The 1982 Steven Spielberg horror classic, Poltergeist, has been shrouded in mystery and tragedy, with four cast members dying post-filming and eerie tales surrounding its props.
The film, which tells the story of a suburban family in Los Angeles whose life is turned upside down by paranormal activities in their new home, is now considered a masterpiece of modern American horror.
However, the real-life aftermath of the film carries a dark legacy, including a series of tragic deaths, strange on-set occurrences, and rumours of a “curse”.
Dominique Dunne, who portrayed the teenage sister Dana in the original film, was tragically murdered just months after the film’s completion. She was strangled during a confrontation with an ex-boyfriend off-set, who was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served a reduced sentence.
This shocking loss cast a shadow over the film and left her colleagues and family devastated.
Heather O’Rourke, the young star known for her iconic line “They’re heeere!”, collapsed in 1988 due to a sudden medical emergency.
Despite being rushed to a children’s hospital, doctors were unable to save her, reports the Mirror.
Her death was later attributed to an intestinal abnormality complicated by infection and septic shock. The third instalment of Poltergeist was released four months after her untimely passing.
Two other members of the cast tragically passed away within a few years of the sequels. Julian Beck, a stage director who portrayed Reverend Kane in Poltergeist II, succumbed to stomach cancer in 1985.
Will Sampson, another actor from Poltergeist II, died in 1987 due to complications following a heart-lung transplant.
Adding to the eerie atmosphere were the props used in the film. Crew members alleged that some of the skeletons featured in the film’s chilling living-room-of-bones scene were genuine human remains, sourced from medical suppliers as they were less expensive and appeared more authentic on camera.
Numerous accounts, including contemporary crew interviews and later magazine articles, depict tense atmospheres on the set of the sequels. It is reported that Will Sampson performed an exorcism after filming concluded one evening.
Despite these unsettling tales, critics praised Poltergeist upon its release in the 1980s.
Renowned critic Roger Ebert described it as “an effective thriller,” commending how the filmmakers “see the movie’s strange events through the eyes of the family members, instead of just standing back and letting the special effects overwhelm the cast along with the audience”.
The Washington Post described the film as one that “arouse[s] childhood fears, teasing away adult defenses… making us hunker in our seats”. Initially, Spielberg had his sights set on horror maestro Stephen King to co-write the screenplay, but King was already committed to other projects.
The film received three Academy Award nominations and was ranked as the 20th scariest film ever made by the Chicago Film Critics Association.
