Movie · 1986 · Horror, Thriller · 1h 31m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.9/10 (62.5K ratings)
"They're back"
Overview
The Freeling family move in with Diane's mother in an effort to escape the trauma and aftermath of Carol Anne's abduction by the Beast. But the Beast is not to be put off so easily and appears in a ghostly apparition as the Reverend Kane, a religious zealot responsible for the deaths of his many followers. His goal is simple - he wants the angelic Carol Anne.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.9/10
IMDb: 5.7/10
Letterboxd: 2.71/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 20%
Metacritic: 49
TMDB: 6.0/10
Director
Brian Gibson
Production
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Cast
Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Oliver Robins, Zelda Rubinstein, Will Sampson, Julian Beck, Geraldine Fitzgerald, John P. Whitecloud, Noble Craig, Susan Peretz, Helen Boll, Syd Beard, David Beaman, Jaclyn Bernstein, Hayley Taylor, Ann Louise Bardach, Pamela Gordon, Chelsea Hertford, Carrie Lorraine
Where to watch
fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A sequel that leans harder into lore, religious dread, and grotesque imagery than the original, but it’s also uneven and often feels like a diminished retread. The best stretches are memorable for their practical effects and Julian Beck’s unnerving villainy, while the weaker stretches sag under repetition and a messy finale.
Best for
fans of 1980s practical-effects horror
viewers who like haunted-house sequels with bigger mythology
people drawn to creepy religious antagonists
audiences who enjoy campy, late-night monster-movie energy
Skip if
you want the tightest, most polished version of this story
you dislike tonal swings between sincere horror and silliness
you expect sustained scares over occasional standout set pieces
you are mainly looking for a sequel that improves on the original
Overview
Poltergeist II: The Other Side is the kind of sequel that expands the mythology while also exposing how fragile the original balance was. It keeps the family-centered emotional core, but the movie is more interested in possession, spiritual warfare, and the image of evil wearing a human face. That gives it a few genuinely eerie moments, especially whenever Reverend Kane is on screen.
Worth noting
The practical effects still do a lot of heavy lifting. There are flashes of the same big-budget, crowd-pleasing horror spectacle that made the first film so durable, and the score helps sell the dread even when the script doesn’t. But the movie also feels stretched, with scenes that repeat familiar beats instead of escalating them cleanly.
Bottom line
As a sequel, it’s less elegant and less magical than the original, but not without value. If you’re here for haunted-family melodrama, grotesque imagery, and a memorable villain performance, it delivers enough to justify the detour. If you want a sequel that sharpens the formula, this one mostly just rearranges it.
Top Letterboxd reviews
The_Shape_ · 185 likes
"We want the angel"
Julian Beck as Reverend Kane is honestly one of the scariest characters I have seen in a movie. When I was younger he was the only character that truly terrified me and that would haunt my thoughts. Even after all these years he still makes me very uneasy.
I love the character Taylor - portrayed by Will Sampson - and how he is able to read energies, and how helpful and caring he is to the… more
Slig001 (2.5★) · 159 likes
This Poltergeist sequel represents a significant drop in quality from the first. We start out with some lore building that doesn't make a great deal of sense honestly, before reestablishing the family from the first film. It's obvious that this film wanted to hit the same beats as the original and it does....kind of, except here it feels tired from the outset. The inclusion of flashbacks from the original really don't help either, serving only as a reminder of how… more This Poltergeist sequel represents a significant drop in quality from the first. We start out with some lore building that doesn't make a great deal of sense honestly, before reestablishing the family from the first film. It's obvious that this film wanted to hit the same beats as the original and it does....kind of, except here it feels tired from the outset. The inclusion of flashbacks from the original really don't help either, serving only as a reminder of how… more
Kylo (3.5★) · 143 likes
“They’re back”
This family should just take every door off its hinges at this point. Would save time.
haley (2.5★) · 130 likes
on its own, this isn't bad. as a sequel of such an iconic film, this is a complete disappointment. heather o'rourke and craig nelson both gave great performances, but i can't say the same for everyone else. everything just felt so forced this time around. it does have some pretty impressive special effects for the time period and a few fun moments. unfortunately, those few fun moments are overshadowed by an extremely silly finale. i'd say it's definitely still worth the watch though, especially if you're a fan of the first film.
robyn (3.5★) · 125 likes
as soon as that worm opened its eye i knew this was gonna take some incredible turn