Poltergeist: Real-Life Horror, Real Skeletons, & The Price Paid

In 1982, Poltergeist made viewers really terrified of the dark. Even mature adults became kids again who hid under the blanket terrified of the monster underneath. But more than psychological horrors, there was real horror. That was the skeletons used in the movie. And, those skeletons made the cast and crew pay a heavy price. Read on for more details.

Real Skeletons, Real Deaths

When the promos arrived, the tagline was “They’re here.” Well, they were here, so speak. The skeletons in the horror film directed by Tobe Hooper (known for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) and produced by Steven Spielberg, were real ones. Yep, dead people’s bits and pieces. However, nobody mentioned that to the cast.

You might remember that later, the movie became known for the “Poltergeist Curse” because of the tragic death of Dominique Dunne (Dana Freeling). In 1982, she died a horrific death after her ex, John Thomas Sweeney, strangled her in West Hollywood. Then, there was Heather O’Rourke (Carol Anne). At the tender age of 12, she passed away from a severe bowel obstruction.

However, the shocking part about it, long before anyone passed away, was the bottom-line budget decision made before filming.

The Cheap Secrecy

If you watched the movie, you might recall that in Poltergeist, one scene showed JoBeth Williams (Diane Freeling) falling into a muddy pool full of skeletons. Naturally, at the time, she believed they were fake skeletons.

But, she later discovered that Hollywood has a few skeletons in their own cupboard. In fact, the production team bought real skeletons because of the cost factor. Simply put: They were cheaper than pretend bones.

Questionable Ethics?

Years later, sounding shocked, the actress who played the role of the mom desperate to protect her family from evil spirits spoke with TV Land. She said:

In my innocence, I thought they were plastic…I found out, as did the whole crew, that they were using real skeletons, because it’s too expensive to make fake skeletons out of rubber.

Additionally, she mentioned how the truth, when it emerged, left a sense of “heaviness” on set. Well, it must have felt really beyond, knowing you treaded water next to dead people for hours on end. Worse, perhaps there were sniggers from those in the know. Plus, the ethics of it seem, in retrospect, rather poor.

The Shaman’s Warning

In May of 1985, filming started for a sequel named Poltergeist II: The Other Side. However, it seemed the cast felt unsettled and a bit rattled. That’s when a real-life Creek medicine man felt as if something seemed way far from normal.

If you don’t know, Will Sampson, known from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, acted the role of a shaman in the movie. He was there to help the Freeling family fight off the terrifying evil spirit of Reverend Henry Kane.

Notably, he not only acted, but in his life away from the cameras, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation man was a shaman. So, when he felt something was wrong, you better believe it.

Night Rituals

Taking up his beliefs, co-star Zelda Rubinstein who played the role of Tangina Barrons, a psychic medium told The A.V. Club that Sampson took it all very seriously. So, he did something about it. In her recollection, she said, “He came in at 10 o’clock at night…He went up and he cleared it.” Sage, prayer, the whole ritual. He tried to scrub the “unsettling energy” the crew kept reporting.

Did it work? Well, according to Craig T. Nelson, who played the role of the Freeling family dad, Steve, the rituals did help a bit. Things felt a bit lighter afterward.

The Aftermath

Sadly, Sampson died less than two years after the sequel dropped. He passed away following complications from a heart-lung transplant. While many skeptics simply took that as bad luck, others noted a supernatural curse existed because of disrespect to the dead.

Even though the filming of Poltergeist didn’t happen on native ground, it was about disturbed graves. And, people believed Sampson when he felt the spiritual vibes from the skeletons.

If you ever watched the movies, the story centered around property developers who took away headstones, but left the bodies intact under the ground. In the storyline, the dead became vengeful and haunted the Freeling family, notably attacking the young daughter, Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke).

Paying The Price

From accounts by cast and crew, it seems that penny-pinching Hollywood caused a situation that made them carry a lot of weight for decades. Who paid the price in the end? Well, people like the shaman and JoBeth Williams who swam around with the remains of dead people.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all our supernatural and spooky news and updates.