POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE (1986)

"They're back."

It's been a "full year" since the events of the first film and now the Freeling family (minus the oldest daughter) are living with the wife's mother.  Unfortunately, that's not enough to get rid of the ghosts, because they (the ghosts) want the youngest daughter, Carol Anne, to lead them to the other side or something.  Anyway, the Freelings also find out that not only was their old house built on a old burial ground, but beneath that was a cave holding the remains of a 1800's death cult lead by some ultra creepy dude named Kane.  Holy shit, talk about being double-fucked.

So now Kane is walking around looking sinister as fook (The best scenes of the movie feature him, since actor Julian Beck was dying of stomach cancer at the time and looked absolutely terrifying.  His dialogue delivery was also unnerving.) and trying to get inside the house.  At one point, he transforms himself into a tequila worm that the dad swallows.  This scene scared the living poop out of me when I was a kid, but nowadays it seems pretty tame.  Moving forward some, Carol Anne is once again kidnapped and the family once again gets some help from some paranormal investigators.

POLTERGEIST II is watchable (and enjoyable), but there's just not enough freshness to the story to make you want to visit it often.  It moves the story forward some, but mostly it just seems like a rehash of the first film.  Good acting, nice pace, unsatisfying Boss Fight at the end, a reference to ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST(?), Julian Beck as maybe the creepiest doomsday preacher in movie history, Craig T. Nelson topless again.  Half-hearted recommendation.

Part 1 - Poltergeist (1982)
Part 3 - Poltergeist III (1988)
Remake - Poltergeist (2015)

They're talking about Will Sampson's character so this is probably a reference to ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975).

POLTERGEIST (1982)

"They're here."

The Freelings are a normal American family in a normal American suburb.  Dad smokes weed while reading a book about President Reagan, Mom cheerfully watches her teenage daughter being verbally harassed by construction workers (including Sonny Landham from PREDATOR and Lou Perryman from TCM 2), the dog eats a waffle, teenage daughter fondly remembers the fun she had at the Holiday Inn, kids throw food all over the place, the youngest daughter talks to ghosts inside the TV.  Say what?! That's not normal.

It appears that the Freelings have a ghost problem on their hands: a killer tree in the backyard, toys that float in the air, a ghost hand reaching out of the TV, chairs that move around the kitchen and worst of all...their youngest daughter has been sucked into the ghost world and can't get out.  Instead of calling the cops (who would have probably just stole the weed and then shot the dog before calling it a day), the parents call in some paranormal investigators.  What happens next is...kinda blah.

The best way to watch POLTERGEIST is to watch it as a kid back in the 1980's.  I saw it back then (as a kid) and it was a trip, but watching it now as a stunningly handsome adult I was underwhelmed.  The story is alright, but it just never grabbed me like it did back then.  It might be because I don't believe in ghosts or it could simply be that this film is dated and not very exciting anymore.  The creepy steak scene was still creepy (although why the guy was being quiet as to not wake up anybody when he was about to grill a fucking steak was kinda odd) and the special effects are nice, but I still found my mind wandering during the final act when, if this was a truly timeless 80's thriller (like say THE THING or ALIENS), my eyes should have been glued to the screen.

Despite it's flaws, POLTERGEIST is still mandatory viewing for anybody interested in 80's popular culture.  Solid acting, nice pace, Dexter's mother-in-law looking good in those shorts, James Karen being as awesome as always, Craig T. Nelson topless, tons of moments that have been referenced endlessly in other movies and TV shows, lots of STAR WARS merch.  Check it out.

Part 2 - Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
Part 3 - Poltergeist III (1988)
Remake - Poltergeist (2015)

A GUY NAMED JOE (1943)

I'm guessing this is a nod to producer Frank Marshall.

GO FOR BROKE! (1951)