Poltergeist III

PG-13

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1 hr. 36 min.

Horror

List

16%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

22%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Psychically attuned youngster Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) is sent to live in Chicago with her Uncle Bruce (Tom Skerritt) and Aunt Pat (Nancy Allen). But that doesn't mean that she's escaped the apparitions that have haunted her in the past. When she starts experiencing terrifying visions, her school psychologist believes that they're figments of her imagination. But this becomes hard to believe when ghostly foes start inhabiting the mirrors in her relatives' high-rise apartment.

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Mlg

Not a patch on the original but the problem was it was hard to enjoy (I turned it off halfway) because of thinking about the incredibly sad death in real life of little Heather and knowing that fact just made the film unwatchable. RIP Heather you were a little star.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Jeff M

The chasm between the absolute brilliance of the original film, one of my favorites ever, and the shocking banality of this second sequel is larger than the Grand Canyon. I consider the 1982 original a masterpiece; the first sequel in 1986 wasn't great but had its moments, including a terrifying performance by Julian Beck looking like Jimmy Carter on meth. But this is just trash. There are some talented actors involved here, including a young Lara Flynn Boyle, but performances are across the board dreadful, including Richard Fire portraying one of the most obnoxious characters in the history of film. As Siskel & Ebert pointed out in their review, the name CAROL ANNE is spoken, whispered, screamed and shouted so often it becomes a running joke - and the makings of a great drinking game. O'Rourke gives it her all, God bless her, but everyone else seems so bored they're not even trying. And O'Rourke's death in real life at the age of 12 certainly leaves a pallor over the proceedings. And this has to be in contention for the un-scariest horror film ever made. It is fun to see Skerritt and Zelda Rubinstein together here a few years before they would appear together in TV's PICKET FENCES, but nostalgia factor aside, this gets a big fat UGH!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

Full Review

matthias s

Poltergeist III is a supernatural horror film that takes place in a skyscraper in Chicago. The movie is better than its predecessor, but still falls short of the original film The acting is decent and the special effects are well executed, but the story lacks the same level of tension and scares that the first film was able to provide. The scares in the film are decent, but the character choices are often weird and unnatural, taking away from the suspense and believability of the situation. Despite these shortcomings, fans of the franchise will still find enough enjoyable elements to make it worth watching. Poltergeist III is a decent entry in the series, but it's not as memorable as the first film.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/09/23

Full Review

Kazall R

This movie is the definition of them making a sequel just because they would do & not because they have too: The plot is non-existing, the characters are annoying, the heart-warming moments are bitter-sweating & the writing is weak.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

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Steve D

Disrespectful to fans and poorly written.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/04/23

Full Review

James L

They did what they could with only a few returning cast, overall the film has some very impressive practical effects which stand out very well in the film. However, Poltergeist III is plagued with a weak plot, a lack of urgency, and no effective scares. It passes the time and has no reason to exist besides generating the same success as the previous films.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/21/23

Full Review

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Gary Sherman

Director

Tom Skerritt

Bruce Gardner

Nancy Allen

Patricia Wilson-Gardner

Heather O'Rourke

Carol Anne Freeling

Zelda Rubinstein

Tangina Barrons

Lara Flynn Boyle

Donna Gardner

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The picture devolves into a standard light and magic show.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 21, 2023

Full Review

Terry Mesnard

Scarred for Life

"From a practical effects [perspective] ... there's a lot of really cool camera trickery...and then you have the movie. I was just left with so many questions."

Rated: 2/5

Jan 27, 2021

Full Review

Ángel Fernández-Santos

El Pais (Spain)

There's nothing here aside from a pure and simple cinematic emptiness. [Full Review in Spanish]

Mar 25, 2020

Full Review

David Keyes

Cinemaphile.org

Among the well-known of legendary bad movies, Poltergeist III is a sequel with more scope and perspective than most.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 4, 2015

Full Review

Eric Henderson

House Next Door

At its worst, well, it's just another soulless, hacky-tacky horror sequel.

Jun 7, 2013

Full Review

Brian Costello

Common Sense Media

Cheesy sequel has some suspense, supernatural violence.

Rated: 1/5

Oct 25, 2012

Full Review

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Synopsis

Psychically attuned youngster Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) is sent to live in Chicago with her Uncle Bruce (Tom Skerritt) and Aunt Pat (Nancy Allen). But that doesn't mean that she's escaped the apparitions that have haunted her in the past. When she starts experiencing terrifying visions, her school psychologist believes that they're figments of her imagination. But this becomes hard to believe when ghostly foes start inhabiting the mirrors in her relatives' high-rise apartment.

Director: Gary Sherman
Screenwriter: Gary Sherman, Brian Taggert
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.1M
Sound Mix: Surround

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