#ExpedientesMacabros: Cursed films, case 1982 “POLTERGEIST”.

By: Casandra Vicario

Welcome to a new section, "Expedientes Macabros," and what better godmother than the 1982 film "Poltergeist." You've surely heard about or read about the shoots of certain cursed or haunted films — "Poltergeist" is a clear example. What's more, this coming February 1st marks the anniversary of the death of Heather O'Rourke, the star of this saga. Will you join us to learn the details of this curse?

Loved by many and hated by just as many, "Poltergeist" premiered in 1982, directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg. Much has been written and said about how Mr. Spielberg was actually the film's real director, though that's a topic for another time.

The series has two more installments, "Poltergeist II: The Other Side" and "Poltergeist III," neither of which achieved standout success, although H.R. Giger designed the creatures for the second installment.

What is certain is that, despite the film's heavy use of special effects and plenty of scares, Spielberg's signature shows through in one small detail... nobody dies in this movie. Had you noticed that?

What's truly harrowing seems to be the "curse" that fell upon this saga. It's said that during filming, various paranormal events occurred both on and off the set. Jo Beth Williams, the actress who played Diane, the family's mother, claimed that whenever she came back from long days of shooting, she would always find all the photos hanging on her wall scattered on the floor for no apparent reason.

Legend also has it that in the famous scene where Diane falls into the swimming pool's excavation pit, real human skeletons were used...

The first shock came when Dominique Dunne, who played Dana, the eldest daughter of the Freeling family, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend just four months after the film's 1982 release.

her ex-partner asphyxiated her

"Poltergeist II" was, of course, dedicated to the memory of Dominique Dunne, but before its release, during filming, there were once again reports of various paranormal phenomena, accidents, and interruptions on set — events that left the entire production and cast on edge. Because of this, Will Sampson, the Native American actor who played a good spirit in the film, would perform nightly rituals to "cleanse" bad spirits…

Craig Nelson, a member of the crew, has said that "Will Sampson didn't just play a shaman, he really was a shaman, and I think keeping us safe cost him his own health." Indeed, Will Sampson died on June 3, 1987, from complications following a heart and lung transplant.

The causes of his death were several: malnutrition, kidney failure, and a fungal infection. He was 53 years old.

And he wasn't the only one — Julian Beck, who played Reverend Kane, the film's villain, lost his battle with stomach cancer on September 14, 1985, just a few days after finishing his scenes. He was 60 years old.

The filming of "Poltergeist III" also had its share of accidents and supernatural phenomena — in one car-chase scene, one of the vehicles exploded and set the entire set on fire, and a crew member nearly burned to death.

However, the most shocking event was that, before the film was finished, Heather O'Rourke, the young star of the saga who played Carol Anne Freeling, would die.

What led to this little girl's death? Was it the curse? In reality, it was a matter related to a misdiagnosis. At one point, the young girl complained of severe nausea; she was taken to the hospital several times, and her parents were always told it was the flu.

Later, doctors found she had a parasite and treated her for it, and she was subsequently diagnosed with "Crohn's disease," a chronic intestinal inflammation.

During the filming of the third installment of "Poltergeist," the girl had no health problems at all — until the morning of January 31st, when she was taken to the hospital. On the way, she suffered a cardiac arrest, but doctors managed to revive her. Upon arriving at the hospital, they discovered the girl had an intestinal blockage and decided to operate, but it was already too late — she died on the operating table at 12 years old.

A stand-in had to be used to finish the film, which, incidentally, was a huge box-office failure, and with it, the saga came to an end.

Curse? Bad luck? What do you think?