Tag Archives: Poltergeist

Editorials

We Need That Long-Forgotten Poltergeist Prequel Kane Origin Story- With Walton Goggins

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It’s a tragedy that we NEVER got a villainous prequel to one of the greatest horror films of all time, Poltergeist, giving us an origin story of what is equally, the goddamn scariest horror villain ever. Don’t even try to fight me on this very right opinion: I will die on the hill that Henry Kane is the definitive underrated and most terrifying horror movie antagonist of the last 50 years. I know I’m not the only one that thinks this to be true. So why haven’t studios who are so keen to reboot and churn out 12 sequels to every damn property on the planet to make a quick buck, picked up on this note that a Poltergeist prequel film featuring the malevolent Kane, would not only be a pre-determined hit with fans but could potentially be the perfect way to reignite a masterful franchise that left us on a lowly note with the third installment and a not so great remake of the 1982 movie.

Well, let me in… Let’s talk about it.

On public record straight from the official Poltergeist III website, an industry insider by the name of Macklin Crux stated a script of Kane’s backstory was being developed in the early ‘90s. According to Crux, the story would have explained Kane’s descent into madness and his direct connection to the Freeling family putting all the missing pieces of the puzzle together that sort of left us hanging and only lightly touched on with Poltergeist II. Had the project gone through, we would have seen descendants of the Freeling family escape the clutches of a 19th-century cult leader with the help of an Indian Medicine Man, marking the future Freelings’ as a target for revenge.

Which makes perfect sense in regard to the sequel where Kane first appeared, showing his 10,000 teeth and scaring the ever-loving shit out of a generation and Taylor coming into the mix, as a present-day medicine man would know how to defeat the entity like his ancestors before him.

Seems like the perfect idea to reinvent the franchise but the project was killed off before anything solid scripts were written. Given the tragedy of the previous films and the untimely death of Heather O’ Rourke before even finishing the third movie, it was probably doomed from the start of even uttering the word, “another Poltergeist film” to studio execs. However, in today’s climate, I still feel like it would work and if MGM ever sprouts a pair of balls to move forward with it, I got the perfect actor to take on the daunting role of his “Holy Temple-ness”. We need someone that not only can pass as a younger Henry Kane, but has the acting chops to pull off a believable performance.

My friends, I do believe Walton Goggins is our man.

Goggins has proven himself to be an ever-changing chameleon- and a HIGHLY underrated one at that. The man has some serious range. From his award-worthy performance on Sons of Anarchy as a southern belle trans, a salty employee in Vice Principals, to a fantastic jerk-off in Django Unchained, and most recently his over-the-top character as Uncle Billy in The Righteous Gemstones. Goggins has the resume to take on such a pivotal role that could very well bring this franchise back to life again the way it rightfully should be. The man already has that important southern preacher-like accent and as seen in the photo above, wears those large hats quite nicely. Physically, he would just need to wear color-changing contacts, as Julian Beck’s eyes were that of a baby blue. Other than that, he’s a grand choice to fill those mighty big shoes.

Just in case it ever WERE to happen, I hope the right people reading this take at least take this into consideration. Seriously, hire the man and make all our dreams of a Kane prequel come true. Also, as a Poltergeist mega-fan through and through, I’m also up for hire as a consultant.

Thanks for your time.

News

EXCLUSIVE: Long Lost Scene From Poltergeist (1982) Emerges Onto Social Media!

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We’re about to break down the door to the dimension of Tobe Hooper and Stephen Spielberg’s 1982 horror classic Poltergeist with a newly emerged scene that was cut from the original film-never before seen by the eyes of the general public and has been hidden away for years. Until now, that is.

Poltergeist is relatively infamous for having rumored footage out there that was cut from the film. The most famous perhaps could arguably be Diane being “manhandled” on the ceiling by some unforeseen forces-something that would rival The Entity, none of which has ever really surfaced. However, today via the fan-dedicated Instagram page of Poltergeist run by Matt Knowles, we finally get one lost screen-room cut scene that almost NO ONE knew ever even existed!

The scene, which will premiere exclusively on the PoltergeistFilm Instagram page August 18th, 2023 revolves around the actress of Beatrice Straight, who plays the paranormal expert Dr. Lesh and a colleague (Edward Ashley) going over the documented incidents at the Freeling residence and flirting with the idea of involving the likes of Tangina Barrons. According to PoltergeistFilm who spoke exclusively with me, they mentioned, “It (the scene) comes after another scene where the videotapes have been displayed to an audience. This clip shows the audience walking out because they think it’s a hoax”

How the footage came into possession of PoltergeistFilm is fairly straight forward, but with an interesting backstory attached:

The story is that the actor in the deleted scene (Edward Ashley) was upset about his scene being cut and write a letter to Steven Spielberg asking for a copy of it and had that ok’d with Beatrice Straight.

Spielberg responded and sent him a tape with the scene in question for the actor’s records and preservation. The tape then went into his estate after his passing and left the relic to a friend who sold it to PoltergeistFilm.

“He has been big on keeping it all secret and not leak the video to retain the value of the item, but I’m a big believer in sharing Poltergeist and celebrating it.”

Matt Knowles is an avid fan of Poltergeist since the tender age of eight when he first saw the film:

“I started this Instagram page just to really celebrate the movie and it’s achievements. That’s why after buying the deleted scene for a few thousand, rather than just keep it locked away, I wanted to share it with all the fans because there’s been so little out there about Poltergeist. It kinda seems like Spielberg’s unloved child. Maybe this will push WB to release more deleted scenes. I doubt it. But everything on this Instagram is free for people to use and share to keep Poltergeist alive and celebrate the movie. I was mentioned in a Bloody Disgusting article a few years back because I had negatives of another deleted scene. That’s my only other claim to fame. It’s all about Poltergeist tho and this deleted scene is the first we’ve ever seen from the poltergeist cutting room.“

And now the entire world can enjoy this long-lost footage that was kept in the dark dimensions of cutting floor footage purgatory. Make sure you’re following POLTERGEISTFILM on Instagram to catch the world premiere! Thanks to Matt Knowles for keeping the legacy of this gorgeous film alive and bringing us new insight!

Editorials

The Deleted Scene From “Poltergeist” That Almost Gave it An “R” Rating

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THE DELETED SCENE FROM "POLTERGEIST" THAT ALMOST GAVE IT AN "R" RATING
Credit: Poltergeist iii Fan Site

Photo Credits: Poltergeistiii.com

In keeping with the theme of celebrating Poltergeist‘s legacy on it’s last year before the film hits 40, I wanted to highlight a scene that although filmed, never made the cut into the final film. Poltergeist is rich in film lore history and the fascination surrounding the supposed curse, is just one piece of the horror puzzle that has captivated fans throughout it’s run in the 80s’ and beyond in the present. And if you’re a superfan like myself, you might know about this somewhat cringy bit that has since been lost to the abyss of the editing process. Let’s talk about that spider ceiling scene.

Tentacles have been an obvious theme in the first two films, albeit more pronounced in the second film, however here in what was to be an extended and more brutal scene involving Diane (JoBeth Williams) after her bath, it basically gives The Entity (released in the same year) a run for its money. The scene without the added context strongly suggests sexual assault, but the deleted scene takes it to full on rape.

Mike Wood, who served as mechanical effects supervisor for the film and Mitch Suskin, visual effects supervisor, remarked on the cut footage and what it was to entail in an old Cinefex article circa 1982:

“At times we got overwhelmed by fun effects and audacious ideas,” Mitch Suskin remarked, “possibly more than the film required. The one scene that sticks in my mind is where Diane is pulled up the wall, across the ceiling, and down the other side. During that, there was going to be a kind of ‘stain’ in her path-something foreshadowing the closet turning into a mouth. It was a pulsating, organic, ugly thing.” The concept was eventually discarded, but not before the physical effects crew had gone ahead and built it and it went before the cameras. “We made a large latex bladder for the stain,” Mike Wood related. “There were holes in the wall so we could actuate it manually from behind, and we had people strapped to the outside of the set, putting their hands through. During the scene, the stain was to have grown bigger and more amorphous, and the girl was supposed to roll through it from her bed.” A more risque notion was to be the violation of Diane Freeling by unseen forces as she involuntarily defied gravity in her upturned room. Wood contrived a special harness to facilitate “rape” movements in that position, but when the idea endangered the picture’s PG rating, it, too, was scrapped. An alternate scene of Jobeth Williams writhing in bed remains in the film, but its darker implications are less apparent.

poltergiestiii.com

Well, that alone would have indeed given the film a hard “R” rating and I can certainly appreciate why they made the decision they did. I for one, think it may have taken away some of the sophistication the movie has engraved in it with it already embodying plenty psychological scare tactics without all the gore, guts, and torture porn. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good gorey trash flick. But with Poltergeist, it just doesn’t fit in well with the purity and horror innocence of the film; which is what makes it so damn great. Although I admit, I don’t think I’d be able to suppress the curiosity that resides in me if this footage is ever unearthed and released.

The above images credited to the ultimate Poltergeist fan site, poltergiestiii.com, are the first to my knowledge to have been displayed on the internet. It’s also a fantastic go-to for anything on the film(s) you would ever want to know- so I highly suggest rummaging through their web pages for some fun trivia and stills on the movies.