Poltergeist II The Other Side

Top 10 Fun Facts

1. Just like the original film, "Poltergeist II" did not showcase any murders or graphic fatalities, a big difference from today's horror pictures.
2. In the script, the oldest daughter in "Poltergeist II" was supposed to be away at college, but the scene never made it into the final version. The actress who played her in the first film, Dominique Dunne, was murdered by her boyfriend shortly after the first film was released.
3. "Poltergeist II" is infamous for "retconning" the reason and explanations for the haunting in the first "Poltergeist" film. The word means deliberately changing the previously established facts in the movie. Some politicians are also guilty of "retconning."
4. Bad luck or "Poltergeist Curse?" Actress Dominique Dunne was murdered by her boyfriend after finishing the first film. Actor Julian Beck died of stomach cancer after shooting "Poltergiest II." Actress Heather O'Rourke died of a mystery case of intestinal stenosis shortly before completion of the third film.
5. Many of the cadavers used in "Poltergeist II" were actually real human remains. Upon learning of this, the crew demanded an exorcism be held on the set. Real Shaman and film star Will Sampson jumped in to perform the deed in the middle of the night.
6. Actor Craig T. Nelson says of actor Will Sampson's character in "Poltergeist II" that he might be an escapee from an asylum. In actuality, the actor played an escaped asylum inmate in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
7. Drew Barrymore auditioned for the role of Carol Anne in "Poltergeist II."  Although she didn't get the role, she still made it into the film.  Check out the poster of Drew's debut film, "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," hanging in Carol Anne's bedroom.
8. Since the actor who played Kane (Julian Beck) died during filming of "Poltergeist II," the filmmakers hired sculptor and set designer H.R. Giger to replace Beck's remaining scenes. Giger created several designs but only two appeared in the film with limited screen time. The designs do get a lot of screen time on Giger's official website.
9. At one point, "Poltergeist II" was going to be filmed in 3-D and several scenes were filmed to take advantage of the process. The final decision was to keep the film one dimensional.
10. The special effects in "Poltergeist II" not only got the attention of film audiences, they also got the attention of the Academy of Motion Pictures. "Poltergeist II" was nominated for an Academy Award for Visual Effects.

Cast

Crew