poltergeist

poltergeist (pol´ter-gìst´) noun
A ghost that manifests itself by noises, rappings, and the creation of disorder.
[German : poltern, to make noises (from Middle High German boldern) + Geist, ghost (from Middle High German, from Old High German).]

apparently there have been quite a few tragedies related to this film.  The girl who played the older sister was strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend, Heather O'Rourke was noticeably diseased in _Poltergiest III_ and died shortly after, and the old man from the sequel died as well. - @Om*  2/16/2000

A few years after Morse's first cable was strung up, two sisters in upstate New York invented a necromantic information exchange. The Fox sisters started hearing creepy knocks and sounds in their house. This phenomenon is familiar to those of you who like to while away the hours reading Charles Fort. We usually call them poltergeists. But the Fox sisters did something unique and unprecedented---they decided to communicate back to the noisy spirits. They developed a code of knocks that enabled them to start digitally responding and communicating with the entity that haunted their abode.

Now, I am not making any claims about the reality of these spirits. In fact, the Fox sisters wavered throughout their lives about whether or not they were faking it. But that is not important, because what their little occult adventure did was spark Spiritualism, which was one of the most remarkable religious phenomena of the 19th century, especially in terms of its popularity and its ability to penetrate the upper echelons of society. Spiritualism is basically a modern religion of mediumship, whose main ritual was the seance. People would sit around a circular table in the dark and a medium would channel ghosts. The table might levitate and you might hear rappings or the medium might speak with the voices of the dead. Spiritualism was enormously popular. By the 1870's, there were 11 million spiritualists in the US, and it spread all over the world, especially among the upper classes and, most oddly, among certain scientists.

- Erik Davis - _Spiritual Telegraphs And The Technology Of Communication_ lecture

Poltergeist (1982)

Directed by
Tobe Hooper

Writing credits
Steven Spielberg  (story)
Steven Spielberg

Genre: Horror / Thriller

Tagline: They're here.

Cast overview, first billed only:
Craig T. Nelson  ....  Steve Freeling
JoBeth Williams  ....  Diane Freeling
Beatrice Straight  ....   Dr. Lesh
Dominique Dunne   ....    Dana Freeling
Oliver Robins  ....   Robbie Freeling
Heather O'Rourke  ....  Carol Anne Freeling
Michael McManus ....  Ben Tuthill
Virginia Kiser  ....   Mrs. Tuthill
Martin Casella  ....  Marty
Richard Lawson   ....    Ryan
Zelda Rubinstein  ....   Tangina
Lou Perry  ....   Pugsley
Clair E. Leucart  ....   Bulldozer Driver
James Karen   ....   Mr. Teague
Dirk Blocker  ....  Jeff Shaw

Runtime: USA:114 / Germany:109
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color (Metrocolor)
Sound Mix: Dolby
Certification: USA:PG / UK:15 / Germany:16 / Finland:K-16 / Sweden:15 / Norway:15 / France:-16

• electro acoustic track _Spirits Never Forgive_ MP3 (192k)(21:03)(29.6megs) by Jim O'Rourke off of _Tamper_ on Extreme (1995)

This article appeared in The Sun newspaper on Wednesday 3rd February 1988

The child star of the Poltergeist horror films died from a heart attack yesterday - at the age of 12

Little blonde Heather O'Rourke suddenly collapsed while waiting to go into hospital apparently suffering from a severe bout of flu.  Heather - who played angelic Carol Anne, kidnapped by evil spirits in the movies - died after being rushed to hospital near Los Angeles. Last night, friends said they believed Heather had become ill while filming Poltergeist III last June. Her shocked manager Mike Meyer said: "I've been told her death is related to a sickness she suffered while making Poltergeist III." And his girlfriend Shantay Grieggs said: "Heather had flu-like symptoms and that's what they thought it was."

"Her condition was complicated by something caught filming Poltergeist III - she had a parasite from drinking contaminated water."

Shantay added: "The whole thing is spooky - like something out of the films."  Heather, who was discovered by top director Steven Spielberg when she was just five, is the FOURTH Poltergeist star to die. The others were Dominique Dunne - strangled by her boyfriend - giant Will Sampson, who also played Chief in _One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest_, and Jullian Beck.

Hollywood is now buzzing with speculation that everyone connected with the blood-chilling films might be cursed.

The cast of Poltergeist II apparently feared they would be cursed because part of the film was shot in an ancient Indian burial ground. But MGM said last night that they plan to release Poltergeist III in June as planned.

Spielberg spotted Heather when she was eating in the MGM restaurant in 1981.  He asked to speak to her - but she told him: "I don't talk to strangers."  Spielberg persisted and within hours signed her up. Heather's mum Kathy said at her home near Los Angeles: "It's so unfair. I can't believe this is happening."  The little star's stepfather Jim Peele said: "She was a very special girl and loved very much."

A post-mortem examination today revealed that Heather's heart attack was triggered off by a bowl disorder.  Tiny Zelda Rubenstein, who played the psychic in all three Poltergeist movies, said: "I am devastated. I loved Heather."

In the other Poltergeist tragedies, DOMINIQUE DUNNE, 22, died after being attacked by her ex-boyfriend at Hollywood in 1982.  WILL SAMPSON died in June last year (1987), 41 days after a heart and lung transplant in Houston, Texas. He was 53. JULIAN BECK, who played Kane in _Poltergeist II_, died of cancer at the age of 60 in 1985.

• Movie on the TV in an early bedroom scene is _A Guy Named Joe_ (1943), a film about a pilot who returns to the world as a ghost.
• Diane Freeling's line "Mmmm... smell that mimosa" was taken straight from _The Uninvited_ (1944). In that movie the fragrance of a mimosa signaled the arrival of a spirit. (1:34:26)

• The house which gets sucked into a black hole at the end was actually a model about 4 feet across.  The model took several weeks to complete.  The scene was shot as follows: camera placed directly above model, which was mounted over an industrial strength vacuum generator (the front door was facing directly up, straight at the camera).  The model also had about 100 wires attached to various points of the structure.  These wires went down through the back of the house, and down through the vacuum collection sack.  The camera was turned on, and took 15 seconds to wind up to the required   300 frames per second.  When ready, the cameraman gave the cue.  The vacuum  was turned on, the wires were yanked suddenly, and several SFX guys blasted the house with pump-action shotguns.  The entire scene was over in about two seconds, and they had to wait until  the film was developed before they knew if they would have to do it again. When played back at 24 fps, would take approximately 12 seconds for the house  to collapse.  Luckily, they got it right on the first go.  Finished scene was sent to Steven Spielberg, who was on location shooting _E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_.  He gave it to a projectionist, who assumed it was just the "dailys" from ET. The scene came on, and the projectionist said "Holy shit!  What was that?" Spielberg had the remains of the model encased in perspex, and it is now sitting on his piano.  The model itself was worth well over $25,000.

• Electronic Voice Phenomena
• Anomalog: Polterchrist
• 604 track _Poltergiest_ MP3 (192k) by Droidsect
• 604 track _Porno Poltergeist_ MP3 (192k) by Necton off of _Children Of The Noisy Village_ on Plusquam (2002)
• 604 track _Dead Expressing_ MP3 (192k) by Phony Orphants off of _Symphony_ CD on Iboga #014 (2003)
• techno track _Poltergeister_ MP3 (mixed 5:09) by Thomas P. Heckmann (1999)
• chamber pop trip hop track _Spirits In Transit_ MP3 (160k) by 4hero off of _Two Pages_ 12"x4 on Talkin' Loud (1998)

• indie rock track _The Unseen Guest_ MP3 (192k) by Jale off of _Dreamcake_ on Sub Pop (1994)
• hardcore drum & noise track _Ghostchase_ MP3 (160k) by Atari Teenage Riot off of _60 Second Wipeout_ 12"x3 on Digital Hardcore Recordings (1999)
• adult alternative pop track _Hey Jupiter (Haunted Closet Mix)_ MP3 by Tori Amos
• track _The Heat (The Energy)_ by The Prodigy
• sample comes from the film _Poltergeist III_
• 604 track _The Beast_ MP3by Darshan off of _Turbulence_ compilation CD on Flying Rhino (1998)

• samples: "to her, it simply is, another child... to us, it is the beast..."; "y'all mind hanging back?  you're jammin' my frequencies..." - Zelda Rubenstein as Tangina the psychic

first mention of Poltergeist in Usenet:

From: pyuxl!cook (pyuxl!cook)
Subject: E.T. and Poltergeist
Newsgroups: net.movies
Date: 1982-06-04 00:58:31 PST

I recently read a review here of a movie called E.T.(?). Is this the same as the new movie called Poltergeist? How about more reviews of the movie(s)?

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