Poltergeist II: The Other Side

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Poltergeist II: The Other Side
Poltergeist II original theatrical poster
Directed by	Brian Gibson
Produced by	Michael Grais Mark Victor
Written by	Michael Grais Mark Victor
Starring	JoBeth Williams Craig T. Nelson Heather O'Rourke Oliver Robins
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography	Andrew Laszlo
Editing by	Thom Noble Bud S. Smith M. Scott Smith
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	May 23, 1986
Running time	130 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	~ $19,000,000
Preceded by	Poltergeist
Followed by	Poltergeist III
IMDb profile

Poltergeist II: The Other Side is a 1986 horror film sequel to Poltergeist.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

This sequel exists to explain in much greater detail why Carol Anne was targeted in the first film. As it turns out, the Freelings' house in the first movie was built over a massive underground cavern that was the final resting place of a utopian cult that died there in the early 1800s. This cavern was even below the graveyard that wasn't relocated in the first film. The cult was led by Rev. Henry Kane, and this man did not have the best intentions. He was power hungry, anxious to control the souls of his followers in both life and death.

He told them the end of the world was coming, and they dutifully followed him into said cavern. However, the day he predicted it would all end came...and went. But he never let his "flock" out of the cavern, and eventually, they all died. Since his death, Kane became the Beast, which absorbed the spirits of its followers unto its body.

The second film begins with the discovery of this cave by a ground crew, and its existence is revealed to Tangina Barron, the psychic from the first film that "cleaned" the house that is now missing. She also tells Taylor, an American Indian shaman whose connection to Kane is hinted at but never fully explained. After investigating the cave for himself, Taylor realizes Kane has located Carol Anne and goes to defend her.

The Freeling family (minus eldest daughter Dana...the actress who played her, Dominique Dunne, was murdered by her boyfriend right after the first film came out) has relocated to Phoenix and now live in a house with Diane's mom. Having lost his real estate license, Steve is reduced to selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door while filing repeated insurance claims to cover the missing home ("What do we claim now?" asks Diane. "Act of God? House-napping?"). Grandma Jess is highly clairvoyant, and reveals that Diane and Carol Anne are too. But Jess is powerful, and it is her lifeforce that protects the family.

Eventually, the grandmother dies, and Kane now has a clear path to get Carol Anne. Taylor shows up just as Kane begins his first assault on the home. Unable to get in through the TV this time (the family has removed any TVs from the home), Kane's minions are forced to find another way in: this time, through Carol Anne's toy phone. The attack fails, but the family gets out of the house fast. Taylor convinces them that running would be a waste of time, and they return home.

Kane himself shows up at the home one day and demands to be let in, but Steve refuses (Kane doesn't respond well to this: "You're all gonna die in there," he yells. "All of you! You are gonna diiiieeee!"). Taylor then takes him out to the desert and gives him the power of smoke, an Indian spirit that might be able to kill Kane.

That night, Steve gets drunk and swallows a tequila worm that is actually Kane. He vomits up the worm, now a huge creature that can only be the Beast, and uses the smoke to send it away. The Beast then decides on another assault, and this time, the family decides to confront the Beast on his own turf: The Other Side (where, of course, Diane and Carol Anne have already been).

Upon entering the cave, Kane immediately pulls Diane and Carol Anne over in to the Other Side, and Steve and Robbie jump in after them through a fire Taylor has started.

In the Other Side, Taylor gets a charmed Indian lance into Steve's hands, and Steve supposedly kills the Beast/Kane with it, releasing the souls within it. The family returns safely to this side.