As a kid growing up in the mid 80's, this was the first Poltergeist movie I ever saw in the series. There is a nostalgia factor for me in that regard. Watching it now as an adult many things I appreciated back then still ring true for me today. While the plot doesn't have a great flow like the first in the series, there is a lot of effort put into creating clever visuals in nearly every scene. The mirror tricks, the lighting and the overall tone of the movie feels uniquely special in the trilogy and while some may compare it unfavorably to the original, I evaluate it on its own merits and find it to be a very classic 80's horror movie in its own regard. A must watch in my opinion.

The original movie is a complete classic and no sequels really needed to be made but you know the 80's and the way they used to like churning out the sequels, poltergeist 2 is no where near as good as the original but it is still a great fun 80's horror with minor scares, the effects still look cool and there are some good practical scary effects etc, the credit is mainly due to the great cast from the original all returning to play their roles again as the family having to protect their daughter Carol Anne played by the talented Heather O Rourke who sadly passed after filming the third poltergeist movie (which was a better sequel) this sequel adds many new things to the mix and gets a bit messy and wasn't really well thought out but its still a fun 80's movie and has all the classic formula, check it out of course if your a fan of the series, its still better than the remake (2015) Lots of great special features from Shout Factory. So much better than the no frills MGM release. The Shout Factory edition is the only one to buy.

Great special features!! The second part of the Poltergeist saga is well worth watching. Special effects are great with a great interview with Oliver Robins.

being a huge fan of the original, the sequels got worst as time went on. yeah it was great seeing the family again (minus dana since dominque dunne who played her was murdered by her boyfriend after she filmed the original), and the midget psychic tangina, but it lacked the tone, suspense and feel of the original. this time around we get a medicine man indian played by the wonderful will sampson of one flew over the cuckos cuckos nes, who help the family battle the evil reverend kane aka the beast from part one who is still after carol anne to bring her into the light. he tries all matters of spooky ways including my favorite, the tools attacking the car. but in the end it fell flat. however, the bonus content makes up for it and gives great insight to the making of.

one of my favorite horror movies growing up. That old man is the scariest!