Horror History – The Poltergeist Prequel That Never Was
Steve Barton
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If there’s one thing we can take away from the sequels to Poltergeist, it’s the fact that Reverend Kane, especially the iteration played by a dying Julian Beck, is one of the most frightening characters to ever grace the screen.
So striking was he that the official Poltergeist III website reports we almost got a prequel centering on his character. According to the site an industry insider by the name of Macklin Crux brought some of the details to light.
“I was at Universal in the early ’90s and I heard about Poltergeist 4. Someone told me about a new script that was being developed about the pre-story: Kane and his followers. Kane was a healer (like an exorcist), a good-looking man who was a preacher who had fallen and was going to go to California to rid himself of the ‘demons.’ We were on the ‘western’ lot when it came up. I remember [describing the film as] ‘a Psychological thriller with less effects.’
As it turns out Kane’s backstory was going to tie him directly to Carol Anne.
“The development would make some sort of connection to the Freeling family of the future. Carol Anne was the great-great grand daughter or something equally ridiculous. I don’t remember if someone suggested it or if it was part of the original story but the ‘Freeling Family’ of the past escaped Kane at the end and were the only survivors. They were protected by an Indian medicine man. Sound Familiar? It should! This was originally part of the original Poltergeist property and elements (Kane, Indian medicine man, Family Clairvoyance, etc) were incorporated into Poltergeist 2.”
Is this something you guys would have wanted to see? Tell us in the comments section below.
https://youtu.be/n83c1aFWkOs
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