Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

Decent attempt that falls way short
This movie could have been good. I wish it had never been made at all, but I guess Hollywood being the money-making adventure that it is, it was inevitable that a sequel to the box office smash Poltergeist would be made. Too bad, because the original Poltergeist is far and away one of the best horror films ever made. Spectacular acting, special effects, a script that delivers chills, thrills, laughs, and wonder, it is high on my list of all time favorties.
Then we have the sequels. Hmm, where to begin with what's wrong with them? The first is the lack of continuity. In the first film, we learn that the resons for the haunting of the Freeling's home is that their house, in fact their entire neighborhood, is built on a cemetary. Steve Freeling, the patriarch of the household and stellar real estate agent, was responsible for selling the overwhelming majority of homes in that neighborhood. Poor Steve had no idea that the land he was selling used to be the final resting spot of many souls. Worse, his cheap skate boss had in fact left all of the coffins in the ground as a way to save money and only moved the headstones of the graves when they relocated the cemetary. The spirits, unable to move on into "the light" as a result of this sacrilige, retaliated against the Freelings by abducting their youngest daughter, Carol Anne. Carol Anne was also the only one of their children born in their house that now sat on the desecrated ground.
There was also one spirit that was, according to Zelda Rubenstein, "so full of rage, so full of betrayal." This spirit, known only as "The Beast," used Carol Anne to restrain the other spirits from crossing over into the light by providing them with memories of the life they once lived but could no longer be a part of.
Now, in Poltergeist 2, it seems that this explanation has been tossed out the window. In this film, we learn that there is in fact a burial ground beneath the original burial ground that contains the bodies of a fanatical cult leader and his followers. It seems these folks comitted ritual suicide over a hundred years ago at the hands of their leader, a preacher named Kane. Kane it turns out, is in fact, "The Beast," but it seems that the other cemetary where Steve Freeling built his homes on has nothing to do with the why the haunting is occuring. This is the first problem of this movie, the motivations for the spirits keep changing. In the first film they wanted revenge, and "The Beast" wanted to use Carol Anne as a pacifier for the rest of them so they wouldn't cross over. In this film, it's not really clear why he wants Carol Anne so much. And in the thrid film, which is far worse than this one, it seems his motivations have changed once again and now he wants Carol Anne to lead them into the light. Huh? That contradicts every explanation given in the first film. I really wish this series could make up it's mind about what these spirits want.
Oh, and apparently Carol Anne is now psychic, as is her mother and grandmother. This is another stretch that I thought was unnecessary. Carol Anne is never given any special powers in the first film other than being an innocent child, and thus more open to communication with the dead than the older, more cynical personalities around her. So I think the movie is saying that Kane wants her for her powers. What he intends to do with these powers once he has them is never explained. All we know is his motivations keep changing.
That's the first big problem with this movie. The second is that many scenes that are supposed to be scary are just plain cheesy. The scene where Robbie's braces start to grow and end up enveloping him is just laughable, and the Tequila worm scene is more amusing than scary. The exception to this is Kane himself, a chilling performance by Julian Beck. I gave this film two stars on the basis of his performance, as well as that of the Native American shaman that has been called in to assist the Freelings. The performances of the family are also good once again, and there is enough chemistry between them to elevate this movie from being a total failure.
But that's it. I hate it when sequels not only ignore the elements of what made made their predecessors a good movie, but also the storyline. This movie is guilty of both. Poltergeist is a movie that I like to watch at least several times in any given year. Poltergeist 2 is a movie that I like to pretend never happened, and as far as I'm concerned, when I'm watching the first film, it didn't.

The Freelings are chased by poltergeists again.
Also known as Poltergeist 2: The Other Side (1986).
JoBeth Williams, Craig T. nelson, Heather O'Rourke, Oliver Robins and Zelda Rubinstein return for this second film.
It has been four years since the Freelings were scared out of their Cuesta Verde home. As it turns out, the house sat on a lot where a cemetary used to be. They moved the cemetary, but not the bodies.
The Freelings now live with Diane's mother (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and the kids are glad to be with Grandma. The Freelings are hoping to claim money for the loss of their home. Diane is having a diffucult time dealing with the phenomenon she experienced four years ago.
There is an unexpected death in the family and the poltergeists make a return to scare the Freeling family. It is Carol Anne they are after again not just the ghosts this time, but in the physical form of a creepy preacher (Julian Beck).
Only one man can help them now, an indian Shaman, Taylor (Will Sampson). He has already visited the old Cuesta verde neighborhood and seen the cave where evil lurks under the Freelings old backyard. he offers his indian magic to help rid the family of the poltergeists. Zelda Rubinstein returns as "Tangina" too.
Also in the cast: John P. Whitecloud, Susan Peretz, Helen Boll.
It was great to see the outstanding ensemble cast from the film togehter again.

Sad Note: The "poltergeist curse" happens again.
Julian Beck was very ill during his scenes in this film. He died from stomach cancer, September 14, 1985, while the film was still in production.
Will Sampson died from complications of a heart and lung transplant on June 3, 1987.
Craig T. Nelson went to great lengths to find Will Sampson's private burial place to pay his respects.

Followed by: POLTERGEIST 3 (1988) and a Showtime tv series, POLTERGEIST: THE LEGACY (1996-1999).

Another Frustrating Horror Sequel
By any stretch of the imagination, POLTERGEIST, released in the summer of 1982, was one of the few horror films released in the Eighties that had any business being referred to as a masterpiece of its genre. Putting a typical middle-class California family into a situation of supernatural horrors, POLTERGEIST scared up a ton of business. So it's not too surprising that it should have spawned a sequel, given that it had such an ambiguous ending. But POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE, despite retaining a good deal of the original movie's best elements, is one of what I like to call Frustrating Horror Sequels--films that you hope are going to succeed on their own merits, but instead end up not only falling short on that count but standing in the shadows of their predecessors in the bargain.

Once again, Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Oliver Robins, and Heather O'Rourke (Dominique Dunne, who played the oldest daughter, was strangled to death not long after the release of the first movie) are the main attractions. They believe they've left their ghostly past in Cuesta Verde behind them, but that turns out not to be the case by a long shot. Their former residence had apparently been built over a massive Indian graveyard, so the ghosts that will haunt them now, and once more go after their daughter (O'Rourke), are of the Native American kind, including the ominous Reverend Kane (Julian Beck, a fairly chilling performance). But they too have their savior in Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein), and a second savior in the guise of a wise Indian mystic (Will Sampson, from ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST). They all go back to Cuesta Verde to confront Kane and his ghostly minions.

As mentioned before, what makes POLTERGEIST II work as well as it does are the performances by the four leads. They make for the most sympathetic family unit possible. Rubinstein's return is most welcome, and Sampson's presence is extremely admirable. So too are the superb special effects by Richard Edlund (though the make-up effects are a bit more gruesome this time around, mandating a 'PG-13' rating) and Jerry Goldsmith's score.

But what the film is missing is the presence of both Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper in the front seats. Brian Gibson, who directed BREAKING GLASS, does a competent job here in POLTERGEIST II, but he does no better than that; and the script by producers Mark Victor and Michael Grais, who co-wrote the first film's script with Spielberg, throws in the Indian mysticism sub-plot that the original film didn't have or need. It misses the tension and the suspense of the original, and most of all the heart. It's a film that just seems to sit there.

Certainly POLTERGEIST II is not a totally irredemable dud. But like HALLOWEEN II, JAWS 2, and THE RAGE: CARRIE 2, it is frustrating to watch, because there seems to be a very good (even great) movie in there somewhere, but the end result is merely competent.