Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
44%RT Audience Score: 35%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
1 win & 5 nominations total
They’re back, but this hollow sequel retains none of the charm or suspense that made the original Poltergeist such a haunting specter
Poltergeist II: The Other Side is like a bad rollercoaster ride that doesn’t follow its own rules. It’s a tacky tale of terror that tries to scare you with killer braces and other ridiculous things. The only thing that’s consistent about this movie is its inconsistency. The cast does their best to have some fun with their roles, but they have too much working against them. Overall, this movie is all tease and no payoff. Save yourself the trouble and watch something else.
Production Company(ies)
Ear Goggles
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
1589 Homewood Dr., Altadena, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
Year of Release
1986
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 32m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 23, 1986 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 26, 2003
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring JoBeth Williams, Craig T Nelson, Julian Beck, Heather O’Rourke, Oliver Robins, Zelda Rubinstein, Will Sampson, directed by Brian Gibson, written by Mark Victor, Michael Grais, horror, PG-13, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Debra Oswald, Alexander Walker, Neil Jillett, Derek Malcolm, Paul Attanasio, Joe Pollack, Philip French, Hal Lipper, Candice Russell, Bruce R Miller, Terry Orme, Allan Ulrich, produced by Michael Grais, Mark Victor, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, shaman, paranormal investigators, Beast, Rev Kane, Tangina Barrons, haunted house, Carol Anne Freeling, Robbie Freeling, supernatural rules, loose ends, special effects, mythology, racial stereotypes
Worldwide gross: $40,996,665
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $113,588,977
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 956
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 12,387,020
US/Canada gross: $40,996,665
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $113,588,977
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 662
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,357,190
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $34,237,921
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 382
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $19,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $52,643,077
Production budget ranking: 757
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $28,348,297
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $32,597,604
ROI to date (est.): 40%
ROI ranking: 1,196
Craig T. Nelson – Steve Freeling
Julian Beck – Kane
Heather O’Rourke – Carol Anne Freeling
Oliver Robins – Robbie Freeling
Zelda Rubinstein – Tangina Barrons
Director(s)
Brian Gibson
Writer(s)
Mark Victor, Michael Grais
Producer(s)
Michael Grais, Mark Victor
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
1 win & 5 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (43)
The annoying thing is that the movie doesn’t make sense. Poltergeist II doesn’t stick to its own supernatural rules and leaves lots of loose ends waving in the breeze.
November 3, 2021 | Rating: 1/5
Debra Oswald
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
It’s a tacky tale of terror. It creates no plausible atmosphere, but springs its shocks indiscriminately.
November 3, 2021
Alexander Walker
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Not much of the first film’s tincture of humor is revived, but most of the tiresome mumbo-jumbo routines get another going-over.
November 3, 2021
Neil Jillett
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke and Oliver Robins are involved again, but this is movie-making by numbers, orchestrated with thunderous but ultimately deadening technical resource.
November 3, 2021
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
There are movies that make you want to mince words, and then there’s Poltergeist II: The Other Side, a movie so ineffably bad, you can’t even find the words to mince.
November 3, 2021
Paul Attanasio
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
The sequel is, ho-hum, more of the same, with lots more special effects. And when the writers were stuck for an idea, they just dug through their movie-molded memories.
November 3, 2021
Joe Pollack
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
The original Steven Spielberg-Tobe Hooper Poltergeist was an effective shocker. Gibson’s sequel is a maudlin, religiose affair.
November 3, 2021
Philip French
Observer (UK)
Poltergeist II’s effects immediately build the movie to a frightening plane. Then palpable emotion propels the story through un: fathomable, often ridiculous, yet wholly enjoyable events.
November 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Hal Lipper
Tampa Bay Times
A spooky, gross, pointless movie that is all tease and no payoff.
November 3, 2021 | Rating: 0/4
Candice Russell
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Director Brian Gibson has done nothing to justify a sequel to Tobe Hooper’s honor classic. He gives us an experience or two that might have fit into the previous film, but killer braces are not enough to fill an entire sequel.
November 3, 2021
Bruce R. Miller
Sioux City Journal
The cast should be given credit for playing gamely along with Poltergeist II. Nelson and Williams in particular seem to do their best to have some fun with these roles. Unfortunately, they have too much working against them
November 3, 2021
Terry Orme
Salt Lake Tribune
A movie lodged somewhere between life and death, between rip-off and invention, between exploitation and mordant wit.
November 3, 2021 | Rating: 1.5/4
Allan Ulrich
San Francisco Examiner…
Plot
The Freeling family move in with Diane’s mother in an effort to escape the trauma and aftermath of Carol Anne’s abduction by the Beast. But the Beast is not to be put off so easily and appears in a ghostly apparition as the Reverend Kane, a religeous zealot responsible for the deaths of his many followers. His goal is simple – he wants the angelic Carol Anne; but the love of her family and the power of psychic Tangina once again unite, along with an elderly native American, to fight for her life.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny comment about the film Poltergeist II on Fresh Kernels.
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