21 Crazy Things About Poltergeist
As cute as Heather O’Rourke (Carol Anne) was in the 1982 film Poltergeist, there were some pretty crazy events going throughout and even after the movie series.
Even for the special effects of the 80s, this movie had us all sitting on the edge of our sits, and maybe even still today.
With creepy ghosts, hands coming out of TVs and even real skeletons, the concept of a little girl being pulled into another dimension through her closet was simply surreal.
About the Poltergeist Movie
Poltergeist is about the story of a little girl and her family who had just moved into their home per the husband’s job working with a construction company. Little did they know the property their new home was built on used to be a cemetery. It wasn’t long before the lingering spirits were angered by the “intruders” and started to make their presence known in the household.
Moving chairs, coming out of the TV and talking to little Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) before pulling her into another consciousness, or realm, in which she wasn’t present in the home but only spiritually. As the family is desperate to bring her back, they encounter a number of strange things happening around the home.
Like the story itself, the cast had their own crazy facts and events that occurred throughout the making and after the release of the film.
21 Crazy Facts About the Poltergeist Movie
1. The Movie Was Similar to an Episode of Twilight Zone
While he never received any credit for it, Richard Matheson wrote the Twilight Zone episode called “Little Girl Lost” which was about a little girl who went through another dimension via her bedroom wall. He thinks the episode was what inspired the movie.
2. Drew Barrymore Auditioned to Play Carol Anne
Can you see Drew Barrymore playing the little girl who was pulled into another dimension? To us, probably not; she never has been one to star in horror films. But who knows, she may have played it well had she been chosen. Nevertheless, Steven Spielberg had other plans for her, giving her the role of Gertie in E.T., which came out one week after Poltergeist.
3. The Freelings’ Neighborhood Was Based on Spielberg’s Childhood Suburb
While the Freelings lived in the southern California community of Cuesta Verde, Spielberg actually “based the neighborhood on suburban Scottsdale, AZ where I grew up. It is the lifestyle of suburban America; two-car garages, tract homes and cul-de-sacs, the U-Totem down the street, and an elementary school within walking distance. The Freeling family in Poltergeist is not typical of the people I knew and grew up with in Scottsdale.”
4. Steven Spielberg Was a Literal Hands-On Producer
When Marty ripped off his own face in the movie, Spielberg ripped off the “skin” of the lifelike sculpture. Martin Casella, who played the role of the paranormal investigator, Marty, insisted he do it since they only had one and he was worried he’d make a mistake and ruin the scene.
5. The Tree Scene Was Shot Backwards
Oliver Robins, who played Robby, was actually spit out instead of swallowed up by the tree. To make the final result look better, they reversed the shot.
6. Tangina Only Worked for Six Days
Before landing the role for Tangina, the medium, Zelda Rubinstein auditioned four times before she was chosen for the role. While she was only on the set for six days of the twelve-day shoot, she said the role changed her life.
But after filming, she didn’t hear from any of the cast or production team for over a year, leading her to think the movie might never be released.
7. The Co-Writers Childhood Memory Inspired the Idea for the Tree Grabbing Robby
Along with Mark Victor and Spielberg, Michael Grais also co-wrote the screenplay and used his inspiration for the tree scene from a childhood memory of being home alone on a scary night. He was sitting on the 2nd floor of the stairs when a bolt of lightning hit the tree in his yard and a big branch broke the window right near him.
8. Only One Take Was Needed During the Chair-Stacking Scene
When Diane (JoBeth Williams) turned away from the table in the kitchen, the crew members quickly pulled out the kitchen chairs and placed an already-assembled cluster of chairs on the table.
9. The Holiday Inn Promoted Producer Frank Marshall’s Magic Act
Frank Marshall, the producer, does a small magic show at the end of every film’s production. His stage name is Dr. Fantasy, so the Holiday Inn that was filmed in the end welcomed “Dr. Fantasy & Friends.”
10. Tobe Hooper Ate Spicy Foods During Production
Tobe Hooper, who had also directed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, ate jalapeño peppers throughout the long shooting days to help him power through. He also liked Indian curries.
11. Spielberg Wanted a PG Rating
The MPAA originally rated Poltergeist R. But Spielberg told the MPAA board he made PG movies, not R-rated, so he was able to get it change. But keep in mind the PG-13 rating didn’t come out until 1984.
12. It’s Still Not Clear Whether Spielberg Actually Directed the Film
Spielberg was not allowed to direct both E.T. and Poltergeist at the same time, but he was on the Poltergeist set often which led many to believe he was directing the film by himself.
The official director, Tobe Hooper told the A.V. Club, “I’ve been asked that so many times that I feel the record should be straight already. The genesis of it came from an article in the L.A. Times: When we were shooting the practical location on the house, the first two weeks of filming were exterior, so I had second-unit shots that had to be picked up in the front of the house. I was in the back of the house shooting Robby [actor Oliver Robins] and the tree, looking down at the burial of the little tweety bird, so Steven was picking those shots up for me.
The L.A. Times arrived on the set and printed something like, ‘We don’t know who’s directing the picture.’ The moment they got there, Steven was shooting the shot of the little race cars, and from there the damn thing blossomed on its own and started becoming its own legend. Really, that is my knowledge of it, because I was making the movie and then I started hearing all this stuff after it was finished.”
But Zelda Rubinstein also said Spielberg was the director during her six days. So maybe he was on and off?
13. Some Think The Movie Might Be Cursed
On February 1st, 1988, Heather O’Rourke (Carol Anne) died of cardiac arrest and septic shock at the age of 12, just before Poltergeist III was released. Dominique Dunne (Dana) was also murdered by her ex-boyfriend just five months after the film was released.
Julian Beck, who played Kane in Poltergeist II, died of cancer during the film’s production (although he was aware of his condition when he auditioned.) Will Sampson, who played Taylor in Poltergeist II also died of kidney failure a year after the film was released.
With all of these deaths happening within the short amount of time during each film’s production and release, rumors started on the production being haunted, especially when involving real skeletons.
14. Spielberg First Had the Idea of Benign Creatures
While Spielberg was also working on E.T. during Poltergeist, he also brought up the idea of home-invading aliens to Tobe Hooper. But it was Tobe who wanted to use ghosts instead.
15. An Indian Burial Ground Was Unearthed Before the Film Was Made
In 1969, an Indian burial ground was unearthed during the construction of a grocery store in Agoura Hills, the same Los Angeles suburb of Cuesta Verde.
16. The Tree that Swallowed Robbie Was Actually Four Trees
Built by the prop department, there were actually four trees used to swallow Robby, each with their own different moving robotic parts.
17. The House Collapsing Effect Was a Six-Foot Model with Cables
To accomplish the implosion of the house, a six-foot model was used with cables attached to the sides and a vaccuum mounted beneath the floor. While the cables pulled down the walls and the vacuum sucked up the debris, the camera filmed the destruction at 300 frames per second, which is 12 times normal speed.
When the footage was played back at 24 frames per second, the studio projectionist was even surprised at the sight of the slowly disintegrating house. Spielberg reported he preserved the crushed fragments of the model house in a display case on top of his piano.
18. Two Actors Reported Paranormal Experiences During the Production
During the Poltergeist production, both Beth Williams (Diane Freeling) and Zelda Rubinstein (Tangina) reported paranormal experiences.
Beth said she’d come home to find the pictures on her wall were crooked, realign them, but find them crooked again five minutes later. Zelda said she had a vision of her dog telling her goodbye and that her mother told her her dog had died just hours later that day.
19. Robins Was Actually Terrified When the Clown Puppet Malfunctioned
While Robins (Robby) doesn’t believe the film was haunted, he was actually scared to death when the puppet malfunctioned and nearly strangled him.
20. Poltergeist Was Nominated for Three Oscars
Each for its instrumental score, visual effects and editing, the movie lost all three awards to E.T.
21. The Movie Made a Huge Profit
While the film only cost about $9.5 million to make, it earned back over $76 million in North America and an additional $47 million overseas.
Are We Missing Any?
Do you know any other secrets from the Poltergeist movies? Please share them in the comments below. We’d love to see them!
