Laserdisc cover of the first Poltergeist film

The Poltergeist curse is the rumor of a supposed curse attached to the Poltergeist motion picture series and its stars. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (740x740, 128 KB) Summary Laserdisc cover to Poltergeist. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (740x740, 128 KB) Summary Laserdisc cover to Poltergeist. ... Not to be confused with disk laser, a type of solid-state laser in a flat configuration. ... Look up rumour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Poltergeist movies are a trilogy of horror films produced in the 1980s. ...

The rumor is superstition largely derived from the fact that four cast members died in a relatively short span of time (six years) between the release of the first film and the release of the third, with one dying during production of the second film. Two of them died at young ages, 12 and 22. It is not clear that these particular films are atypical in the number or nature of the deaths of their actors, and at least two of the supposed victims had serious health problems before becoming attached to the film series. The actors who are supposed victims of the curse include: For other uses, see Superstition (disambiguation). ...

• Dominique Dunne, 22-year-old actress who played the oldest sibling Dana in the first movie, died after being choked by a jealous boyfriend in 1982. The boyfriend (John Sweeney) was later convicted and sentenced to six years in prison, though initially he only served two and a half years.
• Heather O'Rourke, 12-year-old actress who played Carol Anne in all three Poltergeist movies, died in 1988 after what doctors initially described as an acute form of influenza but later changed to septic shock after bacterial toxins invaded her bloodstream.
• Julian Beck, 60-year-old actor who played Kane in Poltergeist II: The Other Side, died of stomach cancer, with which he was diagnosed before he had accepted the role.
• Will Sampson, 53 years old, who played Taylor the Medicine Man in Poltergeist II, died of post-operative kidney failure and pre-operative malnutrition problems.

Other rumours related to the film have been claimed as the cause of the curse. The most widely circulated alleges that real human skeletal remains were used as props in the first film, causing the angry spirits of the deceased to wreak havoc. Actress JoBeth Williams has said in television interviews (most notably the E! True Hollywood Story episode "The Curse of Poltergeist") Producers Mark Victor and Michael Grais stated that the skeletons used in Poltergeist II were real and actor Will Sampson had to perform an exorcism to protect the set from the spirits. Dominique Dunne (November 23, 1959 – November 4, 1982) was an American actress. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Heather ORourke (December 27, 1975 – February 1, 1988) was an American child actress, best known for her role in the Poltergeist film trilogy. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Influenza, commonly known as flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses). ... Septic shock is a serious medical condition causing such effects as multiple organ failure and death in response to infection and sepsis. ... Julian Beck (May 31, 1925–September 14, 1985) was an American actor, director, poet, and painter. ... Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus and the small intestine. ... Will Sampson (September 27, 1933 - June 3, 1987) was a Native American Muscogee (Creek) actor and artist from Hitchita, Oklahoma. ... Medicine man is an English term used to describe Native American religious figures; such individuals are analogous to shamans. ... Renal failure is when the kidneys fail to function properly. ... Percentage of population affected by malnutrition by country, according to United Nations statistics. ... JoBeth Rivas (born Jobeth Williams Rivas on December 6, 1948) is an American film actress. ... E! True Hollywood Story is a TV documentary series on the E! Entertainment Television cable and DBS channel that deals with famous Hollywood celebrities, movies, TV shows and well-known public figures. ...

Other occurrences that have been attributed to the curse include:

• The house in Simi Valley, California used for exterior shots of the Freeling home was damaged by the Northridge earthquake in 1994.
• JoBeth Williams, who played mother Diane Freeling, claims she returned home from the set each day to find pictures on her wall askew. She would straighten them, only to find them crooked again the next day.
• Actor Will Sampson, a Creek Indian and shaman, performed an exorcism on the set of Poltergeist II to rid it of "alien spirits". A year after Poltergeist II was released, he died.
• During a scene when Robbie Freeling (Oliver Robins) was choked by a toy clown in his room, the mechanical prop malfunctioned and Robins was actually choked.
• During a photography session for Poltergeist III, it was discovered that one shot of co-star Zelda Rubenstein had shining light obstructing the view of her face. Rubenstein claims the photo was taken at the moment her real-life mother died.
• During the fight Dominique Dunne had with her boyfriend that ended in her death, a friend inside Dunne's house turned up the Poltergeist soundtrack to drown out the noise of the two yelling outside.
• During the making of Poltergeist III, a movie set of a parking garage was destroyed by fire during shooting of a fire scene, injuring all but one of the crew.
• Brian Gibson, director of Poltergeist II, died of bone cancer at the age of 59.
• One scene was filmed in the parking lot of the Delta Center (now called the Energy Solutions Arena) in Salt Lake City, Utah. And has an effect on the Utah Jazz which plays there. As a result the Jazz has not been able to win championships, especially the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.

The Poltergeist series is just one of a handful of movies and TV series that have been said to have been cursed. Others include Rebel Without a Cause, The Exorcist, Diff'rent Strokes, Bewitched, The Crow, the In the Heat of the Night TV series, and various Superman-related series and films. Simi Valley is an incorporated city located in the extreme southeast corner of Ventura County, California, bordering the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. ... This article is about the natural seismic phenomenon. ... JoBeth Rivas (born Jobeth Williams Rivas on December 6, 1948) is an American film actress. ... The shaman is an intellectual and spiritual figure who is regarded as possessing power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, primarily that of a healer ( medicine man). The shaman provides medical care, and serves other community needs during crisis times, via supernatural means (means... Oliver Robins (b. ... Squeaky-voice actress who appeared in Poltergeist (1982) Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988). ... Brian Gibson (September 22, 1944 _ January 4, 2004) was a film director. ... The EnergySolutions Arena is an indoor arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. ... Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... The 1997 NBA Finals was the concluding series of the 1997 NBA Playoffs that determined the champion of the 1996–97 NBA season. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 film directed by Nicholas Ray that tells the story of a rebellious teenager who comes to a new town, meets a girl, defies his parents, and faces the local high school bullies. ... The Exorcist is an Academy Award-winning 1973 American horror and thriller film, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl, and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her daughter through an exorcism conducted... Diffrent Strokes is an American sitcom that aired on the NBC television network from 1978 to 1985, and on ABC from 1985 to 1986. ... This article is about an American television sitcom. ... The Crow is a 1994 American film adaptation of the comic book of the same name by James OBarr (who himself makes a cameo in the film). ... In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture, In the Heat of the Night that ran from 1988 to 1995. ... Cover of the June 16, 1959 edition of New York Post, reporting the death of George Reeves The Superman curse refers to a series of misfortunes that have plagued creative people involved in adaptations of Superman in various mediums, particularly actors who have played the role of Superman on film...

External links

• http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/polter.htm
• http://www.escendi.com.au/eyescream/movies/polt.html
• http://www.franksreelreviews.com/shorttakes/dunne.htm