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Stars:
Craig T. Nelson JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, Oliver Robins, Julian Beck,
Zelda Rubinstein, Will Sampson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Tom Skerritt, Nancy Allen,
and Lara Flynn Boyle
Writers:
Michael Grais and Mark Victor/ Gary Sherman and Brian Taggert
Directors:
Brian Gibson/ Gary Sherman
Feature
length: 91 minutes/ 94 minutes
Languages:
English and French Language Dolby Surround Sound and Spanish Language Monaural
Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Extras:
Theatrical Trailers
Chapter
Stops: 16/ 16
Packaging:
Keep Case
Sound:
Dolby Surround Sound and Monaural Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1986/1988/DVD Release: 2003
Theatrical
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
A
year has past since the Freeling Family fled Cuesta Verde. They now live with
in-laws and Carol Anne is still being stalked by a demon that walks in human
form as a scary looking preacher played by Julian Beck. Determined to get Carol
Anne so he can control the spirits of those he led to doom more than a century
before, the Freelings must rely upon the guidance of a medium, the magic of a
medicine man, and their own family’s bond of love to protect their daughter.
The original “Poltergeist” was such a great film that it is almost infuriating to see how much the sequel was botched up. The characters are all just flat caricatures of their former film counterparts making Will Sampson and Julian Beck the only two characters that are memorable and with all honestly, Beck steals every scene he appears in. There are some good special effects by Richard Edlund and conceptual design by H.R. Giger, but when we finally see the other side, the film ends up being unintentionally comical rather than scary or awe inspiring.
In
“Poltergeist III,” the
demon in a preacher suit known as Kane (this time played by Nathan Davis) has
tracked Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) to her aunt’s condo in a high rise in
Chicago where he raises hell on the entire family. The only other actress
returning from the previous film is Zelda Rubinstein, who for reasons never made
entirely clear has figured out what Kane really wants and prepares Carol Anne
for her final battle on the other side.
Heather
O’Rourke died shortly after the movie was made adding an eerie quality to the
series. “Poltergeist III” is the darkest of the three films and not only
suffers from the lack of supporting characters from the previous movies, but
also sorely lacks Jerry Goldsmith’s score. The film resorts to pseudo
“Freddy Kruger” like effects for cheap scares, but by this time the series
has already lost whatever soul was left over from the second film.
“Poltergeist
II: The Other Side” is presented in an anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) aspect
ratio while “Poltergeist III” is presented in an anamorphic widescreen
(1.85:1) aspect ratio. Both films look fine on DVD, but each has its own
deviancies too. “Poltergeist II: The Other Side” suffers from a bit of grain
that appears to be from the source material used while “Poltergeist III”
looks a bit soft at times although the transfer is the better looking of the
two. The English Dolby Surround Soundtracks are both quite good with a nice
atmospheric feel that is important for setting the mood in films like these. A
French Language Dolby Surround Soundtrack as well as a Spanish Language
Two-Channel Monaural Soundtrack is encoded onto the both single layered sides of
the DVD-10 as options. There are also English Captions and Closed Captions for
the hearing impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles provided for both
film presentations.
The
theatrical trailers for both films are the only bonus features included in the
double feature DVD and the menus for both film presentations are standard
interactive still frames that are easy to navigate. MGM is selling the two-film
disc at a low suggested retail price. The film trilogy inspired a loosely based
supernatural television series entitled “Poltergeist: The Legacy.”
“Poltergeist
II: The Other Side & Poltergeist III: Double Feature” is available on DVD-Video
now at retailers on and offline from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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