A Sequel Nobody Ordered
By the time Poltergeist III hit theaters in 1988, audiences had already been through enough. The first Poltergeist is a classic—Spielberg-lite with suburban dread and chairs that rearrange themselves better than most decorators. The second film? A cash grab that at least had Julian Beck’s terrifying performance as Reverend Kane, one of the creepiest screen villains of the ‘80s. But this third one? Oh, boy. This is the cinematic equivalent of reheating Taco Bell three days later: it’s technically edible, but you’re going to regret every second.
Instead of ghosts attacking a house (which is already scary because houses are supposed to be safe), we get… a luxury Chicago high-rise. Yes, nothing says “haunted” like an apartment complex with valet parking and a doorman.
The Plot: Ghost Dad, But Less Fun
Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke, in her final role, and the only reason anyone feels a shred of sympathy here) is sent away from her parents to live with her aunt and uncle in the John Hancock Center. Already, the logic collapses. If a child has twice been abducted into spectral limbo by a malevolent preacher ghost, maybe don’t pawn her off on family like she’s an unwanted Beanie Baby.
Naturally, Reverend Kane shows up again because ghosts apparently hold grudges longer than Midwesterners at family reunions. He uses mirrors as portals this time—because the writers thought “what if Bloody Mary, but boring?” Dr. Seaton, Carol Anne’s psychiatrist, insists she’s staging elaborate illusions, which raises a question: what kind of insurance fraud is this kid running if she can make entire elevators collapse and pools turn into gateways to hell?
The Cast: Too Much Reflection, Not Enough Acting
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Heather O’Rourke: Heartbreaking. You can’t criticize her, because she was only 12 and tragically passed away before the movie’s release. She deserved a better swan song than running down hallways full of smoke machines.
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Tom Skerritt: Plays Bruce Gardner, the stepdad who spends most of the movie looking like he’d rather be flying jets with Maverick again.
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Nancy Allen: As Pat, she radiates the energy of someone who skimmed the script and said, “Fine, but I’m not screaming.”
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Lara Flynn Boyle: In her film debut as Donna, she mostly pouts and screams, which is good practice for surviving Twin Peaks.
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Zelda Rubinstein: God bless her. Tangina shows up, mumbles mystical lines, and dies halfway through because even she couldn’t carry this thing.
The Villain Problem
Julian Beck’s Kane in Poltergeist II was legitimately nightmare fuel. Emaciated, spectral, eyes like pits of despair. For Part III, they replaced him with Nathan Davis, who spends the film buried under old-man prosthetics and a voice dub that makes him sound like your drunk uncle auditioning for a haunted hayride. Terrifying? Not exactly. He looks like he’s about to ask for the senior discount at Denny’s.
The Setting: Welcome to Haunted Condos, LLC
The John Hancock Center is an iconic building, sure. But as a horror setting? Not so much. Instead of creepy graveyards, rotting trees, or stormy suburbs, we get elevators, parking garages, and an indoor swimming pool. Oooooh, scary! Next time maybe set a ghost story in a strip mall. Imagine the sheer terror of Forever 21 mirrors.
The movie leans hard on reflections. Mirrors, puddles, glass walls—it’s like a 90-minute reminder that Windex exists. At some point you’re not scared, you’re just wondering why nobody ever notices when their reflections start moving independently. If my bathroom mirror winked at me, I’d move. These people just shrug and go about their day.
The Deaths: Rated PG-13 for Pointlessness
Tangina gets killed off by Kane disguised as Carol Anne, which is about as tasteful as killing Yoda with a Nerf bat. Dr. Seaton falls down an elevator shaft in one of the least suspenseful “shocks” ever filmed. Donna bursts out of Tangina’s corpse like a piñata of pure nonsense. It’s all gore-free, scare-free, and choreographed with the enthusiasm of a wet sock.
The Real Horror: Behind the Scenes
Heather O’Rourke’s death four months before release cast a tragic shadow over everything. MGM, terrified of being accused of exploitation, downplayed her involvement in marketing. Director Gary Sherman has admitted the studio forced him to cobble together a new ending after production wrapped, which explains why the climax feels like it was edited with garden shears.
The result is a film where the saddest part isn’t the ghosts or the “twist” endings—it’s the reminder of a talented young actress taken far too soon.
The Pacing: As Exciting as Watching Paint Peel
Poltergeist III runs 98 minutes, but you’ll swear you’ve aged three years by the credits. Whole sequences drag with endless shots of people walking down sterile hallways, calling Carol Anne’s name. (Drink every time someone yells “Carol Annnnnne!”—actually, don’t. You’ll be hospitalized by the halfway mark.)
And the climax? Bruce runs around in mirrors. Pat screams. Tangina floats in like a spiritual Uber driver and drags Kane into the light. The end. It’s less a finale and more a group project presentation where everyone clearly forgot their parts.
Why It Fails:
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No Spielberg touch – Without his influence, the series devolved into a TV movie with a theatrical release.
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Cheap scares – Fog machines, mirrors, and bad dubbing don’t make horror; they make high school haunted houses.
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Characters you don’t care about – You’ll be rooting for Kane to win, if only to speed things up.
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Chicago – Nothing against the Windy City, but ghosts are scarier in suburban cul-de-sacs than in luxury apartments with concierge service.
The Verdict: Poltergeist… Meh
Poltergeist III is a sequel that nobody wanted, featuring a villain who should have retired, a setting that’s aggressively un-scary, and performances that scream “contractual obligation.” It’s less a horror movie and more an endurance test for completists.
And yet, it’s impossible to hate it completely. There’s Heather O’Rourke’s sweet presence, Zelda Rubinstein’s commitment, and the sheer novelty of watching a movie where the true evil isn’t Kane—it’s the editing.
