Ghosts & Hauntings

Was the 1982 movie 'Poltergeist' cursed ?

By T.K. Randall
May 23, 2015 ·  41 comments

What is the truth behind the infamous Poltergeist curse ? Image Credit: sxc.hu Directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Stephen Spielberg, the original 'Poltergeist' told the terrifying tale of a family who became besieged by a malicious haunting that culminated in their youngest daughter being pulled through a portal to the 'other side'.

Some of the stories that arose following the film's release however would end up becoming almost as famous as the film itself. Many of them, including the rumor that the crew used real skeletons instead of fake ones to save money, turned out to be completely true.

Most notorious of all however was the so-called Poltergeist curse that was attributed with the unfortunate and untimely demise of many of the people who had worked on the film.

Just after the movie was released in 1982 the actress who played the older sister Dana, Dominique Dunne, was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend, John Sweeney.Then around seven months before the release of the second movie in the series the actor who played the evil spirit Kane, Julian Beck, succumbed to stomach cancer.

The actor who played Taylor, Will Sampson, died one year later following a heart-lung transplant.

Perhaps the best known death relating to the series however was that of its young protagonist, Heather O'Rourke, who died unexpectedly of septic shock following the release of the third film.

Whether the curse will carry across to the 2015 remake however remains to be seen.

Source: IB Times | Comments (41)

Tags: Poltergeist, Movie