Poltergeist II: The Other Side

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Oliver Robbins, Zelda Rubinstein, Will Sampson, Julian Beck
Directed by Brian Gibson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror
1986

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Freelings have moved away and try to move on with their life. However, strange events start happening once again, and they prepare to face off once again with the supernatural.

Review:

Tim: I am a huge fan of the original Poltergeist. It's one of my all time favorite horror movies. For that reason, I was interested in seeing this film. However, I have to admit I was cautiously optimistic. I wanted it to be good, but I know that horror sequels are tough to pull off effectively. Unfortunately, this movie suffers the typical sequel issues and is a clear drop in quality from the original.

This movie might have actually had a better original premise that many other horror movies. In the first film, Carol Anne was abducted by evil forces. Why wouldn't they make another effort to get the little girl? It makes sense and sets up perfectly. However, this film strays too far from the basics. We have an American Indian protector/guide, a creepy old man, and too many other odd elements that confuse the elegant simplicity of the original. These weigh the movie down.

I had a hard time getting into this film. The direction isn't very good and it throws us into the film without giving us the required time to ease into the story and the characters. I felt like I was trying to catch up throughout the whole movie. The first film sucked you in- it was hard to think about anything but what you were seeing on screen. My mind kept wandering in this one- the events on screen were not interesting enough to keep me engaged. They very often seemed silly and hard to believe. The first one could be viewed the same way, but it all seemed so scary and so thrilling. This film just seems silly.

That being said, I still felt pretty scared a number of times throughout this film. There are some pretty frightening images. Julian Beck is so creepy and so weird as the Reverend Kane. I didn't like the character, but I admit he added a lot of tension to the movie. There are also some impressive special effects, which definitely create an uncomfortable atmosphere.

I also thought the end of the movie was a bit much. The special effects are very impressive (this movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects), but it just seemed too silly. We see people floating around, and I had a hard time buying any of it.

Poltergeist II: The Other Side was enjoyable because I like the Freeling family, and it was fun to see their continued plight. However, the movie as a whole just left far too much to be desired. I did feel a bit frightened throughout the film, but I never connected emotionally enough with the characters. There were too many confusing elements to the film, and the ending was forced and a bit too easy. This is a decent movie, but it makes me lament the size of the gap between the original and this one. It's pretty stunning how far the quality has dropped.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Poltergeist, The Exorcist, E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial, The Sixth Sense