10.18.11 - Chocolate Chick Horror Movie Pick Of The Day!

"Poltergeist 2: The Other Side" (1986)

To this day the original "Poltergeist" remains a horror gem. With the cult like success the film had, of course a sequel ("Poltergeist 2: The Other Side") was developed with the original cast. (Craig T. Williams, Jo Beth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Oliver Robins & Zelda Rubinstein).

The actress who played the older sister in the original, Dominique Dunne did not appear in the sequel, she was murdered in 1982, at the age of 22 by her ex-boyfriend. A horrific crime. Her father was famed journalist/novelist Dominick Dunne.

Due to the nature of the film, several incidents throughout the years back then caused rumblings that the film franchise was cursed. (E Network even did a special documentary on this subject.)

The most tragic of all were the deaths of Dominique Dunne and the actress who played "Carol Ann" in the film. Heather O'Rourke died at the age of 12 due to illness, four months before "Poltergeist 3" was set to premiere. The studio wanted to re-do the ending during the post production period, so they used a lookalike for the ending and dedicated the film in the memory of the actress.

Zelda Rubinstein was the only other original cast member to appear in the the third installment.

"Poltergeist 2: The Other Side" was an excellent sequel. The fact that the original cast came back was a hit in itself. Back in the day, both films spooked me. In the sequel, old man Henry Cane was creepy as hell!

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The television series "Poltergeist: The Legacy" (no connection to the film) was a fantastic supernatural series. It ran for 4 seasons, originally on Showtime and later on SyFy. The show was cancelled in 1999. Catch it on DVD/Blu-Ray. Add it to your DVD collection. It won't disappoint.

"Friday The 13: The Series" was also another great horror series.

"Poltergeist: The Legacy" Opening Intro (Couldn't locate the english version)