Nearly 40 years after Heather O’Rourke’s death, her family has addressed the speculation that has followed the young Poltergeist star for decades.
O’Rourke died on February 1, 1988, at just 12 years old—only months before Poltergeist III arrived in cinemas.
The actor became widely known for playing Carol Anne Freeling, debuting in 1982’s Poltergeist and returning for two sequels.
Before the third film’s release, she suffered a fatal cardiac arrest caused by congenital stenosis of the intestine.
In the years since, online theories have claimed the franchise was “cursed,” fueled by the fact that multiple cast members died within a relatively short span of time.
Alongside O’Rourke, Dominique Dunne, Will Sampson, and Julian Beck also passed away, which has helped keep the rumour mill turning.
Those conversations are revisited in a Prime Video documentary titled She Was Here, which features reflections from O’Rourke’s family, friends, and colleagues. The film arrives in what would have been her 50th year and explores how persistent commentary about her death has impacted those closest to her.
Tammy O’Rourke, Heather’s sister, shares in the doc: “One of the biggest things we’ve come to notice lately is these comments for years on website and stuff where they talked about Heather. Everyone thinks they know better than our mom, or better than us.”
She went on to say of the comments about if Heather could have been saved before her passing and the idea that she was ‘cursed’: “I’m sure it comes from a good place. They have a good heart and they’re trying to be nice about it, but it’s just so hurtful. So many things, just jabs that they say about her.”
Heather’s mom, Kathleen, also appears in the programme.
See the trailer here:
Craig T. Nelson, who played Carol Anne’s father in the films, also pushes back on the idea of a “curse” in the documentary, according to People.
“What curse? I mean, come on,” he says in the documentary, per People.
Addressing the fact that he didn’t feature in the final movie, Nelson added: “That’s part of the reason why I didn’t want to do the third one. That’s so ridiculous.”
Director Gary Sherman also comments on the narrative that has formed around the franchise—and why he believes it unfairly overshadows O’Rourke’s memory.
He stated: “For all of this stuff and the Poltergeist curse and all of this to be heaped upon her memory, that’s just not fair and not good.”
Variety reports that other figures connected to the series, including JoBeth Williams, Zach Galligan, Gary Sherman and Chris Alexander, also take part in the documentary.
She Was Here is now streaming on Prime Video in the US.