It was the mid-80s. I was 12 years old and visiting my relatives in San Diego. They had a VCR and popped on Poltergeist for the family to watch. I wasn’t a fan of horror movies at the time. And it’s debatable that Poltergeist is actually horror. More suburban supernatural haunted house fodder.
My aunt and uncle’s house where I was staying is nestled in suburbia, a sprawling ranch style home that felt too quiet. And maybe a little bit haunted. I watched the movie while hiding my eyes. And it made an impact.
I went to bed that night unable to get the iconic imagery of Poltergeist out of my head: clowns, ghosts, corpses. “You only moved the headstones!” Craig T. Nelson screams. “What’s happening?!” Dominque Dunne screams. And for what feels like an entire third of the movie, the whole fucking Freeling family screams “Carol Anne” at the top of their lungs after their daughter disappears into a spectral bedroom closet. Poltergeist made a lasting impact on not only on me, but moviegoers everywhere. It introduced gothic scares into everyday American household settings.
Fast forward to today. Two sequels later, Poltergeist is firmly ensconced in the American motion picture zeitgeist. Complete with an unforgettable tagline, “They’re here!” uttered by Carol Anne herself as portrayed by Heather O’Rourke.
Discovered at the MGM Studios commissary when she tagged along with her mom as older sister Tammy was shooting a production nearby, Heather was approached by Steven Spielberg.
In She Was Here, an emotional documentary by director Nick Bailey, Heather and her mother didn’t know who Steven was at that moment. It was when they later entered his production office so Heather could be interviewed for a possible movie role that they quickly noted the movie posters for Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind on the walls. It was then they knew.
Spielberg conveyed he needed a young actor to play the daughter of the Freelings. E.T. and Poltergeist were being helmed at the same time by Spielberg and Heather was even in consideration to play Gertie in E.T. while Drew Barrymore was briefly entertained as a possible Carol Anne. (Drew ultimately got the spunkier daughter role in the sci-fi alien epic.)
She Was Here gives detailed accounts, mostly from Heather’s mother Kathleen, about Heather’s rise to fame. No stone is left unturned. She Was Here feels personal. An attempt to invite the viewer into an intimate history of a young girl’s ascension into the Hollywood machine.
Heather is depicted as a bright light, much like her character Carol Anne is to the restless spirits in Poltergeist. A vibrant energy that everyone envied and embraced. “Here” reveals more beyond Heather’s role in movies, also detailing her turn on television’s “Happy Days” as well as her time on “Our House” where she convincingly played a blind girl for one episode.
Even included are memories from Zach Galligan of Spielberg property Gremlins where he shares having worked with Heather on the television movie “Surviving”.
Completists will be intrigued by the clips from the TV special “Believe You Can…And You Can!” where Heather helped promote the advent of the new Fantasyland at Disneyland in the mid-80s.
Interestingly, Heather’s early life began at a trailer park behind Disneyland in Anaheim where she and her sister grew up. In addition to her mother’s accounts, we get to meet and hear from Heather’s grade school friends (now adult) who share of their strong bond with the young girl.
Included are their recollections of Heather’s long battle with an unknown flulike condition that went undiagnosed and, tragically, led to her untimely death at just 12 years of age.
Mother Kathleen O’Rourke tells in great detail the last day she spent with her daughter where it was discovered (far too late) that Heather was suffering from an undetected intestinal blockage. The disheartening conclusion of this documentary – had it only been discovered sooner, a simple operation could have saved poor Heather.
Her untimely death and the ensuing wake of arbitration with the hospital that neglected to detect the blockage plays out pointedly while Kathleen and those in Heather’s orbit recount their memories.
Ultimately, these accounts, paired with that of original Poltergeist cast Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams, add up to a documentary that is full of heart. A heart much like Heather’s: bright, loving and shining. A beacon to all who encountered her.
Coincidentally, Heather was born and passed in San Diego, herself a longtime California resident.
I think back on that night in San Diego watching this iconic movie and how much Poltergeist left an indelible mark on my mind. She Was Here also leaves an indelible mark on the viewer, respectfully and decidedly reminding all of us that Heather indeed was here.
