Not as bad as everyone thinks...

Although this film isn't nearly as good as the first two Poltergeist films, it still has a strange charm to it that demands repeat viewings. Every so often I'll watch Poltergeist III and I take something new from it every time. Admittedly, this film does occasionally venture into the "so bad it's good" territory, a la Troll 2. One scene that is so awful that it's good is when Tangina is trying to convince Kane that he doesn't need Carol Anne to be led into the light. "I can take you into the light! You don't need Carol Anne! I have the knowledge and the power!" Also, almost every line delivery from actor Richard Fire as Dr. Seaton is hilarious, especially when that one woman asks him if he ever put Carol Anne under hypnosis, and he responds, rather flamboyantly with "It was terrifying." A lot of the dialog between the teenagers is equally ridiculous and the delivery just as awful. The late 80's fashions are plentiful in this movie as well, which I think is a good thing as it adds to the film's charm. The ultra 80's synthesized score by Joe Renzetti fits well with this film.

As far as the scary moments in this film go, they are few and far between. But there are two scenes in particular that always make me shudder. One being the scene when Scott rips the skin off Donna's face, and then they proceed to giggle as they walk down the hallway holding hands. The other scene is when Donna appears by coming out of Tangina's body, screaming very loudly. In my opinion, these are the only two scenes I found to be frightening and disturbing throughout the entire movie. Of course, when I first saw this movie as a child, I got scared when Kane got his head chopped off by a shovel by Pat and then reappeared seconds later unharmed. This I no longer find scary at all.

All in all, this movie is not that bad if you allow yourself to separate it from the other two superior Poltergeist films. It is still pretty enjoyable in its own way.

Oh, I almost forgot: "Don't forget the cilantro."