Poltergeist III

Picking up shortly after the events of the second installment, Poltergeist III follows young Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) as she’s inexplicably sent to live with her uncle (Tom Skerritt’s Bruce Gardner) and his family (Nancy Allen’s Patricia and Lara Flynn Boyle’s Donna) in a rather sinister Chicago high-rise. It’s worth noting that Poltergeist III initially benefits from its change of locale, as director Gary Sherman – working from a script cowritten with Brian Taggert – does a nice job of infusing the proceedings with several admittedly creepy mirror-related bits of business (ie a character will walk away while his or her reflection remains still). It’s just as clear, however, that Poltergeist III‘s pervasively aimless sensibilities inevitably render its positive attributes moot, with the almost unwatchable final half hour – in which the uniformly underdeveloped characters are left with little to do but run around and scream – effectively ensuring that the film seriously wears out its welcome as it approaches its expectedly over-the-top finale. The final result is an endeavor that undoubtedly falls right in line with its entirely underwhelming predecessor, and it’s ultimately difficult to envision even die-hard fans of the original movie finding anything here worth embracing.

** out of ****