Poltergeist II: The Other Side

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

For horror freaks, there isn't a more heavier movie then Poltergeist to scare somebody really good. Steven Spielberg's co production and Tobe Hooper's excellent direction made Poltergeist what it is today, a classic with special effects still of this world and most of all a wonderful combination of comedy, spiritualism and pure terrifying horror. Of course you know how the score goes since Goldsmith frankly wrote a better horror soundtrack then The Omen, for which he by the way received an Oscar and his Poltergeist score just a nomination. Four years later and Goldsmith is back with Poltergeist II: The Other Side, the sequel movie which evidently missed the pure class of the original. Still containing the same wonderful cast, good ideas and almost same atmosphere, Jerry Goldsmith seemed fairly obvious in composing the score and also felt he wasn't throwing an opportunity away when he composed the score for the sequel. What made Poltergeist so brilliant was that in all its atonal music at times, it was so carefully mixed with the picture, it gave you goosebumps while hearing just noise. Also the wonderful fanfares and choral back up gave the score a next step in outer world territory and so it was with some anticipation that I was looking forward to Poltergeist II: The Other Side, which evidently was too high to join the original in the same league.

Perhaps consisting of a much bigger sound and scope, it doesn't mean the score on its own merits can create the same effect as the first. Poltergeist was a wonderful mix of styles but I feel this score just loses a bit of its value due to the sometimes crappy sounding electronics. They sound just like Innerspace and Gremlins and in either of those scores, they remained to have a value but not here, when they are heard in contrast to the big orchestral scope of the orchestra. Also a part of its loss of interest is the mere fact that its not a horror score and that it doesn't have the same level of music as the first. The primary main theme which remains the central point of either Poltergeist score is Carol Anne's theme, appearing briefly in many tracks like when it is light 'The Gift', dangerously unknowingly in 'Where are You?' or simply youthfully innocent in the last track 'Carol Anne's Theme', luckily not having the same utter scary laughing of the children's choir at the end of this track. The other themes which appear is first of all the theme for Taylor, the Indian who lives and protects the family against all evil, and this theme equally appears a lot. The first of course in the first track 'The Power' (which captured a sense of spirituality), wonderfully mixed in contrast to the Carol Anne theme in 'They're Back' and having a bit of heroic brass in 'Reaching Out'. This last track is one of the best because it has some interesting moments of score, like otherworldly strings and heroic brass work, containing even slight hints of fanfares but not for long.

The other central motif is for the evil (Kane) that once more threatens the family and especially little Carol Anne (who after the third film died several years later if people didn't know that, by the way the grand sister in the movie equally didn't return since she was murdered shortly after the making of the first movie, perhaps higher forces at work here?). Speaking of the evil theme, either it is performed on high strings (appearing not a lot yet noticeable in 'Reaching Out') or just furious with Omen chants in various tracks, including the better 'Dental Problems'. It is this choral frenzy at times that makes the score sound even a little bigger yet the sometimes awkward electronics make the effect at the same time disappear. Poltergeist 2: The Other Side becomes through this a normal good horror score, but it just doesn't come close to the actual scope of the original release. It doesn't have the moments of pure terrifying horror, not the choral amazement like heard in Poltergeist, or even The Final Conflict of the Omen series. Its basically a score which doesn't have the majesty comparable but when its Goldsmith its still good on its own. And that it is, the score still has variation, difference with the original and by so making it acceptable for whoever that is interested in the design. For those still wondering, there were 2 releases by Intrada and this is the expanded version, perhaps the difference with the other release might even make it better without me knowing it.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. The Power (7.50)

2. The Gift (1.59)

3. Where Are You? (2.11)

4. Late Call (3.28)

5. They're Back (3.40)

6. The Butterflies (0.52)

7. Dental Problems (2.20)

8. The Plan (3.18)

9. The Smoke (4.46)

10. The Worm / Vomit Creature (8.07)

11. Back To Cuesta Verde (3.17)

12. Reaching Out (8.31)

13. Carol Anne's Theme (3.06)

Total Length: 53.58

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=== Link to Composer Site: Jerry Goldsmith ===