10 Horror Movie Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
9. Poltergeist Used Real Skeletons... Because They're Cheaper
Remember that scene in Poltergeist where mother Diane is thrown into a half-constructed swimming pool populated with mud, skeletons, and supernatural coffins? We all do, since it's seared into our memories along with that clown doll with an affinity for strangling children, and you'd think by extension that there wasn't much that could outdo these traumatising moments in what's supposed to be a PG film. But of course, there is. There always is.
The reason we see such realistic cadavers as they float around the grot Diane is trying to escape is because they are, in fact, real. The filmmakers saved money on the budget by sourcing bodies from a medical supply company rather than making their own prop versions instead, as plastic skeletons weren't widely or readily available at the time of the film's shooting.
As for the clown doll, the strangulation scene was made all the more real as the thing WAS actually choking poor Oliver Robbins whilst he was acting - with the crew only noticing once he'd turned purple.