Poltergeist III (1988) User Reviews

At least it has the location and the effects going for it.

[dormdrippingblood · 4/10 · 2 July 2011]

If you want to see how many times someone can yell "Carol Anne!" in 90 minutes, I guess you'd be into this. I think they set a world record for how many times the main character's name is mentioned throughout the movie.

The plot is standard sequel stuff: Carol Anne, the little girl plagued by paranormal phenomena in the first two movies, now stays with her bitchy aunt and her husband and daughter in a huge Chicago high rise building. Unfortunately for everyone, some prick counselor at her new school has been putting her under hypnosis to deal with the events of her past (he believes she has the power to produce mass hallucinations and is a manipulative liar despite witnessing paranormal activity in her presence--smart man). This therapy apparently opens her up and leaves her vulnerable to Kane, the preacher that wants her to lead them to the other side. Kane shows up in mirrors and other reflective surfaces (like puddles) and uses them to attack.

I've never seen so many mirrors in one movie. Even Carol Anne's bedroom walls are just big mirrors (I guess she hasn't hit that self-conscious stage yet). The hallways are mirrored. The elevators--mirrored. The poor girl has to go to the parking garage just to get away from all of the damn mirrors and it still doesn't end well for her.

There is some mildly entertaining subplot involving Lara Flynn Boyle's character, Donna, and her love interest with really bad '80s hair sneaking their friends into the building's pool after-hours. If you enjoy watching bad '80s fashion, you'll love these guys.

Once Kane starts to attack, Tangina, the short lady with the grating voice, comes back to help Carol Anne and her new family.

The movie manages to be pretty creepy by utilizing its inspired location--the building is often genuinely menacing. The mirror effects make up for some pretty corny dialogue and the characters' tendency to yell "Carol Anne!" every other minute.

Could have been much better if the script was worked on, but as-is, it's just a formulaic sequel with some average acting. Entertaining enough for a watch if you're not expecting anything close to the original.

Guess who's back in town?

[nick-ccr · 5/10 · 12 April 2009]

Okay, now its Poltergeist III. The only two returning actresses are Heather O'Rourke and Zelda Rubenstein. Its about Carol Anne who moved to her aunt (played by Nancy Allen) and uncle's (played by Tom Skerrit) high rise apartment building. Her aunt and uncle's daughter (played by Lara Flynn Boyle) lives there too. Carol Anne finds out that Reverend Kane (from the 2nd movie) has returned to make her lead him into the light, and the more she doesn't, the more friends of hers will get killed.

The acting is terrible mostly but Heather O'Rourke does an excellent job in her last performance and Lara Flynn Boyle also does very good. Tom Skerrit didn't do too good in this one and neither did Nancy Allen. Reverend Kane doesn't even look like himself. The special effects were very good and the use of mirrors was also really cool. The part where the kids were sneaking around was the most intense part of the movie because the movie is not intense. Richard Fire was atrocious as Dr. Seaton and him denying everything just goes way too far. The movie is entertaining and fun. The ending was somewhat abrupt because Heather O'Rourke was dead before filming finished. An average sequel and an okay way to end the story.

Overall: 5/10

Actually Had Some (Ultimately Wasted) Potential

[cultfilmfreaksdotcom · 5/10 · 3 December 2018]

There are actually some good things about the maligned POLTERGEIST III including a capable director; a cool, ominous soundtrack; and a decent rudimentary story-line that makes the build-up... of the iconic little blonde girl Carol Anne now living in a glass-structured Chicago high-rise with her aunt and uncle... work for and against itself since, as the movie progresses into manic delirium, it's more of a letdown than a horrible experience from start to finish...

By the technically-important forty-five minute mark (the same time it takes KING KONG to reveal himself), a lot has happened, and it's somewhat interesting. Aunt and Uncle, who also work for the building they reside in, are at a downstairs party full of spooky-looking art pieces; the cute teenage daughter sneaked herself and her friends into the building's off-grounds swimming pool for a beer party; the late Heather O'Rourke's Carol Anne just started to get really scared of the impending ghosts... And that last example - important and inevitable as it is - is also the problem...

Imagine having difficult yet challenging obstacles to cross and climb to get across half a field to then merely/simply run like hell to the other side. POLTERGEIST III goes from intriguing and suspenseful to a redundant and annoying chase scene between the family and the ghosts, led by an ancient, white-haired Reverend Kane...

Which is even more blasphemous to the flawed yet entertaining POLTERGEIST II, by having another actor deliberately made-up to resemble the late great Julian Beck, than the new guy's voice shouting "We're Back!" to counter Carol Anne's legendary "We're Here" from the classic and timeless original. But there's another pro to this 80% con of a sequel's sequel: Heather O'Rourke, who died not long after production wrapped (that shows with overly puffy facial features) turns in a pretty great performance, having to mentally react to what she remembers as opposed to what's actually happening: the latter being more exciting to the viewer and easier for the actor: especially a really young child actor, who's often deliberately manipulated for a more effective performance...

This occurs at a school for "really smart" children, another initial location with wasted potential that includes a shrink-in-denial played by Richard Kind, wielding a novice style of contrived, atrocious delivery that makes bad horror movies so fun to bag on...

Whether that aspect was intentional or not, Kind's phony-kind Dr. Seaton is the real villain here, and even he's lost in the frenzied shuffle (along with a glorified cameo by the Columbo of ghost whisperers, Zelda Rubinstein's Tangina) where the otherwise talented VICE SQUAD and DEAD & BURIED director Gary Sherman is overcome within an ominous, neat-looking corner of purgatory that, with so much going on, he and the cast couldn't possibly paint their way out of.

Lacks qualities of first two, but some scenes okay

[jeffplus3 · 17 November 2000]

"Poltergeist III" has to be one of the strangest movies I have ever seen. It is very confusing, but it is one of those films that you need to know the ending. Okay, I'll just go over the things good and bad and ugly with the movie. First, the good aspects of the film: None. No, actually I can think of a couple. Some of the F/X were well-thought out and some of the mirror scenes were creative. Also, the acting of 12-year old Heather O'Rourke failed to disappoint as she seemed to become better as she got older. It is a shame to both Hollywood and her family & friends that she died. Now, the bad: Let's just do a list, shall we? The acting of the adults was bad, the plot was confusing, the ending seemed like it was just cut short, and it's hard to think of more other than the acting of Lara Flynn Boyle was absolutely pitiful I might add. I wonder why she isn't a big star...and the ugly- one word (or two): Marcie (ewwww.).

My rating: 4.8 out of 10. (But don't let that spoil the other two films- "Poltergeist" is amazing, and the sequel is at least respectable and well-acted.)

RIP Heather O'Rourke...

[lojitsu · 5/10 · 29 March 2018]

A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."Poltergeist 3" (PG-13 - 1988 - US)

Sub-Genre: Paranormal/Sequel My Score: 5.1

Cast=6 Acting=5 Plot=4 Ending=6 Story=4 Scare=4 Jump=6 F/X=5 Creep=7 Sequel=4

Carol Anne is staying with her aunt in a high-rise building, where the supernatural forces haunting her make their return.

"Kane! Give her back her family. You don't need them. You don't need Carol Anne! I can lead you into the light. I have the KNOWLEDGE... and the POWER!" RIP Heather O'Rourke...she passed away before this film was finished and they had a double for the final scene. This movie had a black cloud over it and it bombed in the theater. If you have not seen this one, it's no big deal. It took me a long time to bring myself to watch this...there were a couple of good parts but it was a meh.

Horrible Ending to a good Film Series

[brianwolters · 2/10 · 4 January 2005]

Poltergeist III is a bad, bad movie but it has a sort of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" charm to it.

This time, Carol Anne is living in Chicago with her Aunt and Uncle to attend a "gifted" school and the "ghosts" find her. That is the basic plot and given the fact that Kane and his followers went into the light at the end of the 2nd film, having Kane as the "main ghost" made this film fail.

The movie is filled with bad acting and dialogue. Tom Skerritt is just way over the top in his early scenes and gives the worst performance of his career. Nancy Allen doesn't help much and Laura Flynn Boyle was lucky she survived this mess. Then there is the dialogue, which many quotes have become part of my daily life in just the sheer silliness of it all. From "Give Me The Necklace" to "I've got the knowledge and the power" to the bloated face Tangina saying "Outside-In", the movie makes you laugh unintentionally many times. Oh, then there is "The Puddle!","Funny, funnier","We wont harm you..we love you." While over the top, Zelda Rubinstein is the ONLY saving grace in this film. Her presence brings some of the creepiness that this movie needed. Yes, her final scene is pretty bad but here scenes in the middle of the movie are pretty good.

Poltergeist III fails on all fronts but mainly due to the fact that it needed a fresh, new idea for haunting Carol Anne one more time.

Sadly disappointing finale

[gcd70 · 2/10 · 13 December 2007]

Heather O'Rourke is one of the only original cast members who returns for this "Final Chapter" in the "Poltergeist" series.

Director Gary Sherman, a special effects wiz, presents us with some impressive visual trickery (all apparently produced on the set), but offers nothing else in the way of entertainment. His film is very rarely scary, rather mostly just plain silly, as Carol-Anne once again faces the evil preacher Cain (an unimpressive Nathan Davis) who this time has taken over an entire sky-scraper.

The cast do nothing for proceedings, and even Zelda Rubinstein (who also returns as Tangina) looks as though she wished she wasn't there. Jerry Goldsmith's music is also missing, but perhaps that too would have made little difference to the final outcome. Not much of a finale to this frightening, spooky story.

NB Heather O'Rourke sadly passed away after production was completed, at the premature age of 12. A dedication can be found in the closing credits.

Saturday, January 1, 1994 - Video

Break the mirror!

[tex-42 · 2/10 · 13 October 2007]

At times, watching Poltergeist 3 is like watching a bunch of different movies at once. You have John Hughes style teen angst with Lara Flynn Boyle, you have yuppie love problems with Tom Skerrit and Nancy Allen and finally you have the horror film with Heather O'Rourke.

There is definitely an interesting concept hiding in this film. Carol Anne has been sent by her parents to live with her aunt and uncle in a Chicago high rise so she can attend a special school to deal with her emotional problems. At school, Carol Anne has been forced to talk about her experiences during the first two films, and this has brought back the Reverend Kane, the ghostly villain of Poltergeist 2. In a neat touch, Kane tries to get at Carol Anne through mirrors by taking possession of various peoples' reflections, and draining the heat out of the apartment building. Tangina arrives to try to intercede, but another ghostly battle begins to get Carol Anne back.

It is clear that this movie was lower budget than the first two, and as such, the effects, while very creative, are not as good. The script also suffers, dragging for a good portion of the movie, and not really developing the characters. Also, the words "Carol Anne" are said ad nauseum to the point where you almost wish the ghosts would just take Carol Anne and go.

This is the weakest of the three Poltergeist movies. The movie isn't terrible, but it certainly is not good either.

Pointless following and again Carol Anne pursued by evil beings

[ma-cortes · 4/10 · 21 July 2008]

This third installment deals about Carol(Heather O'Rourke)goes with her uncle(Tom Skerritt), aunt(Nancy Allen) and their teenaged daughter(Lara Flynn Boyle)to stay into a highrise building. Then , appear the otherworld creatures who had haunted her previously and she's still pursued by weird beings. Again the strange reverend Kane( Nathan Davies substituting to Julian Beck). The family find its building and the swimming pool invaded by unfriendly spirits which abduct the 6-years-old girl. Carol Anne with the help her aunts and along with psychic Tangina Burrons(Zelda Rubinstein) confront against the supernatural forces.

Another undisguised follow-up from excellent original(produced by Spielberg), occasionally plodding and pointless sequel; furthermore, rapidly and lousy made. This sensationalistic scary ghosts story packs eerie scenes, tension, thrills, chills and amazing images. The interpretation is uninspired and is badly pulled off in gaps and flaws that cause no coherence and lack common sense. Average musical score , I miss the magnificent soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith proceeded in Poltergeist I(Tobe Hooper) and II: the other side(Brian Gibson). O'Rourke spontaneously deceased months before the movie's release and the film is dedicated Heather. The picture is rated 'Parent guide' for spooky events, creepy intensity and frightening happenings.The whole project collapses under regular direction by Gary Sherman. Here, he's screenwriter, special visual effects designer and mediocre director. In spite of it, he achieved some success in the terror cinema(Dead and buried). This inferior sequel is exclusively for Poltergeist trilogy buffs.

An OK end to the Poltergeist trilogy.

[OllieSuave-007 · 6/10 · 28 May 2014]

This is an OK second sequel to Poltergeist, where Carol Anne has been sent to live with her Aunt Patricia and Uncle Bruce to hide from Reverend Kane. However, his ghost was able to follow her to her relatives' apartment in the tall Chicago skyscraper and begins another spree of terror.

The Poltergeist trilogy has lost some steam by the time this third outing was made, as I thought it lacks the thrills and suspense as the first two movies. The character development, I thought, weren't as strong as well, as it appears the lead actors, Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen, didn't give a very heartfelt performance in their roles and didn't appear to have a strong relationship with Carol Anne.

There are still some creepy scenes and the special effects were decent. Again, like the first two movies, this sequel doesn't rely on gore and violence to make it entertaining, but rather relies on the ghost's presence and the powers they are able to unleash.

The screenplay and story by Steve Feke, Gary Sherman and Brian Taggert were OK-written, a plot that is easy to follow, but not an extremely riveting story overall. The direction by Gary Sherman was OK and the acting was pretty great for the most part, most notably the performances of Heather O'Rourke as Carol Anne and Zelda Rubinstein as Tangina.

Overall, it's not great, it's not bad, but is a somewhat average movie to close out the Poltergeist trilogy.

Grade C+

A great setting and Heather O'Rourke are the best features.

[insomniac_rod · 5/10 · 19 June 2006]

Same situations, different characters. "Poltergeist III" follows the events mainly from part 1 but this time the setting is a modern, all crystal huge building where once again Heather O'Rourke is tormented by ghosts. That's all you need to know. Oh, and Zelda returns once again.

Some scenes are suspenseful because of the setting and camera angles. But I have to be honest; "Poltergeist III" is all about false scares (cheap!), and putrid acting. The f/x are disappointing. The director deserves some recognition because he created a visually stunning Horror/Sci-Fi flick. But that is not enough in order to create a good ghost movie. The movie is rather filled with cursing! and the name Carl Anne.

The f/x are not even decent as I stated, not even half as good as in the original or even in part II. This was a sad excuse for earning money. The franchise was okay with two movies but ambitious producers came up with a sequel that only a few remember.

I wouldn't recommend it but Heather O'Rourke worths the watch (although she's a bit annoying) Come on, the last scene where she gives her life for her new family is rather cheesy. Oh, by the way, a midget dressed as possessed Caroline has to be the scariest feature in the movie.

That's it. Don't waste your money on this one, wait until it airs on cable. This time the series went too far...and went to hell!

A mediocre sequel with ridiculous false scares.

Heather O'Rourke is the greatest (her best acting, IMO)

[J_Malice · 10/10 · 31 July 2005]

Going in a different direction from the previous two movies in the series, this one took a few chances. The high-rise, mirrors, a new Kane(sad what happened to Julian Beck), etc. I loved this movie for those reasons. Not saying I didn't enjoy the other two because those were excellent, but it seemed like there wasn't anything in there to make them considered a horror movie except for the presence of ghosts with a little bit of suspense. "Poltergeist III" contained murder, suspense, tricky camera angles and most of all, the best acting I have ever seen from Heather O'Rourke. She was so adorable in her red pajamas and I truly believe she carried the movie with up to par performances by Skeritt, Allen, Rubenstein, Fire, Flynn Boyle and Wentz. Her presence on screen while watching this movie is so magnificent and very believable. When I was little, she was my first crush and I loved her, I only found out on 6-4-2005 that she passed away and it crushed me. I say this is the best of the series and I know I am the minority, but hey, to each his own. I realize the first movie is pretty much legendary for her famous line "They're Here", but I feel the acting here is better. The way they made the concept of the mirrors work is amazing and I thought it was a great attempt a something new. I gave this movie a 9/10 because of how much I enjoyed Heather O'Rourke's performance. Check it out.

Underrated, but still not a perfect film

[mattwillandis · 7/10 · 19 June 2020]

Now before I say this film is amazing, I'm gonna say it's not. Heck it's not even great, it's only good. It's still the weakest of the poltergeist films and probably should never have been made in the first place. BUT WITH THAT SAID, this is probably as good as this movie could have possibly been. The writers knew the limitations and adjusted quite cleverly as such. Now this film was doomed to be hated from the start, with the missing parents of carol Anne, and different tone of the film compared to its predecessors. But once again, I honestly think this is about as good as this film could have possibly gotten, and I'm still impressed with it. The twist with Tom skerrits daughter and boyfriend character alone was incredible. Overall, I think the whole poltergeist trilogy is highly underrated, as all of them have there own merits. I know this review is all over the place, but what I'm saying is, if you thought that poltergeist 2 was good, give 3 a chance too, it's better than you might think.

Bad on all counts.

[AthenianRun · 1/10 · 28 May 2003]

What made the first Poltergeist so appealing was how likeable the characters were. For the 3rd installment in the Poltergeist series only Heather O'rourke (Carol Anne) and Zelda Rubinstein (Tangina) are hold overs from the original cast. If O'rourke and Rubinstein were smart they would have skipped particiapating in this bomb of a movie also.

Though the special effects were somewhat interesting this movie suffers from a bad script and bad acting highlighted by the actor who plays Dr. Seaton, who may have given the worst acting performance ever. There are far too many characters in this movie who are uninteresting and that you have a hard time caring about.

There is a certain sadness in watching this film knowing that Heather O'rourke died a few months before it's release. A double for Heather is used to shoot the final scenes of the movie which creates an odd and choppy ending.

This movie is a sad final chapter in the Potergeist series. The people behind the 2nd and 3rd installments were never able to recapture the magic from the original Poltergeist. It's even sadder that the cute and innocent little girl passed away at such a young age.

Third times the charm

[aaronzombie · 19 April 2000]

The first POLTERGEIST is still the best haunted house film in history(In my opinion.), but this 2nd and final(?)sequel comes in at a close 2nd. Carol Anne stays with some relatives(Tom Skeritt, Nancy Allen, and Lara Flynn Boyle.)in a Chicago highrise to go to a special school for gifted children. Suddenly the evil Reverend Kane and his army of ghosts from the first two films show up to make life Hell for the residents of the highrise. Exciting, suspenseful, great story, acting, and music score. ***** out of *****. R.I.P. Heather O'rourke.

Cannot count how many time they called " Carol Ann"

[ahmed-rasoul2 · 2/10 · 22 August 2019]

Poltergeist III is all about screaming "Carol Ann".

So-So End to the Trilogy

[ilovesleepers345 · 5/10 · 29 March 2008]

I'm a huge Poltergeist fan and I must say,I was hugely disappointed when I found out that only 2 of the main characters of the series were coming back to do this second sequel.I think this movie had the potential to be better than it was.It had an interesting plot of Carol Anne being sent to live with her aunt and uncle in Chicago,so that she could go to this school for gifted kids with mental problems,though I would suspect that Diane and Steven wanted to get Carol Anne away so they could have some semblance of a normal life,at least for awhile,the writers putting this in mostly so that they could have this in an urban setting,in a skyscraper.The most ridiculous aspect of this movie is how Dr. Seaton and Aunt Pat (Nancy Allen),must be the two dumbest characters,they still cling to the notion that all that's happening is just Carol Anne brainwashing everyone into believing that the entire building is being haunted by ghosts,no matter how many times the ghosts make it plainly clear and obvious that this isn't all in their heads. Nathan Davis is no match in comparison to the original Reverend Kane (played by Jullien Beck).Tom Skerritt plays the compassionate uncle who treats Carol Anne (the late Heather O'Rourke),like his own daughter. Apparently,Aunt Pat is not happy to have Carol Anne around,and it might have to do with some sibling rivalry she and Diane (JoBeth Williams),had growing up,though this is never explored.I think the mirror-thing was pretty innovative as well.Admittedly,having Carol Anne playing with a 'Speak-N-Spell' was rather ridiculous,being that she's supposed to be almost a teenager herself now (and so was having her wear those red, one-piece,footed blanket sleeper pajamas (Don't most of these have zippers? I've never seen button-up footsie pajamas before),though I think the writers added that so as to play to the subplot of the ghosts zapping the building out of it's heat and energy,making it freezing inside the building.Until I saw this movie,I didn't even know they make footsie pajamas that big,for preteen kids),and some of the other subplots could've used some work,or had been explored more in this film, overall this movie wasn't too bad,but admittedly,the first two movies in the series were much better,and the ending to this movie made no sense (I think they were planning a much better ending,but Heather died before they could do this,so they had to do this lame-excuse for an ending.Worst of all,what happened to Scott? Did he go to 'the light' with Tangina,Kane,and the other ghosts? Without Heather O'Rourke (whose life and career were cut tragically short),this movie would've gotten only a couple of stars from me,but because of her 8,or 9-star (out of 10), performance,I give this second sequel 5 out of 10 stars,so watch this if you may,but if you want a top-notch horror movie,look elsewhere!

"Carol Anne?...Carol Anne?!...Carol Anne!!"

[moonspinner55 · 1/10 · 22 October 2006]

A dreadful excuse for a thriller, ending the once-popular "Poltergeist" franchise on a shamefaced note. A young child, continually dogged by evil spirits, brings her reign of bad luck to a Chicago high-rise after she goes to live with her aunt and uncle (apparently her real parents had had enough). There was nothing in the original "Poltergeist" that suggested Heather O'Rourke's character Carol Anne was the reason the spirits were taking over that house; she was just a pawn in their plans. This movie makes it seem as though Carol Anne was the spark-plug for all the ghostly goings-on. Actually she's the pawn in a new game: that of sleazy filmmakers hoping to squeeze more money out of the public with an obviously-inferior product. Effects, script and acting are all atrocious. NO STARS from ****

Awful!

[synergy273 · 2/10 · 27 April 2019]

This was tragic and not just because of Heather's passing. The story line was boring and ridiculous! Made no sense and dragged on! Not creepy at all just cheesy.

I Really Wanted to Like This One

[cairn6 · 4/10 · 24 June 2018]

I really wanted to like this film as I thoroughly enjoyed the original movie, and despite some shortcomings, liked part 2 as well. The premise and idea of the high rise location and use of mirrors was original and an example of thinking outside of the box. But in the end, at least for me, this film didn't work for several main reasons. First off....I felt bad watching the movie knowing that despite Heather O'rourke's excellent performance, she was suffering from serious health issues and ultimately would pass away before the film was completed. I feel the same way about the Three Stooges short "Half Wits Holiday" with Curly Howard deeply ill and ultimately not able to complete the short. Just difficult when you can remember her in past films, TV shows, and commercials in perfect health and not obviously sick. Second....the cast's acting was overblown, cliche, and almost spooflike, giving both O'rourke and Zelda Rubinstein no support whatsoever.(both actresses held over from the previous films still giving 100%)...the writing was truly terrible with cringe-worthy lines.... "Carol Ann!" X 150! I can compare this to an awful baseball team loaded with bad rookies but with one or two veteran all stars still hitting home runs yet the game is still lost. Third....bad attempts with effects to try to generate scares. This film had so much potential to be a great psychological thriller through its creative use of mirrors and setting. Even with a low budget it could have been pulled off, but this falls flat with use of such gems as melting wax faces, condensed air, and other cliche' 80's slasher tricks. Writing, scoring, proper acting, and timing could have done the trick nicely. Can you just imagine Heather O'rourke acting in a tense manner with nothing but dead silence and slow room sweeps before a jump scene takes place? Could have been great. Finally.....and to nobody's fault but fate itself...the loss of a beloved young performer. Like I said above, it was difficult to watch a hugely talented young lady perform her heart out despite the shortcomings of the film, and her own looming health crisis and knowing that even before the film hit the theaters she had died. In my opinion, the movie should have been scrapped just on that event alone.

The Effects Are Worth It

[briandwillis-83825 · 6/10 · 25 October 2020]

The script for Poltergeist III is strong on concept, but the dialogue consists of mostly characters running around high rise corridors screaming "Carol Ann" ad nauseam. Thankfully, the visuals are strong enough to keep you entertained throughout and all the actors give game performances in spite of lackluster material. All of the effects appear to be practical which is even more impressive.

CAROL ANNE!!!!

[Aaron1375 · 2/10 · 11 February 2004]

This is the worst of the trio of Poltergeist movies by far. In fact it is almost a joke it is so bad. By now everyone from the original movie is either dead or they have opted out of their contracts and decided against playing in this third installment. All except the one little woman and Heather O'Rourke. Though she would have probably been better off not returning as well because she died of complications from the flu or something during the shoot. If she could have just been able to rest she might have been able to pull through, but I am guessing the movie shoot was just a bit to demanding. As it is she had to appear in one of the most utterly ridiculous and annoying horror movies ever. To her credit though she is the least annoying character in the movie as she is one of the few who doesn't yell out "CAROL ANNE" one hundred times. This movie has Carol Anne shipped to her aunt and uncle, apparently after all they had been through and done for the girl they Carol Anne's parents (played by Craig T. Nelson and Joe Beth Williams) just could not put up with her anymore. This contradicts the message of part 2 of the family using their love to fight off the evil. Well not all goes well for Carol Anne in her new settings as the evil old guy from part 2 is back to try and get her (played by a different person this time because the other guy died, and looking quite stupid I might add). They live in a skyscraper so it is kind of like "Gremlins 2" except not as entertaining. This one is slow moving and rather boring as there just are not the cool special effects from the previous two installments. Instead of ghosts we get killer cars and people who are different in mirrors that kill people by pushing them down. And after this one finally drags itself to the finish you will be left wondering what happened to the poor guy who is seemingly left on the other side.

Positive thoughts :-)

[Resa71 · 10/10 · 24 August 2003]

I honestly DO NOT know why this film was criticized for being so bad.....while it's not as good as the 1st "Poltergeist" movie, it's DEFINITELY NOT a bad movie! The film boasts a good cast (Heather O'Rourke, Lara Flynn Boyle, Nancy Allen, Tom Skerritt), GREAT special effects, and has some scary moments to boot. It's certainly better than some of the 80's "slasher" movies, where too many sequels ruined the originals, and I honestly think that it rates up there as being a very underrated horror movie of its time. :-)

It's not easy to compete with the original

[pieter_prins · 6/10 · 31 May 2020]

How.cam you be original after Poltergeist I and II? The tried to add some new elements , but didn't succeed to come near the original. Nevertheless not that bad, defenitedly worth watching.

Where are your parents, little girl?

[SnoopyStyle · 3/10 · 23 April 2016]

Carol Anne has been sent to live with her Aunt Patricia Wilson-Gardner (Nancy Allen), her husband Bruce Gardner (Tom Skerritt), and stepdaughter Donna Gardner (Lara Flynn Boyle) in the Chicago highrise which Bruce manages. Her relatives don't know the story of her ghostly encounters. Carol Anne is in group treatment under the care of disbelieving Dr. Seaton when Rev. Henry Kane reappears. Tangina Barrons is alerted to his presence.

First, it's her older sister. Now, it's her parents. They may as well make Carol Anne an orphan in the movie. It would make more sense. The whole movie is flat. It is not scary and none of it is interesting. I certainly don't want to make fun of "Carol Anne" out of respect for Heather O'Rourke. She remains a positive for the franchise till the bitter end.