A psychiatrist familiar with knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.
Director:
Chuck Russell
Stars:
Heather Langenkamp,
Robert Englund,
Craig Wasson
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.Written by
Rhino <rhino@blueyonder.co.uk>
The only family member absent from the film is Dana, who according to the script is off at university, but a scene explaining away her absence was never filmed. Dominique Dunne was murdered by her boyfriend shortly after Poltergeist (1982) premiered. See more »
Goofs
Shadow of boom mic visible on the ground just after Diane remembers planting roses with her mother, during her line "Darling, you can be anything you wanna be" (Carol Anne is also in the scene, asking her to help her with her ballerina wings). See more »
Quotes
Diane:
[Steve, possessed by Kane, starts groping Diane]
Honey, don't. Not now.
Steve Freeling:
[getting angry]
Why? When?
Diane:
What do you mean?
Steve Freeling:
Diane, I have needs too.
Diane:
Well it seems to me your needs have been fulfilled by the bottle tonight.
[Steve comes up behind Diane and grabs her]
Diane:
Oh, Steven don't!
Steve Freeling:
Diane, are you accusing me of being drunk?
Diane:
I'm not accusing you of anything.
Steve Freeling:
Yes you are, but that's what you're thinking.
[...] See more »
Crazy Credits
The last shot of the family running after the car forms an initial backdrop for the end credits. See more »
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 See more »
Poltergeist II is one of better ghost/horror sequels I've seen, a story where the Freeling family moves to a new house, but followed by the supernatural, in the form of Reverend Kane.
Being a movie made in the early 1980s, like its prequel, it still holds a great amount of horror, as its elements will grip you and send chills down your spine. This movie doesn't rely on gore and violence to make it entertaining, but rather relies on the ghosts' presence and their frightening powers that they are able to unleash onto the unfortunately family, highlighted also in very polished and keen special effects.
The screenplay and story by Michael Grais and Mark Victor were well-written, giving us a captivating and exciting plot, and the direction by Brian Gibson is solid and thrilling like the original. The cast of characters gave another superb and heartfelt performance.
Overall, it's a good continuation of the original Poltergeist, but also works great as a sequel with its unique storyline superb acting.
Grade B+
6 of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Poltergeist II is one of better ghost/horror sequels I've seen, a story where the Freeling family moves to a new house, but followed by the supernatural, in the form of Reverend Kane.
Being a movie made in the early 1980s, like its prequel, it still holds a great amount of horror, as its elements will grip you and send chills down your spine. This movie doesn't rely on gore and violence to make it entertaining, but rather relies on the ghosts' presence and their frightening powers that they are able to unleash onto the unfortunately family, highlighted also in very polished and keen special effects.
The screenplay and story by Michael Grais and Mark Victor were well-written, giving us a captivating and exciting plot, and the direction by Brian Gibson is solid and thrilling like the original. The cast of characters gave another superb and heartfelt performance.
Overall, it's a good continuation of the original Poltergeist, but also works great as a sequel with its unique storyline superb acting.
Grade B+