Poltergeist III.

Review #1199: Poltergeist III.

Cast:
Tom Skerritt (Bruce Gardner), Nancy Allen (Pat Gardner), Heather O'Rourke (Carol Anne Freeling), Zelda Rubinstein (Tangina Barrons), Lara Flynn Boyle (Donna Gardner), Richard Fire (Dr. Seaton), Nathan Davis (Reverend Henry Kane), and Kipley Wentz (Scott) Directed by Gary Sherman.

Review:
Was there really a big desire to make another Poltergeist film? The previous films were successes with audiences (with the first making ten times its budget and the second making double), so why not make a cheap sequel - complete with O'Rourke and Rubinstein being the only ones returning, with a reduced budget of $9.5 million, roughly less than half of the sequel's budget. Sherman (who directed and co-wrote the film with Brian Taggert) thought that the setting of the film being a building was a scary one, stating that "there are people on the other side of the wall, and no one cares that you are in trouble". Perhaps that could have proven true, but the final result is a movie that proves to be just another disappointing Poltergeist sequel. The film sure tries to make sure you won't forget who Carol Anne is, since characters in the film keep saying her name. I lost count after about the tenth time Kane (or someone else) said it, and it sure seems more like something to ridicule than be terrified of.

I do appreciate the in-camera effects, which were done live on the stage, with some highlights including a corpse being clawed out of at one point, and some of the mirror effects are a bit spooky. They can't save a movie that seems to meander in cheese. Nobody in the film does a terrible job, but they can't really give this film any sense of suspense or sell this as something worth using much effort over. Skerritt and Allen are okay at least, although the tonal shift for Allen's character near the climax feels abrupt and tacked on in order to deliver tension. O'Rourke does a fine job with her role once again, just as captivating and watchable as before in her final film. Rubenstein is just as offbeat as ever with giving exposition and occasional amusement, such as when she interrupts her session of tea and drops everything to fly on a plane after sensing danger for Carol Anne. Boyle and Wentz are okay, but their characters don't really have much to do other than just play the teenagers in a horror film (with the latter being forgotten about when it came to the ending). The angle involving the family and O'Rourke doesn't really hit as well when compared to the family angle from the previous two films. Fire is pretty annoying, but it is a bit hard to really make a skeptic in a horror film (particularly a sequel) seem anything other than just one to make for conflict, and he isn't really too interesting to follow with in any case. Davis (or more specifically, Corey Burton in a recording booth smoking a bunch of cigarettes to get that proper raspy voice) doesn't make for much of a villainous presence, perhaps in part because it is strange to even see Kane again in the first place. They might as well had just made up a new villain anyway, since his return is just as strange, seeing as Carol Anne was doing a bunch of hypnosis sessions while attending some sort of school for the gifted - complete with a skeptic doctor who believes it is all a product of mass hypnosis (which is pretty stupefying, actually). I guess getting stabbed with a spear just isn't enough closure. In any case, the film just doesn't have a real big scare up its sleeve besides occasional tricks for its 98 minute run-time.

The ending of the film is a letdown, particularly with its stinger that actually tries to sequel-bait. The film had its ending changed in post-production, which was actually more optimistic than what eventually made it onto the screen. Both endings keep the sacrifice made by Tangina, but while the original ending simply had the family return to the real world, the revised ending includes the John Hancock Center having two lightning bolts strike it (the only visual effect added in post-production) while Kane's laughter is heard; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer wanted to punch-up the ending, which I suppose they valued more than a real ending. It should be noted that the re-shoot (done months after production ended) occurred without O'Rourke, who tragically died on February 1, 1988 from misdiagnosed intestinal stenosis. Four months later, the film was released, with the movie not being as successful with audiences - in part due to reduced marketing by MGM, who wanted to avoid being thought as exploitative, to the point where Skerritt and Allen did not do interviews for the film, lest they get asked questions about O'Rourke. In any case, the film is just not that scary, feeling just as pale of an imitation as the original, with only occasional bits of interest sprinkled in. If you were into the sequel and want to see a further supernatural tale involving some of the characters from before, this may work for you. Anybody looking for a quality follow-up to just the original or one wanting a proper close to the series will probably be disappointed.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.