Poltergeist II was a huge step down, but it’s still worth watching

Few horror films are as influential as the first Poltergeist. Released in 1982, it’s at the top of the list when it comes to director Tobe Hooper’s best-loved works. The start of the movie remains unforgettable: Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke), the youngest daughter of the Freeling family, murmurs into a static-filled TV screen. As her father dozes, we get the eerie sense that the television is, somehow, speaking back to her. It remains one of the most subtly chilling opening scenes in horror history, and continues to be referenced and homaged all these many years later.

And then there’s Poltergeist II. Placed in the uncomfortable position of having to live up to the Poltergeist legacy, it isn’t particularly controversial to say it falls a little flat. Yet, the sequel’s work expanding Poltergeist lore is nothing to scoff at. Much of the original cast returns, mother Diane (JoBeth Williams) takes the center stage, and we are introduced to the profoundly villainous Reverend Kane (Julian Beck). It’s not the original, but it’s still a lot of fun even 40 years after its initial release.

The haunting of the first Poltergeist eventually saw the suburban home of the Freelings implode into a supernatural portal. In the ensuing years, the Cuesta Verde area has become an excavation site, where an archeological crew finds a hidden cave. The Freelings’ psychic helper, Tangina Barrons (Zelda Rubinstein), informs her friend, the Shaman Taylor (Will Sampson) of the discovery. Understanding that the evil spirit once trapped within is now after Carol Anne, Taylor goes to help the Freelings in their time of need.

Meanwhile, Diane’s mother Jess passes away, but not before imparting her belief that psychic sensitivity runs in their family line. This becomes a major theme as Diane and Carol Anne sense danger brewing that patriarch Steve (Craig T. Nelson) is unable to see. With Taylor and Tangina’s help, they are eventually able to identify and defeat the villainous spirit as a family.

And who is that spirit? Why, none other than one of the creepiest villains of all time. Reverend Kane was the leader of a doomsday cult in the mid-1800s whose followers died while trapped with him in the underground cavern from the beginning of the film. Kane is a uniquely disturbing presence: a soft-spoken preacher making small talk with Steve, all while he attempts to gain access to the young Carol Anne. When he is denied, his attacks on the Freelings escalate.

Much ado has been made about Poltergeist’s status as a “cursed film.” Poltergeist II is, after all, the last big-screen appearance for both Heather O’Rourke and Julian Beck. These losses are too hauntingly real to be blamed on the supernatural, but each of them turn out memorable performances as the frightened but brave Carol Anne and her tormentor, the destructive Reverend Kane.

Other highlights of Poltergeist II include Will Sampson as Taylor. Steve’s incredulity at Taylor’s helpful suggestions for keeping the family safe are grating throughout the film, but Will Sampson is a legend, and he nonetheless shines in the role. Of course, if any character shares the main character spotlight with Carol Anne, it’s Tangina, who coaches Diane through her own psychic awakening.

Poltergeist II isn’t Poltergeist, but it’s a pretty solid attempt at following up on some of its ideas. The cast is unforgettable, and there is a lot of humor fused into this script despite its disturbing subject matter. Perhaps most importantly, Diane’s character is explored more deeply, allowing for an expanded view of the world that Poltergeist inhabits. It’s not perfect, but for a mid-80s horror sequel, it has a lot going for it, anyway.