Poltergeist III (1988)

Director: Gary Sherman
Starring: Tom Skerritt, Nancy Allen, Heather O'Rourke

Synopsis:
Carol Anne is sent to stay with her aunt's family in a new high-rise apartment in Chicago, where she attends a school for the gifted. Her experiences with the supernatural are dismissed until the ghosts of her past come back to haunt her.

Impressions:
I've heard that this movie gets quite a critical drubbing. In all honesty, it's not that big of a step down from the previous two entries. It feels a bit unnecessary as it unmakes the resolution of the previous film and rehashes the conflict there rather than bringing in something new. I mean, for Pete's sake, Carol Anne is a powerful psychic with a strong connection to the other side. There's plenty you could do with that. Heather O'Rourke has to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the first act and she does rather well. It's a pity she never got the chance to continue to build her craft. Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen do well as the replacement for Craig T Nelson and JoBeth Williams, though we do lose a lot by not continuing with the family. (It does work its way into the story, so that is something.) Zelda Rubinstein does okay here, but she doesn't have a lot to work with. As Julian Beck had already passed, Kane is portrayed by a decent lookalike, but he's mostly shot at a distance, so you lose a lot of what made the character so compelling.

Special effects take a hit, but FX never made or broke these movies. There are some interesting dynamics toyed with a little, but things seem to devolve a little in the third act. Final word: sequel decay is indeed a factor, but it's not a major drop and if you're a dedicated fan of the series, you'll probably be satisfied with what you get.

Rating:
50/50