“They’re here,” I said. In the iconic 1982 horror movie Poltergeist, little Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke) said those terrifying words when ghostly apparitions appeared in the Freeling family’s home through a television. In three films, including 1986’s Poltergeist II: The Other Side and the trilogy’s concluding Poltergeist III, “The TV People,” commanded by the wicked Reverend Kane (Julian Beck), would threaten moviegoers (as well as the Freelings).
The terrifying clown doll that drags Oliver Robins’ character Robbie Freeling (or perhaps the terrifying tree that physically tries to eat him) under his bed are just two examples of unforgettable, spine-tingling scenes in all three movies. Another scene from the second movie that sticks in many people’s minds is when Steve (Craig T. Nelson) consumes a possessed worm while downing a bottle of tequila and eventually spits out an H.R. Giger monstrosity. While the events shown in these films are undoubtedly the stuff of nightmares, many people find the sad events that occurred to some of the cast members in real life to be considerably more upsetting.
It’s likely that you’ve heard of “the Poltergeist curse” even if you’re simply a casual moviegoer or horror enthusiast. It has been the focus of numerous web articles, TV specials, and mini-documentaries, most recently episode three of Shudder’s Cursed Films and E! True Hollywood Story: Curse of the Poltergeist. Four of the trilogy’s principal performers tragically passed away within a six-year period after the original film’s premiere, leading some to speculate that the filming locations were somehow cursed. Before we look at the myths and exaggerated claims that followed, let’s take a closer look at the four primary fatalities that set the stage for the now-famous curse.
Did real human skeletons cause the curse?
What led to the Poltergeist curse, if there is one? Real bones were allegedly employed by the effects team in the first two films, most notably in the original movie’s mucky swimming pool scene with Diane Freeling, played by JoBeth Williams, according to one hotly debated notion. The first movie heavily emphasises the desecration of human remains as the likely reason for the Freelings’ bothersome poltergeist issue. If these real skeletons somehow cursed the cast, how ironic would that be? Williams and Craig T. Nelson, Daddy Freeling, are still alive and well, so this theory doesn’t really hold up.
Craig Reardon, a special effects makeup artist who worked on the Poltergeist movie, is one person who vehemently disputes the idea that the actors’ deaths were caused by these real skeletons. Reardon said in an interview with Shudder’s Cursed Films, “The subject of the skeletons that were used in Poltergeist, to my absolute shock, has formed sort of an online mythology, and not a beautiful one.” It appears that some people think the use of actual human skeletons was some sort of pretext to ‘explain’ why two actresses who appeared in the movie later passed away. This is offensive to me personally and is not only theoretically absurd.
Human skeletons have been utilised in movies for a very long time, Reardon continued. In his interview, he gave the films Frankenstein from 1931 and House on Haunted Hill as examples. “When a human skeleton could easily be obtained from a biology supply store, no low-budget B picture would hire someone to create one. Wake up, you know, and reduce the budget. Actually, that’s how it went “Added he. “It’s a fairly nasty notion to have a few of them on the Poltergeist set and kill two nice young girls.”
Dominique Dunne
The death of 22-year-old actress Dominique Dunne, who played Dana Freeling, the eldest sister in the first movie, was possibly one of the most gruesome and terrible events. Although her character in Poltergeist II was stated to be going to college, Dunne’s unexpected death just months after the first film’s premiere forced screenwriters to completely abandon whatever plans they may have had for her in the follow-up.
An enraged ex-boyfriend savagely strangled Dunne on the evening of October 30, 1982. Substitute chef John Sweeney, the attacker, visited her West Hollywood residence with the intention of patching things up and moving back in with her. On Dunne’s driveway, the scene of the fatal assault, a fight broke out. Sweeney was reported as saying “I’ve killed my girlfriend” when police got at the site.
Dunne was still alive at the time and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she spent five days unconscious and never came to. Three weeks before her 23rd birthday, on November 4, 1982, she was taken off of life support and pronounced dead. At the time, Dunne was a rising star and was preparing for her role as Robin Maxwell in the science fiction miniseries V from 1983 when she was attacked.
Heather O’Rourke
The terrible loss of Heather O’ Rourke, who played Carol Ann, the youthful, angelic face of the entire franchise, was the most well-known death that ignited and continues to fuel the “Poltergeist curse” fire today. O’Rourke was receiving therapy for what turned out to be a false diagnosis of Crohn’s disease in 1987 as Poltergeist III was being made. Director Gary Sherman remembers O’Rourke fondly in the third episode of Shudder’s Cursed Films docuseries, saying that, aside from the young actress’ “chipmunk cheeks” (a side effect of the bowel inflammation medications she was taking at the time), she remained upbeat, appeared physically fine, and enjoyed her time on the set. He and everyone else were unaware that something fatal was developing within.
Let’s fast-forward to January 1988, when O’Rourke developed a serious illness and her health began to deteriorate alarmingly. She was taken to the hospital on February 1st, 1988, where she succumbed to septic shock brought on by an unnoticed intestinal blockage. The toxins unleashed when this obstruction ruptured were too much for her body to handle. In addition, it was discovered that the 12-year-old O’Rourke had an acute intestinal obstruction caused by a congenital stenosis during the surgery she was having on the day of her death rather than Crohn’s disease, which might have been medically treated earlier. Her passing forced Sherman, who was adamantly opposed to utilising a double, to shoot a whole new ending with only four months until the movie’s premiere. He wanted the movie never to be released, but in the end MGM had its way. O’Rourke’s untimely demise would mark the fourth demise of a significant Poltergeist cast member in a period of six years.
Julian Beck
Reverend Henry Kane, the human embodiment of “The Beast,” as portrayed by actor Julian Beck, is arguably one of the spookiest villains in horror film history. He is the gaunt, vintage-looking cult leader who spends the majority of Poltergeist II attempting to enter the Freeling home and kidnap Carol Ann. He is also the same person who was in control of the aforementioned tequila worm. Even though Poltergeist II’s principal photography was finished, Beck would not survive to see the movie’s theatrical debut because he passed away on September 14, 1985, eight months before the movie’s premiere and in the middle of its post-production.
Beck died following a protracted fight with stomach cancer, which he had been diagnosed with in 1983, as opposed to Dominique Dunne’s horrific murder. His passing was therefore regrettable, but it also may be said that it wasn’t unexpected. While the film was in progress, Beck was fighting stomach cancer, and the entire cast was well aware of this. Some people think it even had an impact on his terrifying last performance in a movie.
Lou Perryman
While Dominique Dunne, Julian Beck, Will Sampson, and Heather O’Rourke’s deaths are regarded as being a part of the purported “curse,” there is one more passing that some fans like to mention in order to support their argument. However, this passing occurred 17 years after the release of the first movie, and it’s very likely that you don’t remember seeing the person. Seth Christopher Tatum, an ex-con with a history of mental health issues, brutally murdered actor Lou Perryman at his house. Perryman played the character Pugsley, a construction worker, in a very small role. Tatum killed Perryman on April 1, 2009, while the two had never met, while fleeing from his mother’s ex-boyfriend following a violent confrontation. His rationale? simply to take his automobile. Two years later, the case was resolved when the murderer, who had abruptly stopped taking his bipolar disorder medication just before the murder, was given a life sentence in jail.
Oliver Robins is alive and well
It’s clear that there have been numerous real-life fatalities related to the Poltergeist films. While some prefer to think that this is due to a curse, others think it’s just a series of terrible coincidences. Other Poltergeist myths that are inaccurate or exaggerated include the notion that all three of the children from the first movie perished. Oliver Robins’ character Robbie Freeling is actually still alive and well. When asked about the mysterious deaths associated with the franchise in a 2015 interview with the Daily Mail, he said he didn’t think there was a curse. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t believe anyone who worked on the film ever really took the curse seriously. There is no curse; only terrible occurrences, “explained he. “People may attempt to draw conclusions and find connections, but they may do so by making connections that are most likely not there. Even if they make for fantastic scary tales, they are ultimately untrue.”
Will Sampson
Actor Will Sampson is best known to horror fans as Taylor, the Native American shaman from Poltergeist II. Some may recall him as Chief Bromden from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. After receiving a heart and lung transplant, Sampson suffered from post-operative renal failure and went away. Once more, a cast member passed away not long after the premiere of a Poltergeist movie, which is unsettling. On June 3, 1987, Sampson passed away, although like Beck, he had a pre-existing medical problem. Sampson had scleroderma, a long-term degenerative disease that left him severely undernourished and led to further problems with his heart, skin, and lungs. He passed away at the young age of 53.
Zelda Rubinstein slams the curse
Tangina “This house is clean” Barrons, performed to perfection by Zelda Rubinstein, was undoubtedly one of the most well-known Poltergeist characters of all time, second only to Carol Ann. Rubinstein passed away at the age of 76 in 2010 from complications following a small heart attack. Due to her age, the reason of death, and how far it was from the close succession of deaths that occurred between 1982 and 1988, most people never believe her death to be a result of the curse. And she would probably want it that way. Rubinstein, like Oliver Robins, always believed that the notion of a Poltergeist curse was mere superstition. In fact, you could say she thought it was outright absurd.
She spoke openly and graciously about the curse in a 1988 interview for a Showbiz Today feature on CNN, and she finished it on a sophisticated yet direct note. “I owe it to Heather to argue her point in the most compassionate and truthful way I can. I deeply adored this child and am still devastated by her demise “Rubinstein said. “An undiscovered congenital anatomical abnormality caused Heather’s death. During his later years, Julian Beck passed away from cancer. After undergoing a heart and lung transplant, Will Sampson passed away. I believe he suffered from an environmental illness. And Dominique Dunne passed away at the hands of a very passionate, misguided boyfriend. For these reasons, I do not consider this to be a jinx. I believe that ending this superstitious nonsense is largely polite.”
