Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

The Freeling family have a new house, but their troubles with supernatural forces don't seem to be over.

Director:

Brian Gibson

Writers:

Mark Victor, Michael Grais

Stars:

JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
JoBeth Williams	...	Diane Freeling (as Jobeth Williams)
Craig T. Nelson	...	Steve Freeling
Heather O'Rourke	...	Carol Anne Freeling
Oliver Robins	...	Robbie Freeling
Zelda Rubinstein	...	Tangina Barrons
Will Sampson	...	Taylor
Julian Beck	...	Kane
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Gramma Jess
John P. Whitecloud	...	Old Indian
Noble Craig	...	Vomit Creature
Susan Peretz	...	Daughter
Helen Boll	...	Mother
Kelly Jean Peters	...	Young Jess
Jaclyn Bernstein	...	Young Diane
Robert Lesser	...	Kane's People

Storyline

The Freeling family move in with Diane's mother in an effort to escape the trauma and aftermath of Carol Anne's abduction by the Beast. But the Beast is not to be put off so easily and appears in a ghostly apparition as the Reverend Kane, a religeous zealot responsible for the deaths of his many followers. His goal is simple - he wants the angelic Carol Anne; but the love of her family and the power of psychic Tangina once again unite, along with an elderly native American, to fight for her life.

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Plot Keywords:

supernatural horror | native american | alternate dimension | haunting | shamanism | 

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Taglines:

The Freeling family's struggle with spirits begins again...

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, Robbie (Oliver Robins) was going to be attacked by bees. Robins had a fear of bees and refused to film the scene, and was subsequently replaced by the "braces" scene.

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Goofs

(at around 38 mins) When Kane walks up the lawn toward the house, it begins to rain. As Diane runs out to get Carol Anne, Diane's hair is already wet. Then moments later when she talks to Kane on the porch, her hair is dry. The next scene shows her walking into her bedroom, and her hair is damp again.

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Quotes

Taylor: [after breathing an enchanted smoke into Steve's mouth] Smoke, make him one with power and knowledge.

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Crazy Credits

The last shot of the family running after the car forms an initial backdrop for the end credits.

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Alternate Versions

During post production, at least 15 minutes were cut from the film during the final editing stages, and some of the remaining scenes were re-arranged chronologically. Scenes rumored to be cut included: 1. A line mentioning "Dana," (the eldest daughter from the original film) being away at college. 2. A scene involving JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson and a floating toaster oven in their kitchen. 3. A scene in which the "Rev. Kane" appears at the house again and is confronted by "Tangina" right before she is about to leave after visiting "Diane" (Zelda Rubinstein was said to be very upset that this sequence was cut, as she felt it was one of her best scenes). 4. A longer "other side" sequence at the end featuring the family's battle with the Beast. 5. Longer versions of existing scenes featuring additional dialogue. Publicity stills from some of these scenes can be seen at: the fan site: http://www.poltergeistii.poltergeistiii.com/deleted.html

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Connections

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

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Soundtracks

If I Fell
(uncredited)
Written by John Lennon (uncredited) and Paul McCartney (uncredited)
[sung by Craig T. Nelson (uncredited) to JoBeth Williams]

User Reviews

The dangers of drinking the worm in tequilla graphically displayed.

This sequel was okay at the theater when I saw it, but it wasn't great. Kind of an average film that adds plot points that really are a bit weak. We find out in this one that it was not necessarily the fact the little community was sitting on an old cemetery that was the problem in the first one, but rather that the house was over some burial ground of a cult. There is also this really old man that is a bit creepy wandering around looking for Carol Anne and the Freeling clan. I just think they wanted to add a more physical enemy, someone you could focus on. The family is now living with grandma, but strange stuff starts happening again. For some reason they want Carol Anne. An Indian guy comes to their aid and gives them advice and there are a series of happenings, but this one just isn't as good as the first one as it is very slow in places. The ending was just plain lame and only makes this one worse than it is. As not good as this is though, the next Poltergeist makes this one look a lot better. Some good scenes here and there, but ultimately this one disappoints. Though there is that memorable scene with the worm.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 May 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Poltergeist II

Filming Locations:

Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,357,190, 26 May 1986

Gross USA:

$40,996,665

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,996,665

Company Credits

Production Co:

Freddie Fields Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 130 min (original cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1