For decades, it’s been hotly debated who really directed Poltergeist. Was it the credited director, Tobe Hooper who was responsible for the horror classic? Or was it producer Steven Spielberg who was calling the shots all along? We may never really know. One thing is for sure though. We know who directed Poltergeist 2: The Other Side, and it was… uh… Brian (What’s Love Got to Do with It?) Gibson. I mean, he’s not exactly Spielberg, is he? Heck, he’s no Tobe Hooper!
So, basically what we have here is a Poltergeist movie without any input from Spielberg or Hooper. As such, it’s about what you’d expect. The family (minus Dominque Dunne, who is conveniently forgotten about) returns, and their chemistry together helps to carry the film over a lot of the hiccups and stupid shit that occurs. JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson are still as fun as ever to watch together (the scene where they contend with the insurance company over the house in the first film is pretty funny), and Oliver Robins and Heather O’Rourke also do a fine job as the kids.
The real star is Richard Edlund, who did the special effects.
The film has a couple of strong set pieces to keep it from falling into the usual sequel trap. The scene where Robins is attack by haywire dental work will freak out anyone who ever wore braces, but the real showstopper is the Tequila Vomit Monster (who was designed by none other than H.R. Giger). This sucker gave me nightmares as a kid and showed me at a young age the dangers of drinking. Why they show stupid filmstrips in health class and not this scene, I’ll never know. To this day, I haven’t swallowed the worm yet, and I have this movie to thank for it.
This time out, the family goes to stay with Williams’ mother. When she croaks, the supernatural shit starts up again. The poltergeist sort of manifest themselves in the shape of a creepy old preacher named Kane (Julian Beck) who wants poor little Carol Anne (O’Rourke) to guide them into the light once again. It’s up to a wise old Native American (Will Sampson) to help the family and drive away the evil spirits.
The Native American mumbo jumbo really cuts into the action. Did we need the powwow scene where Sampson sits around the campfire and lets a bunch of ghosts fly up his nose? Or the long scenes where he and Nelson go and do some half-assed men’s retreat? Sampson is not a bad actor, but his character just feels totally gratuitous. He’s also a poor substitute for Zelda Rubinstein, who once again appears as the pint-sized psychic, although she isn’t given a whole lot to do.
While the film is slow to start off, it quickly switches gears and begins to feel rushed. The ending is a real shitshow. The scenes of the family flying around definitely feels like Gibson trying to out-Spielberg Spielberg, but it just comes off as embarrassing. Apparently, the studio cut a half-hour out of it just before its release, which probably accounts for a lot of the pacing whiplash that occurs.
Also, Kane is a weak villain. Personifying the evil from the original movie was a real misstep. It doesn’t help that the big thing that makes him evil is… he’s old. It’s like look how creepy that old guy is, which really smacks of ageism. The scene where he comes to the door and screams, “YOU’RE GONNA DIE!” is some unintentionally hilarious shit too.
You know, every time I try to dis this movie, I think back to the Tequila Vomit Monster and have to reassess my position. Yes, there’s a lot of stupid shit in Poltergeist 2. Yes, it’s nowhere near the same league as the original. However, a little Tequila Vomit Monster goes a long way.
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