The Poltergeist Curse

My love for horror, and even before the Blair Witch Project, began with Poltergeist. With a pot-smoking scene, sexual undertones and at times strong horror scenes, this movie was probably not made for an elementary kid but I could say that about most films that I watched during my youth. It was a film that used at the time, a difficult concept of involving a family inside a horror plot and in this case a Poltergeist was attacking the family. With the well known Tobe Hooper directing it, Poltergeist made it's mark on the world but had two crappy sequels that later followed.

What makes this series an even more interesting series is what is known as "The Poltergeist Curse". This was a series that produced some crazy real-life incidents and also sadly involved some interesting deaths of actors in the movie, some whom were very young.

Dominique Dunne who played Dana Freeling was strangled to death by her boyfriend in 1982 at the age twenty two. Unfortunately, the boyfriend only served three years in prison before being released.

Julian Beck played the VERY strange Rev. Henry Kane and died from stomach cancer during the production of Poltergeist 2. The remaining scenes involving him were handled by H.R. Giger.

Will Sampson played the Medicine Man and died after the release of Poltergeist 2 from kidney failure at the age of fifty two.

The saddest death of the series was no doubt that of Heather O'Rourke who died from cardiac arrest and septic shock after a misdiagnosis at the age of the twelve. Her ghost is said to haunt Stage 19 at Universal Studios where she shot twelve episodes of the Happy Days television series.

Zelda Rubinstein died at the age of seven six in 2010. She is the only cast member to die at a normal age and from natural causes.

Here are some additional interesting facts.

- Drew Barrymore was originally casted for the lead role of Carol Ann.

                   

                        

-The Poltergeist and E.T. houses both looked the same due to the fact they both were shot in the same area and the films were released just one week apart. The Poltergeist house was also damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

-The famous skeleton scene in the first film did involve real skeletons. JoBeth Williams was so afraid to shoot the scene that Steven Spielberg jumped into the pool with her for support.

 

- O'Rourke died during the production of Poltergeist 3. The director of the film, Gary Sherman wanted to scrap the film altogether but was pressured by the studio to finish it and eventually used a body double for the rest of O'Rourke's scenes. He called the film a disaster because of it.

- The creepy clown scenes involving the character Robbie being choked actually did involve the actor Oliver Robins being choked due to a prop malfunction. As the story is told, Spielberg jumped in and saved the child actor.

For many movie nerds, these are well known facts. Often and sometimes around Halloween, there are articles regarding The Poltergeist Curse. I find The Poltergeist Curse to be fascinating and unlike anything I have seen before.