Poltergeist 2 follows the Freeling family after the occurrences of the first film. This time around they
are now living with a family member and trying to get everything back to normal. Little Carol Anne is finally being able to be a kid again. Unfortunately the peace they have found is soon going to turn into back into the nightmare they barely escaped before. After a visit from a creepy old man named Reverend Kane the families terror starts once again. Reverend Kane and his fellow minions will stop at nothing to get Carol Anne to join them on the other side! With the help of a native american they will take on Kane and save their daughter once again!
Of the 3 films in the series this is actually the one I have seen the least of. It's mainly due to seeing a long time ago and seeing it as an unnecessary sequel and just a rehash of the first film. I still see it as that in a way still but, it kind of fits in the Evil Dead 2 category. What I mean by that is that it has similar things that happen and not really needed to be made but in the end it is still a good film. Watching it again after awhile I can say that I do appreciate it more than before.
One of the things they did good with in this film is that they brought back the original cast which includes the always great to see Zelda Rubenstein. Most of the time when a sequel is made 4 years after the original film you usually get different actors in the roles or they find someway to get rid of a character. To me what helped this film stand on it's own a bit is the character Kane who was played by the actor Julian Beck ( who died before the films release), he did such an awesome job at bringing his character to life and making one of the creepiest horror characters around. He has this smile and look that just made me feel uneasy. His opposition in this film was equally great and that was the native american character Taylor played by Will Sampson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). At first I thought he'd be the stereotypical native american medicine man, but that was not the case fortunately.
The only thing this film was missing was the Stephen Spielberg feel that the original film had, now when it came to the gore and creatures it still had the look of the original. I especially liked the when they showed Kane as this creepy monster that just crawled across the floor. Overall the special effects were done very well and are practical. I guess the best way to put it is if you enjoyed the original film than I would say check this one out for some great scares from this well done sequel.
This release from Scream/Shout Factory is one that this film truly deserves. There is a new 2K transfer as well as a good amount of special features that take you behind the making of the film. I have previously owned the bare bones Blu-ray release and I can say that this release is well worth the upgrade.
-Daniel Lee
Director: Brian Gibson
Lead Actor/Actress: Craig T. Nelson, Jobeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Zelda Rubenstein, Will Sampson, Julian Beck
Genre: Horror
Blu-ray Release Year: 2016
Theatrical Release Year: 1986
Time Length: 90 mins.
Rating: R
Region Code: Region A
Release Company: Scream Factory
Website:
www.shoutfactory.com
Poltergeist 2 follows the Freeling family after the occurrences of the first film. This time around they are now living with a family member and trying to get everything back to normal. Little Carol Anne is finally being able to be a kid again. Unfortunately the peace they have found is soon going to turn into back into the nightmare they barely escaped before. After a visit from a creepy old man named Reverend Kane the families terror starts once again. Reverend Kane and his fellow minions will stop at nothing to get Carol Anne to join them on the other side! With the help of a native american they will take on Kane and save their daughter once again!
