Review of Poltergeist III (1988) by Jesse M — 09 Jul 2013

Wretched threequel, with the series seemingly taken over and ruined by director, writer, and special effects wizard wannabe Gary Sherman, sees Carol Anne(O'Rourke) accosted by the ghost of evil preacher Kane in a Chicago skyscraper.

The result is tedious rather than suspenseful, and filled with characters one can hardly find appealing - as a matter of fact, Allen's character is rather unlikable! O'Rourke and Rubinstein are welcome holdovers from previous movies, but Rubinstein as creepy psychic Tangina is sadly given so little of worth to do, and some truly embarrassing lines.

It's actually sad to watch. Moreover, the film is cheap looking - mostly because Sherman decided to make all special effects bar one shot live on camera. Consequently, we end up with flashing spotlights and wind machines serving as "ghostly" happenings, with cringe worthy evil laughter looping in the background.

That said, SFX are not all bad - some of the gore effects are pretty good, particularly during the shot of Lara Flynn Boyle clawing her way out of Rubinstein's decayed body. It, and it alone turns out to be way better than anything else conjured up in this film.

Sadly, Heather O'Rourke passed away four months before the release of the film due to illness, which is why in the film's rushed ending (a posthumous reshoot) her face is never revealed.