Poltergeist III (1988) MGM/Horror RT: 98 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, violent images, teen drinking, brief partial nudity, frightening scenes) Director: Gary Sherman Screenplay: Gary Sherman and Brian Taggert Music: Joe Renzetti Cinematography: Alex Nepomniaschy Release date: June 10, 1988 (US) Cast: Tom Skerritt, Nancy Allen, Heather O’Rourke, Zelda Rubinstein, Lara Flynn Boyle, Nathan Davis, Kip Wentz, Richard Fire. Box Office: $14.1M (US)
Rating: NO STARS!!!
Poltergeist III was doomed even before it even hit theaters. Heather O’Rourke, the child star who played paranormal magnet Carol Anne in all three movies, died earlier that year of a mysterious illness at age 12. You can tell just by looking at her something wasn’t right. She looked bloated in the face. It was because of her untimely death that a new ending was shot using a body double for the late actress. In fact, O’Rourke barely appears in the latter half of Poltergeist III. That might be a good thing because nothing short of starting from scratch could have salvaged this disaster of a horror movie.
Poltergeist III is a lousy movie that makes no any sense. It has none of the scare factor that made the first movie so effective. This time around, it’s set in a Chicago high-rise where Carol Anne has been sent to live with Aunt Patricia (Allen, RoboCop) and her new husband, building manager Bruce (Skerritt, Alien), and teenage stepdaughter Donna (Boyle, Twin Peaks). Carol Anne attends a school for gifted children with emotional problems. Her teacher/psychiatrist Dr. Seaton (Fire) makes her discuss her past supernatural experiences. He’s convinced Carol Anne is delusional and manipulative, but is he ever wrong. Their discussions reawaken her fears which bring Reverend Kane (Davis, Code of Silence) back from the limbo to which he was banished at the end of the previous movie. Strange things start happening around the building which leads to endless scenes of characters running around screaming “Carol Anne!”
Kane still wants to bring Carol Anne to “the other side” and won’t let anything or anyone stand in his way. There’s a lot of nonsense about mirrors in this movie; there seems to be one in almost every scene. There are mirrors in scenes that justify it. There are mirrors in scenes that don’t justify it. And if there’s not a mirror, there’s some type of reflective surface- e.g. windows, puddles of water- that could serve as the entryway to the other side. Character’s reflections don’t always match what they’re doing; sometimes reflections of people who aren’t even in the area appear. Also, Tangina (Rubinstein, Anguish) has developed a psychic connection with Carol Anne. She knows the girl is in trouble again and shows up to help. It doesn’t work out as well as she hopes.
At least this is what I think Poltergeist III is about. I’m not even sure the filmmakers knew what this was supposed to be about. Although it might have seemed like a great idea to set the action in a high-rise building, director Gary Sherman (Vice Squad) doesn’t make effective use of the new surroundings. In fact, Poltergeist III is just boring. You know a horror movie is in trouble when the screenwriters have difficulty coming up with dialogue other than “Carol Anne!” The effects are terrible. The makers don’t even have the decency to provide a cool FX show for the audience. I don’t mind cheesy effects in movies like the original 1981 version of Clash of the Titans, but Poltergeist III should have been a lot better in that department. Unfortunately, it would have done little in the way of covering up its other weaknesses like its lack of a coherent plot.
Watching Poltergeist III is a test of one’s patience. It’s a bore. Nothing interesting happens. It’s poorly made on every level. It’s not even enjoyable on a “so bad, it’s good” level. It’s just plain bad; it’s that simple. There’s no reason it needed to be made. Poltergeist II: The Other Side already answered any and all questions about the original movie. What’s the purpose of another sequel? If anything, Poltergeist III raises additional questions. Why was Carol Anne sent to live with relatives in another city? The aunt seems to think her parents just wanted to get rid of her, but nobody ever offers up a concrete explanation. My own theory is the original cast (other than Zelda Rubinstein) wasn’t interested in a third go-around.
Not to be deterred from milking more money from a dead franchise, the makers simply made a few story adjustments and went on with their plans. They should have quit while they weren’t so far behind. Poltergeist III isn’t scary at all, not in any way, shape or form. Skerritt and Allen, usually reliable actors, deliver performances that fluctuate between boredom and embarrassment. It’s difficult to even look at O’Rourke because you know her real-life fate. Boyle is simply terrible.
The only interesting thing connected to Poltergeist III is the supposed curse attached to series due to the use of real skeletons instead of fake ones in the swimming pool scene in the first Poltergeist. Look at the facts. Actress Dominique Dunne, who played oldest daughter Dana in the first movie, was murdered a few months after its release. Actor Julian Beck, the original Reverend Kane, succumbed to stomach cancer shortly after filming on Poltergeist II wrapped. It could even be argued that Will Sampson was a victim of the curse; he died during open heart surgery about a year after the first sequel came out. Then there’s poor little Heather O’Rourke. Freaky, isn’t it?
There is absolutely nothing to recommend in Poltergeist III, not a single thing. Watching it is a rather morbid experience because of O’Rourke’s untimely death. It just seems wrong to watch it knowing that unlike her character in all three installments, the actress didn’t make it. It’s tantamount to raising the dead really. Only a real ghoul could derive any sort of pleasure from Poltergeist III. It should have been the final nail in the franchise’s coffin, but somebody saw fit to resurrect it for a lame remake in 2015. [Insert heavy sigh] Some people never learn to leave sleeping dogs lie.
TRIVIA TIDBIT: According to IMDb, Carol Anne’s name is said 121 times. I see the makings of a new drinking game here. If you absolutely must watch Poltergeist III, invite friends and do a shot every time somebody says “Carol Anne”. I promise you’ll be totally blotto by the end.
