Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

Director:

Brian Gibson

Writers:

Michael Grais (written by)
Mark Victor (written by)

Release Date:

23 May 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

They're back.

Plot:

The Freeling family have a new house, but their troubles with supernatural forces don't seem to be over.

Plot Keywords:

Psychic | Native American | Clergy | Kidnapping | Poltergeist

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

JoBeth Williams	...	Diane Freeling (as Jobeth Williams)
Craig T. Nelson	...	Steve Freeling
Heather O'Rourke	...	Carol Anne Freeling
Oliver Robins	...	Robbie Freeling
Zelda Rubinstein	...	Tangina Barrons
Will Sampson	...	Taylor
Julian Beck	...	Kane
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Gramma-Jess
John P. Whitecloud	...	Old Indian
Noble Craig	...	Vomit Creature
Susan Peretz	...	Daughter
Helen Boll	...	Mother
Kelly Jean Peters	...	Young Jess
Jaclyn Bernstein	...	Young Diane
Robert Lesser	...	Kane's People

Also Known As:

Poltergeist 2 (Australia) (TV title)
Poltergeist II (USA) (short title)
Duch II: Druga strona (Poland) [pl]
Poltergeist II (France) [fr]
Poltergeist II (Finland) [fi]
Poltergeist II - Die andere Seite (West Germany) [de]
Poltergeist II - Ze zijn terug (Netherlands) [nl]
Poltergeist II: El otro lado (Spain) [es]
Poltergeist II: O Outro Lado (Portugal) [pt]
Poltergeist II: l'altra dimensione (Italy) [it]
To pnevma tou daimona (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Chinle, Arizona, USA

Trivia:

A poster of the film E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) can be seen in Carol Anne's bedroom. Drew Barrymore had auditioned for the role of Carol Anne in Poltergeist (1982) before landing the role of Gertie in "E.T."

Goofs:

Continuity: When the ghosts attack the station wagon in the garage, a major scene shows the crescent wrenches methodically smashing the headlights. After the car breaks through the garage door, the headlights have restored themselves and show up intact in several later scenes.

Quotes:

Kane: Are you lost, sweetheart? Are you 'fraid, honey? Well then, why don't you come with me?
Carol Anne Freeling: No!
Kane: Alright then! I'll sing you a song... until your mom comes back!
[sings]
Kane: God is in His Holy Temple! Earthly thoughts be silent now!

Movie Connections:

References "The Twilight Zone: Long Distance Call (#2.22)" (1961)

Interesting Sequel, But Really Not Needed.

Interesting sequel to the box office hit of 1982 gets a little too smart for its own good early on. The thing that made the first so frightening was the fact that nothing was ever really explained. "Poltergeist II: The Other Side" tries to give background into the events of the first and this is not really needed. For those with curious minds the sequel may be better than the original, but I felt that the audience was better off "being in the dark" about what was happening. Not bad, but really one of those films that was just used because of the enormous success of its predecessor. 2.5 out of 5 stars.