Heather O'Rourke's Influence on 'Paranormal Activity 3'
Not many child actress roles are iconic enough to become pop culture references. But Heather O'Rourke's performance as Carol Anne in the Poltergeist trilogy put her "They're he-re!" tagline on the list of movie catchphrases. We sat up in our chairs when the new extended trailer for Paranormal Activity 3 even made a reference to her.
Not wanting to miss out on one penny of potential hit horror movies, the makers of the Paranormal Activity franchise quickly set to work on a third movie after enjoying huge successes with their first two films (released October '09 and '10). PA3, set for release on October 21, takes place in 1988 and follows Kristi and Katie (adults in the first two films) as little girls, when they first begin to encounter the demonic forces that will haunt them into adulthood. At first, the unexplained moving objects seem harmless enough, and young Kristi refers to the being as her imaginary friend.
The film is set up as a home movie recorded by the girls' dad in an attempt to find an explanation for the phenomena. "There's something in the house," he says as he sets up his camera. "Kristi's, like, connected to it. A real-life poltergeist. She's like Carol Anne." The first Poltergeist film was released in 1982, just six years before PA3 takes place. Carol Anne, like Kristi, is the first in the family to pick up on the otherwordly presence into their home. In one scene in the PA3 trailer, an unseen force grabs the girls' mom, pulls her backward, and throws her onto a bed. The same thing happens to Carol Anne's mom in Poltergeist.
Both horror films became triologies, but Heather O'Rourke died in 1988, at age 13, while filming Poltergeist III. The studio used a body-double to complete her role. Her tragic, untimely death is one reason why her performances as Carol Anne remain so haunting and so famous. The New York Times wrote in their review of Poltergeist II, "With her wide eyes, long blonde hair and soft voice, she was so striking that the sequel played off her presence."
Hoping to maintain the real-life feeling -- even though being part of a trilogy kinda gives away that it's fictional -- producers have not released names of most of the cast in PA3. The identity of the two young actresses playing Katie and Kristi remain a secret for now, but like most Paranormal Activity players, they're probably unknowns with no previous acting experience.
Not wanting to miss out on one penny of potential hit horror movies, the makers of the Paranormal Activity franchise quickly set to work on a third movie after enjoying huge successes with their first two films (released October '09 and '10). PA3, set for release on October 21, takes place in 1988 and follows Kristi and Katie (adults in the first two films) as little girls, when they first begin to encounter the demonic forces that will haunt them into adulthood. At first, the unexplained moving objects seem harmless enough, and young Kristi refers to the being as her imaginary friend.
The film is set up as a home movie recorded by the girls' dad in an attempt to find an explanation for the phenomena. "There's something in the house," he says as he sets up his camera. "Kristi's, like, connected to it. A real-life poltergeist. She's like Carol Anne." The first Poltergeist film was released in 1982, just six years before PA3 takes place. Carol Anne, like Kristi, is the first in the family to pick up on the otherwordly presence into their home. In one scene in the PA3 trailer, an unseen force grabs the girls' mom, pulls her backward, and throws her onto a bed. The same thing happens to Carol Anne's mom in Poltergeist.
Both horror films became triologies, but Heather O'Rourke died in 1988, at age 13, while filming Poltergeist III. The studio used a body-double to complete her role. Her tragic, untimely death is one reason why her performances as Carol Anne remain so haunting and so famous. The New York Times wrote in their review of Poltergeist II, "With her wide eyes, long blonde hair and soft voice, she was so striking that the sequel played off her presence."
Hoping to maintain the real-life feeling -- even though being part of a trilogy kinda gives away that it's fictional -- producers have not released names of most of the cast in PA3. The identity of the two young actresses playing Katie and Kristi remain a secret for now, but like most Paranormal Activity players, they're probably unknowns with no previous acting experience.