Poltergeist III

Poltergeist 3 (1988) was likely rushed into production before star Heather O'Rourke became too big to fit her footie pajamas. As it is, the actress (who died tragically from complications of an impacted bowel at the age of 12 just after production wrapped) is uncomfortably forced to look years younger in this director Gary Sherman led third installment. Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen star as relatives who host a visiting Carol Anne in their posh penthouse apartment high atop a fancy Chicago high-rise. But Kane (played by a look-alike in make-up) returns to take Carol Anne, now attending a school for the psychically gifted, back with him to the other side.

If the plot is still a tired re-tread, at least the setting opens up new possibilities. And director Gary Sherman, who worked wonders with low-rent thrillers like Raw Meat and Dead & Buried, takes an "Alice Through The Looking Glass" approach, filling the film with elaborate mirror effects performed completely on set with no CGI assistance. Using fake sets and acting doubles, the film is a joy to watch simply on a technical level (Sherman's audio commentary is essential to appreciate all the hard work). The script itself, though, is full of missed opportunities and creative dead-ends. Lara Flynn Boyle makes a good impression as Carol Anne's teenage half-cousin and her onscreen "resurrection" - clawing her way through a mummified body - is a real shocker! But by the third act, featuring some surprisingly sub-par make-up word from the legendary Dick Smith, it becomes obvious the supernatural saga of Freeling family is pretty much played out.