Drive-In Extra – Poltergeist III (1988)

Poltergeist III
Release date: June 10, 1988

Cast:
Heather O’ Rourke as Carol Anne Freiling
Tom Skerritt as Bruce Gardner
Nancy Allen as Patricia Gardner
Lara Flynn Boyle as Donna Gardner
Kipley Wentz as Scott
Zelda Rubenstein as Tangina Barrons
Nathan Davis as Reverend Kane
Corey Burton as The Voice of Reverend Kane 

Written by Gary Sherman & Brian Taggert
Directed by Gary Sherman

Plot:
Carol Anne is now living with her aunt and uncle to help her hide from Reverend Kane. But Kane has found her and is closer than ever to getting her forever. Can Tangina arrive in time to save her?

Richard’s Thoughts:
If Poltergeist II: The Other Side was unnecessary, then Poltergeist III is truly a waste of time. The idea that Diane would let her daughter go live with someone else seems highly unlikely. While I normally like Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen, they really aren’t given much to do here. And honestly, Allen’s character of Patricia is really hard to like. Tangina’s appearance seems thrown in and brief (partly due to her unavailability during production).

The whole story just plods along and the evil character of Kane seems far less threatening this go around. This is due in part to the poor script but also due to the untimely death of actor Julian Beck. The new actor playing Kane is nowhere near as entertaining.

Perhaps the hardest part about this film is that actress Heather O’Rourke died during the production. She had gained some weight due to health issues but she was at least given some more dialogue in this film which helped with some character development. Unfortunately, since the director was told to reshoot the ending after her death, the climax and final scene have no impact since you don’t even see Carol Anne’s face after she is rescued (there was a stand-in in the arms of Nancy Allen). And whatever happened to poor Scott?

Poltergeist III does nothing to enhance the story nor does it have even the smallest of moments as Poltergeist II at least had. Honestly, you can stop after the original and you’ll be just fine. If you do watch the second film, most definitely stop there. 

Trivia:
Craig T. Nelson turned down this movie but was considering coming back for a fourth Poltergeist film. Heather O’Rourke had reportedly decided to do one more and then move on to other roles. However, after her death and the poor box office response, it was wisely decided to end the Poltergeist franchise. A remake in 2015 failed to inspire any sequels.  

Availability:
Poltergeist II: The Other Side and Poltergeist III are both available on a DVD double feature for less than $10, which is the best way to go with these unnecessary sequels.