Summary
- Poltergeist 2's Reverend Kane, played by Julian Beck, is an iconic horror villain despite Beck's battle with stomach cancer during filming.
- Beck's health condition added to the eerie appearance of Reverend Kane, making him even more terrifying on screen.
- Julian Beck ed away before post-production was completed, leading to some of his lines being re-recorded by a sound-alike. His death contributed to the "Poltergeist Curse" surrounding the franchise.
1986 sequel the Steven Spielberg-produced original.
That said, Poltergeist 2 has a huge fanbase, thanks to the return of the Freelings, and Julian Beck's mesmerizing villain. Reverend Kane is actually the human form of the entity known as "The Beast," which almost managed to permanently take Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) away from the Freelings. Having The Beast take a human guise turned out to be a blessing, as Beck succeeded in turning Reverend Kane into a hypnotic figure. Sadly, in real life, Beck was himself on the brink of death, and barely finished Poltergeist 2's production. This, however, only makes Kane from Poltergeist even more impressive.
Actor Julian Beck was born in 1925, with his first movie role being the narration of Narcissus in 1958. In 2004, 19 years after his death, he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Watch Poltergeist II: The Other Side on Hulu
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Poltergeist 2's Reverend Kane Actor Was Dying of Stomach Cancer During Filming
The Actor Was Diagnosed In 1983
Primarily a stage actor, Julian Beck had only appeared in a handful of films when he landed the role of Reverend Kane in Poltergeist 2: The Other Side. Beck's gaunt appearance and sunken eyes added immensely to his portrayal of Kane, giving the Reverend the visage of a living skeleton. Famously, the first time young actress O'Rourke saw him on set, she reportedly started crying out of intense fear.
The sad truth is that Julian Beck was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1983, and was still battling the illness when production began on Poltergeist 2. His skeletal appearance was due to the disease eating away at his body, which only continued to get worse during filming. Still, Beck was determined to finish what would become his final screen appearance. Whether Julian Beck intended to do it, the veteran actor perfectly leveraged his health condition at the time, which helped Beck create one of the most iconic horror villains from the '80s.
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Poltergeist 2's Reverend Kane Actor ed Away During Post-Production
The Actor Died On September 14, 1985, Eight Months Before The Movie's Release
On September 14, 1985, at the age of 60, Julian Beck ed away, and at that point, Poltergeist 2 was still over eight months away from theatrical release, and still undergoing post-production work. Since Beck died before that could be completed, some of his lines in the film were re-recorded by a sound-alike voice actor.
Julian Beck's untimely death tends to be used as an example of the so-called "Poltergeist Curse," since several cast and crew involved with the franchise met early or tragic ends. Many have speculated that this "curse" is due to the fact that the first Poltergeist film used real-life skeletons in its most chilling scenes. Tellingly, in 1988, Reverend Kane was recast for Poltergeist 3, and it in no way compared to the iconic Julian Beck's Poltergeist villain.
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Julian Beck Wasn't The Only Poltergeist Cast Member To Tragically Away
Heather O'Rourke Dies From A Mysterious Bowel Obstruction
As unfounded as Hollywood curses are, it's notable how several other Poltergeist franchise cast also suffered similarly tragic fates. This includes Will Sampson, the Indigenous American shaman in Poltergeist 2, who died two years after Julian Beck died. Perhaps the eeriest death of all was suffered by Heather O'Rourke, who played Carol Anne Freeling, as she died from a mysterious bowel obstruction after completing her work in Poltergeist 3.
There are several other deaths in the Poltergeist and Poltergeist 2 cast before and after Julian Beck died. In Beck's case though, his demise was already sadly in motion before even g on to play Reverend Kane. Whether the "Poltergeist Curse" is real or not, all of these deaths connected to the films only lend more notoriety to the already-iconic Poltergeist franchise.
