10 Things You Didn't Know About Poltergeist

10. Zelda Rubinstein Was A Real Life Psychic

Actress Zelda Rubinstein may have netted for her first major film role as the part of the spiritual medium Tangina because in real life, she was a psychic and medium. Although it would take a little bit of convincing because apparently, she auditioned four times for the role. Ultimately, all of her scenes were filmed and finished in a mere six days.

Zelda claimed to have experienced visions of things before they happened. One striking example is when her dog came to her and said goodbye. Just hours later, she was contacted by her mother to say that Zelda's pet dog had passed away.

Film critic Pauline Kael, who mostly didn’t like the Poltergeist movie, gave special praise for Rubinstein’s portrayal of the eccentric Tangina, claiming she gave the movie life and made it more believable.

In 1983, she won a Saturn award for Best Supporting Actress and it became the beginning of her long, successful screen career.