A lot of people hate on Poltergeist III and to be honest, this is not as good as Poltergeist or Poltergeist II: The Other Side, however, I would not say that this movie is horrible. I feel that they had some pretty interesting ideas, but while some of the ideas worked, this feels like they went for more of a straight-up jump scare horror movie than the creepy vibes and uneasy tension the other two movies had.
How to Download Poltergeist III
Poltergeist III was released on June 10, 1988. If you’re eager for a Poltergeist III download or steam, various digital platforms offer the movie for rental or purchase. Simply choose your preferred option and enjoy revisiting this haunting conclusion to the series. For those who appreciate creepy mirror scenes and a different take on the classic supernatural story, this movie is a must-watch.
The Movie Review
The Legacy of Heather O’Rourke
This would be the last movie that young Heather O’Rourke would be in as she tragically lost her battle with Chrones Disease and passed away before the movie was released. It is an absolute tragedy that someone so young went through what she did, but her portrayal of Carol Anne is truly iconic and something that all horror movie fans are familiar with.
The Plot of Poltergeist III
After the events of the last movie, Carol Anne’s parents decide to send her to Chicago to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin to try and get her away from all the ghostly dangers that she has experienced. Carol Anne thinks that she is going to live there to attend a special kind of school, but things soon take a quick turn.
Dr. Seaton: The Villain You’ll Love to Hate
Her aunt and especially her uncle are skeptical of what happened to Carol Anne. However, it is a therapist who really makes things bad as their constant pushing makes it so that Kane can feel Carol Anne and once again, he wants to get his ghostly hands on her. While Kane is the villain of the Poltergeist series, I hate and I mean hate Dr. Seaton who is the person “helping” Carol Anne! Even when some ghostly stuff happens, he still thinks that she is faking it, he is the true villain of this movie and I dislike him more each time I watch this.
Mirrors and Ghostly Dimensions
Kane and his ghostly horde try and get to Carol Anne and her aunt, uncle, and cousin via the mirrors in the apartment building. I thought that the use of mirrors and how they tie to the ghost world/dimension was really cool. We also get “ghost versions” of some other characters in the movie, the scene where Carol Anne’s cousin, Donna bursts through someone in particular is a highlight of the movie.
The Return of Tangina
Young Heather O’Rourke would not be the only Poltergeist alumni to return for this third movie, Zelda Rubenstein’s Tangina also returns and tries to once again help Carol Anne survive the threat of Kane. I like Tangina, but her voice did start to grate on me a bit by the end of this movie. There is a funny meme/bit/discussion about Poltergeist III where people say that at least ¼ of the movie is just the characters yelling each other’s names and honestly, that is not technically wrong and it does get a bit annoying, especially once you are aware that it is happening.
The Iconic Poster of Poltergeist III
Before I bring this thing to a close there is one weird personal story I have with Poltergeist III and it is not to do with the movie, but the movie poster. I do not know why, but the image of the tall Chicago apartment building with lighting blasting over the top of it and little Carol Anne looking up at it creeped the heck out of me the first time I saw it in my local video store as a kid and to this day, it is a movie poster that I really do love. Although, this is my OCD talking here, I really hate how they gave the second movie a subtitle, but they did not for this one!
Final Thoughts on Poltergeist III
Without a doubt, Poltergeist III is nowhere near as good as the original Poltergeist or Poltergeist II: The Other Side, but I have certainly seen way worse horror movies than this one. I can watch this and have a fun time with it, but if I watch Poltergeist, I 9/10 will end up watching Poltergeist II shortly after whereas I never have that drive or desire to watch this third movie each time I have seen the second one.
