The “Poltergeist Curse” - The Tragic Deaths and Mysterious Happenings Connected to the Horror Film Franchise

Austin Price, Editor in Chief  

As the spooky season is creeping to an end, I’ve decided that the best way to celebrate Halloween is to highlight the mysterious hauntings that surround a series of scary movies. The Poltergeist trilogy is one of the most infamous horror film franchises in cinematic history. While the movies are primarily known for the terrifying paranormal events portrayed on-screen, it’s the moments that occurred once the cameras stopped rolling, and the actors stopped acting that instill true terror. Today I am going to take you through some of the most complex, chilling, and unbelievable legends of scary movies, all while showing that sometimes our imaginary monsters are preferable to real world danger. I give you all the “Poltergeist curse”.  

The “Poltergeist curse” became popular lore for the series. It was fostered by the deaths of several actors during or after filming the 1980s movie trilogy, and the unexplainable happenings on and off set. Many argue that the untimely deaths of actors and crew members involved in the Poltergeist franchise is simply a coincidence. However, based on repeated atrocities and unexpected deaths, I’d argue that this coincidence twisted into a curse, showcasing the dangers of playing with the darkness. Our story begins in the 1980s, (truly an iconic decade if you ask me) with the release of the first film in the franchise.  

Poltergeist (1982) 

Poltergeist is the original film in the trilogy, directed by Tobe Hooper and co-written by Steven Spielberg. It was released on June 4, 1982. The film’s premise surrounds the Freeling Family. The family consists of parents Steve Freeling, played by Craig T. Nelson and Diane Freeling, played by JoBeth Williams. The couple has three children. First is their teenage daughter Dana, played by Dominique Dunne. Next is eight-year-old Robbie, played by Oliver Robins. Five-year-old Carol Anne, played by Heather O'Rourke, completes the family unit.  

Set in Cuesta Verde, a California housing development; this seemingly normal suburban environment quickly takes a terrifying turn. The house is revealed to be invested with and haunted by ghosts. Now, I’m not going to give any spoilers, I recommend you all watch the movie yourselves, but to give you a brief summary, here’s the gist. The youngest child, Carol Anne, can communicate with the apparitions. This ability leads to her disappearance, and the rest of the family is left scrambling to try and rescue her, without losing themselves in the process.  

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) 

Shortly after the success of the first film, production began for the second film. Poltergeist II: The Other Side is the first sequel to the original. It was directed by Brian Gibson and released on May 23, 1986. The film takes place one year after the events in the first film, Poltergeist, and offers an alternate explanation of the ghosts' origin. Again, I encourage you to watch the movie, but in simple terms, the Freeling family has another terrible, paranormal experience. Carol Anne, the youngest child, is again the main target of the entities pursuing the family, due to her unnatural abilities.  

Poltergeist III (1988) 

The third and final film of the trilogy is Poltergeist III. It was directed and co-written by Gary Sherman, was released on June 10, 1988. Yet again, the apparitions are chasing Carol Anne, and her family struggles to protect her from paranormal harm. I recommend you watch the movie to see for yourselves, but basically, the whole trilogy revolves around Carol Anne (typical youngest child behavior) and becomes a family trip strengthened by trauma bonding and portal jumping.  

Now that we have a baseline understanding of the plot, let’s get into the real-life tragedies and terrors of the three films. The deaths of multiple cast members fuel the alleged Poltergeist curse, with a total of four actors that died during and soon after the filming of the series. While some deaths were more radical and unexpected than others, the fatalities of all four actors gave the horror film franchise a grim legacy and enduring speculations.  

Dominique Dunne - The First Loss to the Curse  

Dominique Ellen Dunne was an American actress whose role as the eldest daughter, Dana Freeling, in Poltergeist (1982) served as her breakthrough. She also had recurring roles in the comedy series Breaking Away and the drama series Family. After filming Poltergeist (1982), 22-year-old Dominique had a bright life ahead of her, with ample opportunities to shine in the spotlight. However, this life was brutally ripped away from her.  

In 1981, Dunne met John Thomas Sweeney, a sous-chef at the restaurant Ma Maison, at a party in 1981. After a few weeks of dating, they moved into a one-bedroom house together on Rangely Avenue in West Hollywood. However, this initial domestic bliss morphed to a relationship of frights, far scarier than the premise of a horror film. Due to Sweeney's jealousy and possessiveness, the couple frequently fought, and Sweeney began to physically abuse Dunne. Like many abuse victims, Dunne downplayed the severity of Sweeney’s aggression and defended him from concerned friends and family. Under the psychological manipulation of the man she loved, Dunne stayed with Sweeney despite several vicious attacks from her partner. In 1982, she finally left him. 

Shortly after Dunne separated from Sweeney, his anger took control and subsequently took the actress’s life. On October 30, 1982, a few weeks after Sweeney and Dunne broke up, Sweeney arrived at Dunne’s house begging her to take him back. When she refused, Sweeney grabbed Dunne’s neck, choked her until she was unconscious, and left her to die in her driveway. 

After the attack, Dunne was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she was placed on life support. Sadly, Dunne never regained consciousness and was pronounced “brain dead”. On November 4th, 1982, 5 days after her attack, her parents consented to have her removed from life support and had her organs donated.  

Dominique Dunne’s death was unexpected and shockingly savage. The following deaths in the Poltergeist curse were not as outlandish, but still just as tragic. Dominique’s legacy lies in her extraordinary performance as the eldest daughter in Poltergeist (1982), and her family remembers her fondly, advocating justice be served, to this day.  

Julian Beck – The Second Victim 

The second victim to the Poltergeist curse was Julian Beck. Beck was an American actor, stage director, poet, and painter. In late 1983, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Refusing to let his diagnosis impact his career, Beck continued to work.  

Julian played Reverend Henry Kane, the malevolent preacher in the supernatural horror film, Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986). Filming began in spring 1985. Later that same year, Beck died from stomach cancer on September 14th, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, aged 60, before the film’s theatrical release. While he never got to see his performance on the big screen, Beck was honored by the film community. In 2004, 19 years after his death, Beck was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. 

Will Sampson – The Third Tragedy  

The third tragedy of the Poltergeist curse was the death of Will Sampson, which is also attributed to the second installment of the series, Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986). William Sampson Jr. was a Muscogee Nation painter, actor, and rodeo performer. In the second Poltergeist film, he played Taylor the Native American shaman.  

While his entertainment and artistic career flourished, Sampson’s health deteriorated. Sampson suffered from scleroderma, a chronic degenerative condition that affected his heart, lungs, and skin. After filming Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), Sampson underwent a heart and lung transplant at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. Sadly, he died on June 3, 1987, of post- operative kidney failure. Sampson was 53 years old at the time of his death. 

Despite a premature end to his life, Sampson’s advocacy work for Native Americans continues. He founded the “American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts” for Native American actors and served on the registry’s Board of Directors. His mission was to promote culturally appropriate and accurate depictions of Native Americans in Western media.  

Heather O’Rourke - The Final Loss at the Final Film  

Heather O'Rourke was an American child actress, most famous for her role as the youngest child, Carol Anne Freeling, in the Poltergeist film series. O’Rourke starred as Carol Anne in all three movies, and her character’s abilities were the focal point of the trilogy. While Heather’s death was not as violent as Dominique’s, it was just as unexpected.  

O’Rourke tragically died in 1988 at the young age of 12. Her death was due to an intestinal obstruction from an undiagnosed intestinal stenosis. This event was not the first of O’Rourke’s medical challenges, but her misdiagnosis was arguably her demise. In 1987, she was misdiagnosed with Crohn's disease. The next year, O'Rourke was sick again, but her symptoms were initially believed to be indicative of the flu. Sadly, her symptoms were actually caused by intestinal obstruction from an undiagnosed intestinal stenosis. Her painful death began with cardiac arrest. Heather was airlifted to a children’s hospital in San Diego but died during an operation to correct the bowel obstruction.  

Heather’s death occurred after filming of the Poltergeist films had concluded. The final film, Poltergeist III, was released four months after her death. Despite her cruelly short life, O’Rourke had made her mark on Hollywood history. Her role as Carol Anne Freeling received critical acclaim and established her as an influential figure in the genre.  

Other Peculiar Events on the Poltergeist Sets 

If the deaths of 4 cast members weren’t enough to make the series cursed, maybe some abnormal experiences on set will. From petrifying props to eerie encounters with the paranormal, the sets of the Poltergeist films became just as scary as the film's plotlines. Reports from both the cast and crew have infested the media, leaving horror film fans asking for more details. While not all reports have been confirmed, they have led to some spooky speculations and bizarre urban legends.  

Bones on a Budget  

The first peculiarity on the Poltergeist sets was initially reported by JoBeth Williams, who played the matriarch of the family, Diane Freeling, in the first two films. In the first film, Willaims’ character falls into an unfinished pool filled with human remains. Willaims’ claimed that the film’s producer, Steven Spielberg, insisted on using actual human skeletons as props to save money. In the 1980s, real human remains were cheaper than plastic skeletons, making them a first choice for film sets. Many fans speculate that the owners of the human bones weren’t happy with how their remains were being used, leading to the eerie incidents that followed.  

On Set Exorcism  

During the filming of the second movie, Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), a series of unusual mishaps and accidents occurred. These incidents were much more serious and frequent than most issues on movie sets. Because of various incidents, Will Sampson, who played Taylor the Native American shaman, chose to put his real-life skills to use.  

Sampson was a real-life medicine man in addition to being an actor. He sensed that there was a malevolent presence disturbing the production. One night, he performed an authentic exorcism on set, trying to cleanse the environment and cast away the evil presence that caused the mishaps. While this experience was likely terrifying to the cast and his co-stars, Craig T. Nelson, who plays the patriarch, Steve Freeling in the first two films, claims that the production did not suffer any further setbacks from that moment on.  

Multiple Mishaps  

Injuries and complications are inevitable on a movie set, especially that of a horror film. With the complex animatronics, experimental technology, and intricate set design, both the cast and crew were at risk of injury while working. However, the Poltergeist franchise was host to multiple mishaps that caused both bodily harm and psychological trauma.  

When filming the first installment of the series, Poltergeist (1982), an on-screen villain nearly became a real-life murderer of actor Oliver Robins. Robins portrayed the middle Freeling child Robbie, and in the movie, his character is tormented by a clown doll. Because the filming was set in the 1980s, it’s safe to say that special effects were nowhere near the same caliber as they are today. Because of that, machinery engineered by the crew was designed to give the appearance that Robins’ character would be choked by the doll. However, mechanical malfunctions caused the doll to actually suffocate the young actor.  

According to Robins, Spielberg saved his life. He said “So, the clown doll had this extended arm, and they had me act backwards ... in a tight confined space under the bed. The contraption caught around my neck ... Steven saw that, probably in the video assist [deck], and he pulled me away from it. Who knows what might've happened otherwise. It was very fast .... Maybe I wouldn't be here today,”. Not only is Steven Spielberg a brilliant filmmaker, he’s also the reason another causality was avoided. And let’s face it, the Poltergeist films have enough tragedies, we don’t need more. Way to go Steven!  

 A Ghost Director 

Up next is not necessarily a scary occurrence from the Poltergeist films, but one that is very problematic, and certainly worth mentioning. Initially, the first Poltergeist film was credited to Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper. However, it’s since been revealed that the film’s producer, Steven Spielberg, was a “ghost director”.  

A ghost director is someone who directs a film but receives no credit, often while another person is publicly credited as the director. Initially, Spielberg wanted Stephen King to co-write the Poltergeist screenplay but did not get a response. Because of his current obligation to work on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Spielberg handed over the director’s title on Poltergeist to Hooper, with Spielberg still overseeing the film as a producer. While the collaboration seemed amicable, the stars of the film note underlying tension that Hopper had towards Spielberg.  

JoBeth Williams gave an interview to Vanity Fair, explaining the unique dynamic onset. Despite the unusual situation, Williams claims that the directors' differences did not deter the film’s progress. “I think, in his heart of hearts, he would’ve loved to have directed it,” Williams says of Spielberg. “He was always there. And Tobe was not as experienced as Steven was. He very much listened to Steven’s ideas about things, because it was Steven’s movie, really. And I’m sure there were times when it drove Tobe crazy to have Steven so actively involved, but he never let on. They were both kind of there on the set. Tobe would give direction, sometimes Steven would add to that or give other direction, but I think it’s fair to say that it was sort of a combo of the two of them, because certainly Steven was actively involved.” 

Hauntings at Home 

James Kahn, an American writer, wrote the novelizations of the Poltergeist films. Kahn claims that as he finished the Poltergeist project, a lightning bolt struck his building, and the front of his air-conditioning unit blew across the room and struck him in the back. After that, the lights came back on and his video games "started playing themselves." While there is no way to prove or corroborate these claims, I find an attack on the writer not too surprising, especially after all the other eerie experiences surrounding the franchise.  

Out with a Bang  

To finish our journey through the unexplainable tragedies and curiosities of the Poltergeist trilogy, we’re going out with a bang by taking a look at the third film. On May 13, 1987, on the set of Poltergeist III (1988), a fire broke out. A special effects explosion in a snow-covered parking garage caught several polystyrene-covered cars on fire. The blaze injured three people (a maintenance worker and two firefighters) and resulted in around $250,000 in damage to the building. Again, on set accidents are inevitable, but first responders believe the explosion was possibly imposed by otherworldly beings.  

And with that, the Poltergeist trilogy remains a signature landmark in Hollywood horror history. The legends and folklore that surrounds the trilogy bring more unease around the films. The “Poltergeist curse” leaves fans amazed and critics skeptical. While none of these incidents have been proven to be caused by paranormal activity, their connections are hard to explain solely with logic and reason.