Many have likely come across the account of how real skeletons were used in the climactic scene of the movie.
While some dismiss it as a mere rumor, the truth is that real human skeletons were indeed employed in the film.
Special effects makeup artist Craig Reardon revealed this fact under oath during a deposition.
The backstory behind the skeletons featured in Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist remains unknown to many.
Hence, here’s a glimpse into this intriguing piece of movie trivia!
Although we discuss this on our Podcast Secret Level, for those who haven’t tuned in, this information is genuinely fascinating.
The scene with the skeletons occurs when JoBeth Williams’ character, Diane Freeling, encounters them while falling into the pool under construction.
The sight of these skeletons emerging from the water around her leaves her petrified.
Interestingly, this scene often crosses my mind whenever I swim in a pool!
The decision to use real skeletons was based on cost-efficiency, as it was more economical than creating artificial ones from plastic.
Surprisingly, JoBeth Williams was unaware of the real skeletons until after she had completed filming the scene.
In a VH1 interview from December 2002, Williams expressed her shock upon discovering the truth:
“I had to enter a tank filled with what I thought was mud alongside these skeletons — which, to my surprise, turned out to be real.
I initially assumed they were plastic, not actual skeletons.
It was truly a nightmare.”
Moreover, Williams elaborated on this experience in an interview for the TV Land show TV Land: Myths & Legends in 2008.
She recounted spending days in mud and slime surrounded by what she believed were prop skeletons made of plastic or rubber, only to later realize they were authentic.
The revelation disturbed both her and the crew, highlighting the unsettling nature of the situation.
The unsettling atmosphere caused by the skeletons extended beyond the first film, affecting the sequel, Poltergeist II: The Other Side.
Williams shared that her co-star Will Sampson, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, conducted an “exorcism” on the set to dispel the negative energy.
In 1982, special effects makeup artist Craig Reardon was deposed regarding a lawsuit against Spielberg by screenwriters Paul Clemens and Bennett Michael Yellin.
They alleged that Spielberg’s team plagiarized elements of their script for Poltergeist.
During his deposition, Reardon disclosed:
“We obtained a series of real biological surgical skeletons intended for educational purposes.
These were authentic skeletons sourced from India and altered to resemble decaying cadavers rather than pristine specimens.
We aimed to give them a haunting appearance instead of a clinical one.”
The whereabouts of these skeletons remain a mystery.
Despite my attempts to locate them, their current location remains unknown.
Could they be stored in a prop house or hidden away in a college basement?
The enigma surrounding this narrative never fails to captivate.
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