Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

December 12, 2024 8:21 PM

[TRAILER] The Freelings (JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson) have escaped their haunted house, which is now being studied by paranormal investigators, including shaman Taylor (Will Sampson). When Taylor realizes that the Beast, masquerading as the Rev. Kane (Julian Beck), knows where young Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O'Rourke) now lives, he goes to warn the family that their daughter is in danger again. To protect Carol, her family must plot to take down the Beast.

Also starring Oliver Robins, Zelda Rubinstein, Geraldine Fitzgerald.

Directed by Brian Gibson. Written and produced by Michael Grais, Mark Victor. Based on characters by Steven Spielberg. Production companies: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Freddie Fields Productions, Grais-Victor Productions. Cinematography by Andrew Laszlo. Edited by Thom Noble. Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

20% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Multiple current streaming options in the US. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (4 comments total)

♫ GOD IS IN HIS HOLY TEMPLE ♫

This isn't a good movie, but it isn't a terrible movie, so much as a terrible drop-off from the classic original. There's some silly 80's "Indian" mumbo jumbo in Taylor. But Brace Face and Tequila Worm are memorable.

Above all, Julian Beck as Reverend Kane is an all-time creepy character. He's really unnerving.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:43 PM on December 12 [2 favorites]

Beck (who'd been one of the founders of the experimental theater group The Living Theatre) was dying of cancer when this was filmed, and I think that that informs his performance a lot. "You're gonna die in there, all of you!" and the Incredible Growing Tequila Worm are about the only scenes that I remember from this movie.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:52 AM on December 13 [1 favorite]

I watched it ages ago and found it mediocre. Beck is excellent, but it reduces the bewildering menace of the first film to a relatively trite mystery trying to be solved. The special effects were bargain-basement.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 2:09 PM on December 13

Beck was definitely the stand out performance in this.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:35 PM on December 13