Poltergeist II: The Other Side.

Review #1198: Poltergeist II: The Other Side.

Cast: 
Craig T. Nelson (Steven Freeling), JoBeth Williams (Diane Freeling), Heather O'Rourke (Carol Anne Freeling), Oliver Robins (Robbie Freeling), Zelda Rubinstein (Tangina Barrons), Will Sampson (Taylor), Julian Beck (Rev. Henry Kane), and Geraldine Fitzgerald (Jessica Wilson) Directed by Brian Gibson.

Review: 
The original Poltergeist (1982) was an entertaining supernatural horror film that had plenty of chills and atmosphere within direction from Tobe Hooper with a story from Steven Spielberg. Four years later, a sequel followed, albeit with some differences. Hooper and Spielberg did not return, although the two writers that helped co-write the screenplay with Spielberg (Michael Grais and Mark Victor) did return, and they also served to produce the feature. Most of the family cast (except Domnique Dunne, who was murdered months after the original film's release) return this time around along with Rubenstein. Admittedly they do try to make the material seem passable and not too hokey, but the film as a whole isn't quite up to par with generating scares. Nelson and Williams seem to just go with the flow, for better or worse. O'Rourke and Robins are fine to watch as well. Rubenstein doesn't have too much to do, with Sampson (in his second-to-last role before his death in 1987) taking the role of "spiritual advice", which he does fine with. The film is best at showing how hard it is to make a horror sequel, particularly one that tries to build on the plot from the previous film, particularly with its main terror of The Beast. It was described in the first film as a "terrible presence...So much rage, so much betrayal." 

Now the Beast is explained to be a cultist preacher. Beck, a co-founder of The Living Theatre in his final role before his death from stomach cancer in 1985, is an okay villain, but I feel that the ominous presence from the original delivered more effective chills than having to rely on one singular figure, although at least the porch scene is a bit creepy. I do find it amusing that they turned the old house location into a paranormal digging excavation, alongside the fact that traveling to the other side apparently made the mom and the daughter clairvoyant. In trying to build and follow the original, this sequel feels flat and not too particularly interesting, not having as many dark elements that resonate while feeling a bit silly with some of its motivations. The only real memorable sequence involves a worm, brought on by drinking of a certain substance that the Beast somehow possesses, which makes for a slightly disturbing (if not also slightly ham-handed) sequence with a big ugly worm.  It may have less of a run-time than the original, but it somehow still feels a bit sluggish. The film had an original running time of 131 minutes before being edited down to 91 minutes. It isn't too hard to see elements of a rushed production from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, particularly with the final battle, which last all of two minutes that serves to bring the whole film to a letdown. On the whole, there just isn't much of a spark to drive this film towards suspenseful entertainment, serving as the kind of horror sequel that in attempting to build on previous foundation manages to flounder too many times to really work out. It isn't the kind of film you would regret ever watching, but it also isn't one that really merits too much curiosity unless you are really big on supernatural stories with occasional scares.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.