Poltergeist II

Poltergeist (the original) is one of the best horror movies ever created and unfortunately Poltergeist II does not live up to expectations. The first movie was directed by Tobe Hooper (a legend) and produced by Steven Spielberg (a legend) and neither of them are involved in this mostly lifeless sequel. If you have seen the original, the plot is very similar except the family is now hunted by the leader of the malevolent spirits from the first movie. The cast is almost unchanged with Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, and Zelda Rubenstein returning for another go around. The notable missing actress is Dominique Dunne, who was murdered by her boyfriend after the release of the original. It is a little weird that the movie never explains her disappearance from the family.

The plot is almost exactly the same as the first but it retains nothing from the classic that is the original. This movie does not try to introduce anything new to the franchise except for a centralized villain, who happens to be so over the top that it makes his character seem laughable at times. They use the same effects as the original and the story is just very flat. You know the family is going to be safe at the end and they never really seem to be in any terrible danger. There are a few scenes in the movie that I laughed out loud because they were so corny and they were supposed to be really serious but they weren't to me. This is just a fail of a movie for the most part with a couple of exceptions. 

There are a few things that this movie does nail perfectly. Craig T. Nelson does an awesome job with the material that he is given and his standout scene is when he becomes possessed by The Beast, it is just an awesome scene. He has to become a completely different character and is just super creepy in the scene. The aftermath of the scene is also awesome when you get tot see the transformation of the beast from a small worm into this hulking beast. It has some of the creepiest looking creature designs I have ever seen. Those are the things that movie does great, unfortunately the bad far outweighs the good.

This is a movie that completely and utterly pointless in every way possible. If there was ever an unneeded sequel, this is it. Most of the performances in the movie are wooden and lifeless, to go along with a shit story. The only standout is Craig T. Nelson, who does a great job with the material given to him. This is a movie that I cannot recommend except for seeing the transformation scene towards the end of the movie, it is spectacular. This movie is a shit sandwich, so don't eat it.