Jun 8, 2017 poltergeist is one of the most beloved horror movies in american history. We speak with cursed films documentarian jay cheel about getting to the truth behind the grim poltergeist curse legend. Poltergeist was released in june 1982, and in november. The reality behind the fiction is equally as terrifying. While its not the first movie in history to be followed by such rumors, the. Reallife horror behind poltergeist movie and the curse that haunts. The shocking history of the poltergeist curse the th floor. An indepth look at steven spielbergs blockbuster movie poltergeist. Ghost movies horror movies poltergeist 1982 heather orourke 1980s films movie releases iron maiden coincidences vintage movies the poltergeist curse. The poltergeist film series is cursed and has seen several strange deaths occur among its cast members. The tale of a young girl possessed by an ancient demon was graphic, profane, and to some religious groups, even blasphemous. The original poltergeist was first released in 1982 and quickly became a classic horror movie about a family plagued by spiteful ghosts. A familys home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.
A huge box office success, the movie spawned two sequels that were a case of diminishing returns critically and commercially. Will sampson, who played the mystical indian in the movie, was a reallife shaman. The idea that the casts of the several movies in the series were in some way cursed is a superstition based on the fact that four of the cast members from the movies died in a relatively short span of the films release, two of them dying at a young age 12. Each recounts an episode in the lives of the freelings, a fictitious family who have the bad luck to take up residence in. When the exorcist premiered in 1973, horrormovie audiences had never seen anything quite like it. If youre a horror fan whos spent a lot of time researching the making. Poltergeist dealt with the desecration of the spirits resting place, so once the whispers about real skeletons were used for filming began circulating, a poltergeist curse was born.
While no horrific accidents occurred on the set of the new film that we know of, anyway, there are plenty of rumors of a curse on the original film trilogys cast. A reboot of the classic 1982 horror film poltergeist came out in 2015, but lets be honest. Poltergeist movie curse the untold story steven spielbergs 1982 movie terrified a entire generation, but very few know about the real story behind the movie or the curse that has followed the actors and crew who made this horror classic. With nancy allen, phil crowley, dominique dunne, miguel ferrer. Thats because many fans of the film believe these scary movies, in reality, are cursed. Thanks to the movies incredible success, dunne had gone from small television parts to a huge film career overnight, but behind the scenes, her. If you believe the internet rumours, you would think so.
Were aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. Poltergeist is a 1982 american supernatural horror film directed by tobe hooper and written by producer steven spielberg, michael grais and mark victor from a screen story by spielberg. The reality behind the fiction is equally as terrifying with. Poltergeist 1982, poltergeist ii 1986, and poltergeist iii 1988. Poltergeist is a popular 1982 horror movie directed by tobe hooper and produced by steven spielberg. Its the story of steven and diane freeling, a california couple with three children. To be sure, there is indeed tragedy connected to the film. A reboot of the classic 1982 horror film poltergeist came out in 2015, but. Poltergeist was one of the most storied productions in hollywood history.
What no one saw coming was a legacy of tragedy and strange. And honestly, there are plenty of reallife scares to justify the films status as a little more than fictional horror. On november 4th 1982, 6 months after the filming of poltergeist, dominique dunn was strangled to death by her estranged boyfriend, john sweeney, at her hollywood apartment. In the poltergeist movie, the family begins to experience some pretty bizarre events. It seems that the three films are linked to numerous deaths but is there a curse or is it all a crock. Now, the mystery behind the curse will hopefully be solved in what promises to be a very spooky new documentary titled the curse of poltergeist. Only six years old when the first poltergeist film was released, orourke captivated audiences with. Poltergeist curse true story popsugar entertainment uk.
The poltergeist poltergiest movie curse was there a. Poltergeist curse true story popsugar celebrity australia. Heather orourke aka carol anne, who said the famous. If youve never seen the movie its about an ordinary family who are tormented by an evil spirit which later takes the youngest. The truth behind the poltergeist curse real dead bodies. Cursed movies the exorcist creepy tales from cursed. Many of its stars and cast members have met with unfortunate accidents after filming, and some have even died. Set in a california suburb, the plot focuses on a family. Poltergeist was released in june 1982, and in november of that year, 22yearold dominique dunne, who played dana the familys older daughter, was murdered. Steven spielberg gives a tour of universal studios behind the scenes of movie magic duration. Nelson, heather orourke, and beatrice straight and is produced by spielberg alongside frank marshall. April 9 will see the premiere of episodes revolving around poltergeist and the omen, while episodes devoted to the crow and twilight zone. Reallife horror behind poltergeist movie and the curse that haunts the film to this day. Carol anne freeling, the young focal point of the series, was played by heather orourke.
Continue reading the truth behind the poltergeist curse real dead bodies were used during filming tagged conspiracy theories, curses, dominique dunne, ghosts, heather orourke, jobeth williams, julian beck, movie conspiracies, movies, poltergeist, poltergeist curse, steven spielberg, will sampson 6 comments. Reallife horror behind poltergeist movie and the curse. The poltergeist curse is a rumored curse attached to the. Why the set of poltergeist was truly cursed youtube. The deaths of two of the young actresses who played sisters in poltergeist is the event people point to when claiming evidence of a curse. Heres the real story behind the movie myth a reboot of the classic 1982 horror film poltergeist came out in 2015, but lets be honest. Apart from the action on screen, the movie is disturbing because of the calamities that occurred during. In 1992, actor richard lawson, who played ryan in poltergeist, survived a plane crash out of laguardia that killed 27 of the 51 on board. The american horror movie series known as poltergeist was filmed during the 80s, and many people dont realize the dark and tragic behindthescenes events that took place.
The set of poltergeist is inarguably one of the most notoriously bizarre hollywood film productions of all time, widely considered to have been cursed primarily because of what happened to so many of its stars after the movie hit theaters. Some of the rumours have you believe that each of the child actors died after the films release. Reallife horror behind poltergeist movie and the curse that haunts the film to this day by grace macaskill the reality behind the fiction is equally as terrifying with. Steven is a real estate developer and diane stays at home with the kids. The disturbing story behind the filming of poltergeist. All three films in the franchise are marked by premature death.
Poltergeist movie curse true story popsugar entertainment. The untimely passing of poltergeists iconic young star is perhaps the most convincing case for a curse. Heather orourke in poltergeist 1982 poltergeist 1982. The movie revolves around a suburban family who move into a new home and. Was there a curse on the poltergeist films of the 80s. Of all the films in this list, poltergeist makes the freakiest case for cursed movie sets. Just after the movie was released in 1982 the actress who played the older sister dana, dominique dunne, was murdered by her abusive exboyfriend, john sweeney. He was apparently upset enough about the curse that he delayed production for hours to perform a muskogee indian blessing to clear the set of evil. The curse of poltergeist hopes to unravel the truth. Cursed movies poltergeist creepy tales from cursed.
Most notorious of all however was the socalled poltergeist curse that was attributed with the unfortunate and untimely demise of many of the people who had worked on the film. Heather orourke aka carol anne, who said the famous line, theyre heeere was incredibly young when she died of cardiac arrest and septic shock caused by a misdiagnosed intestinal issue. The exorcist is the first of five horror classics that will be the subject of halfhour cursed films episodes in the coming week. It will be a journey into the unknown as i attempt to understand the meaning behind the tragedies surrounding the movie, said robins, of the the curse of poltergeist. We take a look at the poltergeist curse and reveal all of the suspect deaths. Reportedly, the crew behind the poltergeist sequel used real human remains in their movie too.
Poltergeist is one of the most beloved horror movies in american history. The film focuses on the freelings, a middleclass family led by a youthful, dashing. The poltergeist curse is a rumor that a supposed curse iswas attached to the poltergeist motion picture series and its stars. The curse of poltergeist will track the death of cast members through the eyes of oliver robins, who played the young boy. In fact, its often called the most cursed film set of all time because of what happened to so many of its stars after the. While its not the first movie in history to be followed by such rumors, the poltergeist curse carries more weight because of its.