Poltergeist II: The Other Side

Poltergeist #2

by James Kahn

Having escaped the horrors of their haunted Cuesta Verde home, the Freeling family moves to Phoenix only to find themselves tormented by a mysterious voice, a swarm of bees, a walking dead man, and other terrors

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Ghosts, Thriller, Paranormal, Fantasy, Media Tie In

179 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 12, 1986

About the author

James Kahn is an ER doctor, novelist, TV writer-producer, and singer-songwriter. In addition to many original novels (including the sci-fi trilogy World Enough and Time, Time’s Dark Laughter, and Timefall) he authored the novelizations of Return of the Jedi, Poltergeist, The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

His television credits span the genres, from St. Elsewhere, to William Shatner’s TekWar, to Xena: Warrior Princess. He was a Supervising Producer on Star Trek: Voyager, Co-Executive Producer on Melrose Place, Emmy-nominated for his work on All My Children, medical advisor on Spielberg’s ET: The Extraterrestrial; and produced the feature film The Bet, which won Best Feature at the LA Femme Film Festival, 2013.

He’s previously released four Americana music CDs, including Waterline, The 12th Elf, Man Walks Into A Bar, and The Meaning of Life. Matamoros is the first simultaneous novel and CD release, and his first foray into deeply researched historical fiction.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a blast from the past. The second part of Poltergeist was always my favorite and this novelization fully did it for me. Evil is sneaking in in form of Henry Kane, one of uncanniest characters ever. What did he do to his followers? Why is he so fixated on Carol Anne? Can the Freelings escape the Beast after moving to Phoenix? Is Tangina still with them? And what is Taylor's role and why does he know Kane so well? This novel gives interesting background information beyond the movie. You'll learn about Indian myths, the fight between good and evil and come to know about the relationship between Kane and Taylor. Finally after so many years (the 80s) Poltergeist is completely explained to me. Brilliant add-on to the movie, fast paced (couldn't put it down, read the book in a single session), dark, many uncanny moments and the most sinister Reverend ever. What can I say? Highly recommended. Definitely summing up of Poltergeist!

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

E. Buzz has to be the stupidest pet name ever.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved this book was very much like the movie :)

[Mikepottz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robbie deprived of TV by his parents. The Freeling family escaped from Cuesta Verde 4 years ago to Phoenix. An archaeological dig is going on at the old Freeling house. Carol Anne still having nightmares and afraid or strangers has the dreamsight- a kind of sight that encompasses different realms. Robbie pleads for a TV, dad remembers that was the problem, those hypnotic visions, entered his house, ruined his life. Since the house disappeared 4 years ago the insurance company refuses to pay. Their new house starts to shake, just like before and Carol Anne says calmly "they're here", not again. Robbie will have his braces come alive, like cable wires wrapping around his face, cocooned like an alien spider web. Then it just disappears. An evil man Henry Kane, centuries before killed a bunch of Native Americans and barricaded his folk into the caves depriving them of oxygen. In the new Freeling house a Thing, huge mutant fetus, ribs exposed, dripping matter, head nearly human, continuing to grow will attack the family. Toys come alive, a stuffed monkey will throw screwdrivers, nails, a chainsaw comes alive. They escape and go back to the original place Cuesta Verde to confront the evil.

[George L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kahn’s writing style is both descriptive and immersive, and just like the previous instalment, allows readers to experience the same unsettling atmosphere that permeates the film. Together with his ability to write vivid descriptions, his skillful prose evokes a palpable sense of place, making the environments in which the story takes place both familiar and unsettling.

One of the novelisation’s strengths is its character development. Kahn provides readers with a more nuanced understanding of the Freeling family, intricately exploring their emotional turmoil and the psychological scars left by their previous encounters with the otherworldly forces in Cuesta Verde. For instance, Steve's struggles with denial and the burden of protecting his family from an unseen enemy are palpable, as is his dislike of Jess encouraging Carol Anne to embrace her psychic abilities.

For all its strengths, though, I do have some slight criticism regarding the book's pacing, which felt a little like stopping and starting. There are some places throughout the story where the paranormal activity is ramping up, enrapturing you and keeping you n the edge of your seat, but then suddenly fizzles out and often, a couple of slower scenes follow in quick succession. I found this to be a little frustrating but, ultimately, it didn't take too much away from the experience.


Overall, James Kahn's deft storytelling and imaginative expansion of the Poltergeist universe make this novelization a significant contribution to the horror and Novelisation genres. With its rich character development, chilling atmosphere, and profound emotional resonance, it is a haunting read that lingers long after the end. If you are a fan of paranormal drama, horror and stories about family, then you'll enjoy this book.

[Adam Sharples · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always found the sequel to Poltergeist to be a bit of an anomaly. Its was as if the first movie wasn't expected to be as successful as it was, so they did a second movie to create some sort of back story to the its predecessors events. So since watching it back in the 80's I've never had a chance to read the novelisation, until now.

It took a while to get hold of a copy as it's been out of print for years. But I'm glad I finally did.

Set a few years after the first film, this story sees the Freelings hunted down by "The beast". With his lust for the young Carol Anne even stronger. So what we have here is essentially the first film, albeit not as focused.

The best thing about this book though is that it was based on the original screenplay. So, like a director's cut of a movie, this is a slightly different version to the one seen in the cinema. Taylor's spirit journey is fleshed out more and in a different order to that on screen. And we get more of Kane's backstory and why he likes Carol Anne. We also get the return of Dr Lesh, the blonde woman who lead the initial investigation in the Freeling household, albeit briefly, her appearance definitely felt like it was cut from the film as it was essentially pointless.

At the end of the day though, this is an ok story. Dated and one worth to visit if you get a copy. And if you do get a copy, hold onto it because they are rare.

I think I'll give the third instalment a miss.

[Fátima Perochena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta novelización es la continuación de Poltergeist, en la que se narran las desventuras de la familia Freeling después de haber huido de su casa en Cuesta Verde Estates. Personajes nuevos y conocidos se encuentran en esta historia de amor filial, unión familiar y lucha contra el mal.

En general, me pareció una novelización fiel de la película, que solo vi una vez hace ya un tiempo. Me tomó muchísimo tiempo terminar esta novela, porque a la mitad del camino perdí el interés. Definitivamente, la primera es muchísimo mejor. Sin embargo, en líneas generales, me pareció bastante decente y entretenida.

Hubo una parte que me gustó mucho del capítulo 6, cuando Taylor y Steven están pasando tiempo juntos mientras se preparan para el enfrentamiento con la “Bestia”:

Two totems, he thought, and two lessons: Evil can enter your heart only if you invite it; and you are what you think you are, and what others think you are.

(Dos tótems, pensó, y dos lecciones: El mal puede entrar en tu corazón sólo si tu lo invitas; y si tu eres quien crees ser, y quien otros piensan que eres.)

Solo esta reflexión valió la pena todo el libro. Sin embargo, creo que solo vale la pena leer esta novelización si eres fan de la franquicia.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Poltergeist novel is indispensable, as it reveals the movie that might have been, if the industry had been both more advanced and more adventurous in the early 1980s. The second Poltergeist novel, while still a good read and probably more complete than the film, is less essential. The second movie already tries to do a little too much at once, mixing American Indian religion, new age mysticism and possession motifs into the ghost busting themes of the original. The novel ties these together a little better by incorporating some of the cosmic themes of the first novel, but there’s still a little too much going on thematically for the whole thing to fit as intrinsically as the first novel (superior in a few ways to the movie it turned out to be).

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poltergeist II is already an inferior sequel, but the novelization is somehow more ridiculous. It’s fun to read, no doubt, but be prepared to read a lot of ableist and racist sentences about characters Tangina and Taylor that the movie managed to avoid. This book is definitely a story about a man who lost his groove and apparently the only way to get that back is to be humbled by a demonic tequila worm.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book went a lot like the movie but gave insight that the movie could not show. For example what the characters were thinking. Also starting on page 154 it goes into a lot of the background history that ties together Cain and the native tribes.

You can find the book on Open Library for a one-hour loan. The book is now out of print and is rather expensive to buy for a paperback.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not going to read any more of these books. The author has a hard time straying from stereotypes, and his depictions of Native Americans are abysmal.

[Gr1972 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 out of 5

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Youtube

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the sound of Reverend Kane singing “God is in his Holy Temple,” didn’t scare you senseless when you saw the movie as a kid, you should definitely check out the movie tie-in chapter where a demonic Kane torments Carol Anne in her nightmares.

It wasn’t in the movie, and maybe it shouldn’t even be in the world, but if you want to lose some sleep tonight and the political landscape isn’t scary enough, read that chapter.

[Jean-Francois Boivin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one of those superior novelizations which makes the movie better. It has lots of added scenes (whether they were from the original movie script or from the mind of the author) that explain a lot more of what's happening, including everything that happened between the two films. There are few differences, but one is the events take place four years after the first movie, while in the movie POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE it is one year later. I enjoyed all four of James Kahn's movie novelizations.

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A much better novelization than the first one. This adds to the story once again, but in a much more effective manner. We actually find out what happened to Dana (the murder of Dominique Dunne was so upsetting that any idea of a recast was out of the question) and Dr Lesh. Although I enjoy the movie (and much more so than III), these little 'cut' scenes would have further improved it.

[Jackson Neumann]

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