Search - Poltergeist II/Poltergeist III on DVD

Heather H. from WASILLA, AK
Reviewed on 5/20/2013...

I grew up watching the first installment of this series. While not the greatest movie ever made, it had elements that made it worthwhile and downright creepy in places (those ghost hands were just chilling).

That being said, I was eager to watch the second and third in this series. I had the chance to watch the third one a few years back and having finally seen the second, let me tell you that everything makes much more sense.

The premise is similar to the first one. Carol Anne is older and still attracting spirits. This time she gets a creepy preacher who makes an appearance in the third. The preacher and his followers, all long dead, see her as an angel. The plot is a little jumbled but he seems to want to use her to justify his religion which failed epically.

The special effects are what you expect from the mid eighties. Impressive for the time but producing little more than giggles nowadays. As a girl who used to wear braces, that scene did give me shivers. So, not the best movie ever made but it's a far cry better than a lot of films I've seen.

The third movie witnesses the return of both our heroine (Carol Anne) and the creepy preacher. In this movie he wants Carol Anne for himself and wants her to take him to the other side. That being said, he goes through a lot just to pass over. He takes over an entire building. He's kinda stupid like that. He goes through a lot of work just to go to hell (C'mon people, is there even a question of where this jerk is going?).

Again, not awful special effects. Still not fantastic by today's standards but predictable. Heather O'Rourke's performance is good, much better than in the previous two. The plot wanders, focusing more on mirror tricks to get the message across. I did like the mirror tricks though.

All in all, decent movies and about what you'd expect from sequels to an eighties movie.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

James B. (wandersoul73) from LINDALE, TX
Reviewed on 6/17/2009...

Although, the 2nd film is a worthwhile affair, the 3rd is simply God awful.

2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Poltergeist II/Poltergeist III

Arnita D. Brown | USA | 01/26/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Poltergeist II: The Other Side: The Freeling family move in with Diane's mother in an effort to escape the trauma and aftermath of Carol Anne's abduction by the Beast. But the Beast is not to be put off so easily and appears in a ghostly apparition as the Reverend Kane, a religeous zealot responsible for the deaths of his many followers. His goal is simple - he wants the angelic Carol Anne; but the love of her family and the power of psychic Tangina once again unite, along with an elderly native American, to fight for her life. P2 is a compelling and most riveting sequel.

Poltergeist III: Carol Anne has been sent to live with her Aunt and Uncle in an effort to hide her from the clutches of the ghostly Reverend Kane, but he tracks her down and terrorises her in her relatives' appartment in a tall glass building. Will he finally achieve his target and capture Carol Anne again. "Poltergeist III" contains murder, suspense, tricky camera angles and most of all, the best acting I have ever seen from Heather O'Rourke. The concept of the mirrors work is amazing and I thought it was a great attempt at something new.

I enjoyed watching both movies very much. The excitement and fun has yet to wear off."