r/fanedits • u/Fanedit895 • 23h ago
Review A Review of Poltergeist – Beyond the Veil by Baliscon
Balsicon comes at us with a special two-in-one presentation!
Poltergeist is another one of those franchises where the original is considered a classic while all the follow ups never managed to escape its shadow. Baliscon combines the original with the second movie, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, into a single feature. Despite the fact that neither the director Tobe Hooper nor Steven Spielberg returned for the sequel, the switch between movies is not as jarring as you'd expect it to be, as II kept to a lot of the visual language and effects from the original.
Speaking as someone who's never seen either movie, looking at the cut list left me stunned. Baliscon's trims to them were largely unnoticeable to a newcomer, removing reaction shots or pauses which no doubt created a faster pace. If Poltergeist II had a bad reputation of any sort, Baliscon must have done a good enough job cleaning it up because I actually enjoyed the second half of the edit. I liked the Preacher character and how he gets into mindgames with the dad, he feels like a threat that wouldn't have been too out of place in the original. A good touch is how Baliscon added dialogue from Preacher Kane to an important scene in the first movie that was not only seamless but helps better connect it to the sequel. The removal of the Poltergeist II opening credits was also incredibly smooth, I didn't notice that a shot was cropped at all. Apparently Baliscon applied some effects in areas, particularly during the other world sequence to make it more supernatural, that I thought looked good.
The only reason I wouldn't fully say it was a seamless experience isn't because of Baliscon's edits but because of a notable yet unfortunate absence. The actress for Dana, Dominique Dunne, had apparently been murdered before Poltergeist II was made, so that character was neither recast nor given an explanation for her absence. It is entirely understandable why the makers of II wouldn't do it, but for this edit it does mean that it isn't quite a perfect transition between films.
Otherwise, like Baliscon's other work this is a high quality edit, great video with subtitles attached to it. Check it out and see for yourself!