wants revenge. On their final night in the house, when they are almost packed up and ready to go, the Beast punches a hole back into our world to reclaim what he believes is his: Carol Anne. This time, the Beast does his own dirty work and comes after Carol Anne personally.
Through skill and luck, the Freelings finally escape the house, but not before the anger of the Beast reveals the reason for the spirits being there in the first place—coffins and bodies begin exploding out of the ground throughout the neighborhood. The real estate developer Steven worked for moved the cemetery but left the bodies, building houses right on top of them. As the Freelings flee down the street in their car, the Beast is so angry that the house implodes into the other dimension, completely in front of the eyes of the entire neighborhood. The movie ends with the family checking into the Holiday Inn for the night, pushing the television set outside their room.
Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
| Poltergeist II: The Other Side | |
|---|---|
| File:Poltegeist 2 LD.jpg Laserdisc cover | |
| Directed by | Brian Gibson |
| Written by | Michael Grais Mark Victor |
| Produced by | Michael Grais Mark Victor |
| Starring | JoBeth Williams Craig T. Nelson Heather O'Rourke Oliver Robins |
| Cinematography | Andrew Laszlo |
| Edited by | Thom Noble Bud S. Smith M. Scott Smith |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
Release dates | May 23, 1986 |
Running time | 130 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $19,000,000 (estimated) |
This sequel exists to explain in much greater detail why Carol Anne was targeted in the first film. As it turns out, the Freelings' house in the first movie was built over a massive underground cavern that was the final resting place of utopian cult that died there in the early 1800s. This cavern was even below the graveyard that wasn't relocated in the first film. The cult was led by Rev. Henry Kane, and this man did not have the best intentions. He was power hungry, anxious to control the souls of his followers in both life and death.
He told them the end of the world was coming, and they dutifully followed him into said cavern. However, the day he predicted it would all end came...and went. But he never let his "flock" out of the cavern, and eventually, they all died.
The second film begins with the discovery of this cave by a ground crew, and its existence is revealed to Tangina Barron, the psychic from the first film that "cleaned" the house that is now missing. She also tells Taylor, an American Indian shaman whose connection to Kane is hinted at but never fully explained. After investigating the cave for himself, Taylor realizes Kane has located Carol Anne and goes to defend her.
The Freeling family (minus eldest daughter Dana...the actress who played her, Dominique Dunne, was murdered by her boyfriend right after the first film came out) has relocated to Phoenix and now live in a house with Diane's mom. Having lost his real estate license, Steve is reduced to selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door while filing repeated insurance claims to cover the missing home ("What do we claim now?" asks Diane. "Act of God? House-napping?"). Grandma Jess is highly clairvoyant, and reveals that Diane and Carol Anne are too. But Jess is powerful, and it is her lifeforce that protects the family.
Eventually, the grandmother dies, and Kane now has a clear path to get Carol Anne. Taylor shows up just as Kane begins his first assault on the home. Unable to get in through the TV this time (the family has removed any TVs from the home), Kane's minions are forced to find another way in: this time, through Carol Anne's toy phone. The attack fails, but the family gets out of the house fast. Taylor convinces them that running would be a waste of time, and they return home.
Kane himself shows up at the home one day and demands to be let in, but Steve refuses (Kane doesn't respond well to this: "You're all gonna die in there," he yells. "All of you! You are gonna diiiieeee!"). Taylor then takes him out to the desert and gives him the power of smoke, an Indian spirit that might be able to kill Kane.
That night, Steve gets drunk and swallows a tequila worm that is actually Kane. He vomits up the worm, now a huge creature that can only be the Beast, and uses the smoke to send it away. The Beast then decides on another assault, and this time, the family decides to confront the Beast on his own turf: The Other Side (where, of course, Diane and Carol Anne have already been).
Upon entering the cave, Kane immediately pulls Diane and Carol Anne over in to the Other Side, and Steve and Robbie jump in after them through a fire Taylor has started.
In the Other Side, Taylor gets a charmed Indian lance into Steve's hands, and Steve supposedly kills the Beast with it. The family returns safely to this side.
Poltergeist III (1988)
| Poltergeist III | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Gary Sherman |
| Written by | Steve Feke Gary Sherman Brian Taggert |
| Produced by | Barry Bernardi |
| Starring | Tom Skerritt Nancy Allen Heather O'Rourke Zelda Rubinstein Lara Flynn Boyle |
| Cinematography | Alex Nepomniaschy |
| Edited by | Ross Albert |
| Music by | Joe Renzetti |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
Release dates | June 10, 1988 |
Running time | 98 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | German/English |
| Budget | $10,500,000 (estimated) |
Apparently, between the second and third films, the Freeling family has had quite enough of all supernatural activity, and have decided to cut it off at the source: Carol Anne is now living with her Aunt Pat (who Carol Anne insists on calling "Trish" for some reason) and Uncle Bruce Gardner. They all live in the luxury skyscraper that Bruce is the manager of, along with Donna, who is Bruce's daughter from a previous marriage. Pat is the sister of Diane, Carol Anne's mother. Carol Anne has been told she is in Chicago temporarily to attend a unique school for gifted children (though Pat thinks it's because Steve and Diane just wanted Carol Anne out of their house...for reasons that become apparent as this film progresses).
It's been a few years, but Kane indeed has found Carol Anne and takes his rage out on the immense building, usually in the form of mechanical failures. He also manages to kidnap and possess Donna and her boyfriend Scott. They embark on a murderous rampage, killing both Tangina (the diminuitive psychic from the first two films) seemingly (she was actually captured with a fake decomposed body left behind), as well as the proctor of Carol Anne's school, Dr. Seaton, who thinks Carol Anne is just putting on a huge act. This marks the first time the Beast has actually claimed lives in the series.
The ending is somewhat unclear, but Tangina manages to convince Kane to go into the Light with her.
Trivia
Some of the stars in the movie, such as Dominique Dunne and Heather O'Rourke died young. As a result, an urban legend has grown up asserting that the cast was cursed. See Poltergeist curse.
Partial credits
Cast:
- Craig T. Nelson, Steven "Steve" Freeling (first and second films only)
- JoBeth Williams, Diane Freeling (ne Wilson) (first and second films only)
- Jaclyn Bernstein, Young Diane (in the second film)
- Dominique Dunne, Dana Freeling (first film only)
- Oliver Robins, Robert "Robbie" Freeling (first and second films only)
- Heather O'Rourke, Carol Anne Freeling
- Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jessica "Gramma Jess" Wilson (second film only)
- Kelly Jean Peters Young Jess (second film only)
- Tom Skerritt, Bruce Gardner (third film only)
- Nancy Allen, Patricia Wilson-Gardner (third film only)
- Lara Flynn Boyle, Donna Gardner (third film only)
- Zelda Rubinstein, Tangina Barrons, Clarivoyant
- Beatrice Straight, Dr. Lesh (first film only)
- Martin Casella, Dr. Marty Casey (first film only)
- Richard Lawson, Ryan (first film only)
- Will Sampson, Taylor (second film only)
- Richard Fire, Dr. Seaton (third film only)
- Julian Beck, Reverend Henry Kane (in the second film)
- Nathan Davis, Reverend Henry Kane (in the third film)
- Corey Burton, Reverend Henry Kane (in the third film, voice only, uncredited)
- Noble Craig, the Great Beast a.k.a. "Vomit Creature" (second film only)
Other information
Movie producers had planned to film more sequels, but those plans were dashed by O'Rourke's death at the age of 12. In late October 2005, reports emerged that Hilary Duff is likely to star in the fourth film in the series, in the role originated by O'Rourke. [1]
Warner Home Video has plans to release a 25th anniversary DVD of the first film in 2007.
London based Filmmakers Burning Vision Entertainment made the award winning short film, Bella, which was heavily influenced by the original Poltergeist.
In 2006, an episode of Family Guy aired called "Petergeist". which directly parodied the events in Poltergeist, even including baby Stewie saying "they're here", the same way Carol Anne did in the original.
See also
External links
- PoltergeistSaga.com
- Poltergeist at IMDb
- Poltergeist II: The Other Side at IMDb
- Poltergeist III at IMDb
- Noise and Talk - Philosophical essay about Poltergeist and television by Johannes Grenzfurthner of monochrom.
- PoltergeistIII.com
- The Poltergeist/ Henry Kane Site