The Poltergeist Curse: Hollywood's Most Haunted Horror Film

When Poltergeist was released in 1982, it became an instant horror classic. But in the years that followed, stories of real human skeletons, tragic deaths, on set accidents and whispered blessings gave rise to one of Hollywood's most enduring legends. This week, we explore the making of the film, the strange stories that surrounded it, and the curse that many believe still lingers over the franchise.

The BOOK

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Research Links:

https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56862-POLTERGEIST

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084516/locations/

https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Poltergeist-(1982)

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/nov/03/if-id-known-the-skeletons-were-real-id-have-been-even-more-disgusted-how-we-made-poltergeist

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/poltergeist-at-40

https://library.umbc.edu/specialcollections/garrett/hauntings/poltergeists/seaford-poltergeist/

https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/was-twilight-zone-episode-little-girl-lost-inspiration-for-poltergeist

https://www.horrordna.com/features/interview-oliver-robins

https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/the-poltergeist-curse-its-heeere

https://www.dominiquedunne.com/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1746/heather-o'rourke

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2887/julian-beck

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6964/will-sampson

Thanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again on tomorrow.

Sarah and Tobie xx

"Spacial Winds," Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licenced under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licence

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

About The Whispering Woods

The Whispering Woods is a UK paranormal storytelling podcast exploring true ghost stories, unexplained mysteries, haunted history and folklore from around the world.

From firsthand paranormal encounters to historical hauntings and centuries-old legends, we bring you atmospheric stories of the strange and unexplained.

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