When Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper saw something in Heather O’Rourke during casting for Poltergeist, although nobody knew it as the time, a star was born. All she had to say was, “They’re here,” in Poltergeist. All those details are well explored in She Was Here – The Heather O’Rourke Story.
She went on to play the adorable Heather Pfister in Happy Days, along with a handful of other roles, before she suddenly passed away. Medical professionals at the time couldn’t pinpoint exactly which condition precipitated the eventual cardiac arrest, and to call it a result of the film’s paranormal origins is urban legend rather than fact.
What’s presented here is less about the curse and more about how a star is born. For anyone unfamiliar with the trilogy, a bit of history: four people connected to the franchise died before, during or after the release of each film.
Continue reading “Beyond the Curse: About Heather O’Rourke. She Was Here, Then and Now”