Customer Reviews

Poltergeist II: The Other Side [Region 2]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

POLTERGEIST II-THE OTHER SIDE picks up the story of the afflicted Freeling family; still recovering from the abduction of little Carol Anne and the spirits that taunted them...

The nightmare has only begun. Now living with Diane Freeling's (JoBeth Williams) mother ( the late Geraldine Fitzgerald), the family tries to settle back into a normal life. A life that is interrupted by the arrival of the mysterious Kane (the late Julian Beck). The spirits of the dead have not yet given up their desire to possess Carol Anne (the late Heather O'Rourke) and the family must once again fight the demons. Called back to help, Tangina Barrons (Zelda Rubinstein) enlists the assistance of Taylor (the late Will Sampson) to clease the house.

Discovering another graveyard under the Grandmother's house, Diane and Carol Anne must confront the demons and help them cross over into the next astral plane...

Later followed by POLTERGEIST 3 which was released after Heather O'Rourke's untimely death.

Also known as Poltergeist 2: The Other Side (1986).
JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke, Oliver Robins and Zelda Rubinstein return for this second film.
It has been four years since the Freelings were scared out of their Cuesta Verde home in Poltergeist(1982). As it turns out, the house sat on a lot where a cemetery used to be. They moved the cemetery, but not the bodies.
The Freelings now live with Diane's mother (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and the kids are glad to be with Grandma. The Freelings are hoping to claim money for the loss of their home. Diane (JoBeth Williams) is having a difficult time dealing with the phenomenon she experienced four years ago.
There is an unexpected death in the family and the poltergeists make a return to scare the Freeling family. It is Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) they are after again. Now in the physical form of a creepy preacher (Julian Beck).
Only one man can help them now, an indian Shaman, Taylor (Will Sampson). He has already visited the old Cuesta Verde neighborhood and seen the cave where evil lurks under the Freelings old backyard. He offers his indian magic to help rid the family of the poltergeists. Zelda Rubinstein returns as "Tangina" too.
Also in the cast: John P. Whitecloud, Susan Peretz, Helen Boll.
It was great to see the outstanding ensemble cast from the first film togehter again.

Sad Note: The "poltergeist curse" happens again.
Julian Beck was very ill during his scenes in this film. He died from stomach cancer, September 14, 1985, while the film was still in production. He knew he was very ill and near death, but never complained. He did his scenes like a professional.
Will Sampson died from complications of a heart and lung transplant on June 3, 1987. Not only was he a well-known indian actor, but he really was a shaman.
Craig T. Nelson went to great lengths to find Will Sampson's private burial place to pay his respects.

Followed by: Poltergeist III (1988) and the Showtime tv series, Poltergeist - The Legacy - Season 1 (1996-1999).

All the Main Protagonists are back,before the fiasco of Part 3,this movie sandwiched between them is at least decent but sadly lost potential,I love the Native American added to the equation,I Like the creepy Old Guy character but I found it a little too easy for the so-called "Reverend" to have been As Most Un-Holywood Portrayals of religion to be in bad taste(Despite being a Catholic myself and knowing that such Protestant Sects sadly exist.)Other than that,It just doesn't hold my attention as much,I remember being creeped out and sickened by the liquor-worm,It still isn't Part 1(The Original.)

By any stretch of the imagination, POLTERGEIST, released in the summer of 1982, was one of the few horror films released in the Eighties that had any business being referred to as a masterpiece of its genre. Putting a typical middle-class California family into a situation of supernatural horrors, POLTERGEIST scared up a ton of business. So it's not too surprising that it should have spawned a sequel, given that it had such an ambiguous ending. But POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE, despite retaining a good deal of the original movie's best elements, is one of what I like to call Frustrating Horror Sequels--films that you hope are going to succeed on their own merits, but instead end up not only falling short on that count but standing in the shadows of their predecessors in the bargain.

Once again, Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Oliver Robins, and Heather O'Rourke (Dominique Dunne, who played the oldest daughter, was strangled to death not long after the release of the first movie) are the main attractions. They believe they've left their ghostly past in Cuesta Verde behind them, but that turns out not to be the case by a long shot. Their former residence had apparently been built over a massive Indian graveyard, so the ghosts that will haunt them now, and once more go after their daughter (O'Rourke), are of the Native American kind, including the ominous Reverend Kane (Julian Beck, a fairly chilling performance). But they too have their savior in Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein), and a second savior in the guise of a wise Indian mystic (Will Sampson, from ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST). They all go back to Cuesta Verde to confront Kane and his ghostly minions.

As mentioned before, what makes POLTERGEIST II work as well as it does are the performances by the four leads. They make for the most sympathetic family unit possible. Rubinstein's return is most welcome, and Sampson's presence is extremely admirable. So too are the superb special effects by Richard Edlund (though the make-up effects are a bit more gruesome this time around, mandating a 'PG-13' rating) and Jerry Goldsmith's score.

But what the film is missing is the presence of both Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper in the front seats. Brian Gibson, who directed BREAKING GLASS, does a competent job here in POLTERGEIST II, but he does no better than that; and the script by producers Mark Victor and Michael Grais, who co-wrote the first film's script with Spielberg, throws in the Indian mysticism sub-plot that the original film didn't have or need. It misses the tension and the suspense of the original, and most of all the heart. It's a film that just seems to sit there.

Certainly POLTERGEIST II is not a totally irredemable dud. But like HALLOWEEN II, JAWS 2, and THE RAGE: CARRIE 2, it is frustrating to watch, because there seems to be a very good (even great) movie in there somewhere, but the end result is merely competent.

A brilliant sequel which is almost as good as the first. Preacher Kane (Julian Beck) is a really mean baddie and Taylor the Indian is comical. I liked the very supernatural ending. This is still a very clever film and any fans of POLTERGEIST should get this.

I think that this sequel, Poltergeist II, had good and bad parts. First of all, it had almost a creepier effect than the first (it wasn't better though) and there were some scarier things (Reverend Kane, the worm, the chainsaw) and had good actors. However, I found the ending to be cornier than anything I ever saw. They're floating around in some kind of a white-heaven-twister thing... I don't know. Good movie except the end.

Poltergeist 2 had the thrills and the dramatic impact as did the first, but with added terror. Steven Speilberg tends to water down horror for a younger audience, and his absence from this film gave it that true horrifying feeling of evil. Julian Beck's character as the malevolent Reverend Kane sticks in my mind. There is not an actor in Hollywood now or in the future that could pull off such a convincing and utterly evil character. This film, as the first, shows how a loving family can overcome even the most trying of circumstances, and life truly never ends. I highly recommend this film to anyone interestd in the supernatural. This is a very good movie, superbly directed, beautifully scored, and perfectly acted out. It is one of the last real-to-life supernatural thrillers.

this movie is the best of the poltergeist trilogy. i know a lot of people hate it, but it's very the best. first of all, heather o'rourke is my hero. i like poltergeist 1 and 3, but in the 2, we saw heather in the entire movie. the special effect is amazing. it's a must for every single horror movie film. the best sequel ever.

Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams revive their roles as Steven and Diane Freeling in this exciting follow-up movie. The Freeling family has settled in a new home following the destruction of their Cuesta Verde home by terrifying visitors from another dimension. But even though the Freelings have moved, the spirits are still pursuing them and their clairvoyant daughter Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke). However, since the Freelings no longer have a TV, the spirits make contact this time through Carol Anne's toy telephone.

Enter Kane (Julian Beck), a demon disguised as a preacher. He has come to cajole Carol Anne to "the other side". However, when his cunning fails, he unleashes the full power of the poltergeist.

Taylor (Will Sampson), an Indian shaman, has come to help protect the Freeling family, but will his presence be enough? He tells Steven that the only way to defeat the spirits is to return to Cuesta Verde and fight on its own ground. Once back at Cuesta Verde, the Freelings must put aside their fears in order to defeat the poltergeist, but it won't be easy.

Strong acting performances by Williams, Nelson, O'Rourke, and especially Beck make this movie exciting to watch. As with the original film, this one contains excellent special effects. Watch and experience the power of the poltergeist.

"Poltergiest 2: The Other Side" is a repeat of the supernatural. Taking the Freeling family back to their old neighborhood of Cresta Verde where their daughter Carol Anne (Late Actress Heather O'Rourke) was abducted by unrested spirits that were stuck between the spiritual and physical world.

In this sequel, Carol Anne is abducted once again by unrested and angry spirits, and her parents (Actors JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson) were told by a native American Indian they must return to Cresta Verde to confront the spirits on their own ground or they will never stop searching for Carol Anne. Can the Freelings protect their daughter from the paranormal? Or Will Carol Anne once again become part of the living dead?