‘Poltergeist’ child star’s family fights conspiracy theories 38 years later

More than 38 years after Heather O’Rourke’s death, her family continues to endure the shadow of bitter rumors that refuse to fade.

The child star, who became famous for her role as Carol Anne Freeling in the 1982 film “Poltergeist”, died in 1988 due to complications of intestinal stenosis. He was only 12 years old and was preparing for the release of “Poltergeist III”.

Now O’Rourke is the subject of a new documentary called “Heather O’Rourke: She Was Here,” which features rare interviews with her family, friends and co-stars. They emphatically deny the painful conspiracy theories that have persisted in the decades since his death.

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“The rumors hit Tammy hard; that’s Heather’s sister,” filmmaker Nick Bailey told Fox News Digital. he said.

“Tammy was originally on a podcast that I did, and she was talking about the damage this was doing to her and her daughters. She has two daughters, and they were trying to defend Heather online.”

Craig T. Nelson watches Heather O’Rourke approach the television with JoBeth Williams in a scene from the movie “Poltergeist,” circa 1982. (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

There was a lot of misinformation. A social media post claimed O’Rourke was murdered by a Hollywood pedophile ring. Another claimed that former child star Macaulay Culkin encountered someone who said his shoes were made from O’Rourke’s leather. Strange rumors enraged and deeply shook loved ones.

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“What Heather’s mother, Kathleen, can’t get used to is rumors of abuse,” Bailey said. “These are the hurtful ones because they are so fabricated and ridiculous. And for the record, the author of the post has since removed all mention of these rumors from his website because it was just a made-up story to get clicks. After I pointed out to them how hurtful this was to the family, I think it made that person think, ‘Wow, I’m hurting people with my words and maybe I should be more careful.'”

Heather O’Rourke quickly rose to fame with her roles in “Poltergeist” and “Happy Days.” (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

“This is our message to everyone, the people who are called keyboard warriors, the people who just type things and don’t know if it’s real or not,” Bailey continued.

“It affects people and it hurts. It makes the pain become real again, from losing Heather to having to deal with these ridiculous stories. These are things that were thrust upon this family as things that should never have happened, which is why we made the movie in the first place.”

Heather O’Rourke as Carol Anne Freeling in the 1982 film “Poltergeist.” (Pictorial Press Ltd./ALAMY)

“This is truly damaging to both the people involved and Heather’s memory,” he said. “And for Kathleen, the grief never goes away.”

One of the legends that has been circulating in the family for years is the “Poltergeist Curse”. The saga emerged when four actors associated with the ’80s film trilogy (O’Rourke, Dominique Dunne, Julian Beck and Will Sampson) died during or after filming.

“Poltergeist” actress Dominique Dunne (second from left) was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 1982. He was 22 years old. (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

“These are a lot of unfortunate situations,” Bailey said. “A lot of times, things like whether someone is in poor health or whether it was just a very random accident are explained. But if the curse is to blame for the deaths of actors in a movie, I think [people] We attribute something supernatural to a horror movie because it’s really easy, right? It’s an easy connection. But this is not real. “There are a number of unfortunate circumstances surrounding people who star in a movie.”

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Drew Barrymore (left) and Heather O’Rourke (right) are photographed together, photo date unknown. (© RTNBarr/MediaPunch/ALAMY)

O’Rourke was first diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, which is caused by a parasite. However, an intestinal obstruction resulting from the birth defect described in the film was discovered hours before his death, according to Bailey.

“So about a year before Heather got sick, [her mom] He started noticing Heather’s feet were swollen,” Bailey said.

Heather O’Rourke and Henry Winkler as Fonzie on the set of “Happy Days.” (Disney General Entertainment Content via ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

“He would have to drive down the long mountain road in Big Bear, a 40-minute drive away, and go to local hospitals. At first they found a condition in the water, so they thought this was all attributed to that.”

Heather O’Rourke was seen filming “Poltergeist III” in 1988. He died on February 1, 1988, at the age of 12. (© Courtesy of MGM/Everett Collection)

“But the problems continued,” he said. “Heather had a stomach ache. Her feet were swollen. That’s when they moved to San Diego to be closer to medical care. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, but ultimately did not develop Crohn’s disease.”

In the film, Kathleen tearfully describes how she desperately sought medical help to uncover what was wrong with her child. O’Rourke, meanwhile, had a bold smile on his face, eager to step onto the set and lose himself imaginatively in front of the cameras.

In 1988, 12-year-old Heather O’Rourke went into septic shock as a result of an intestinal obstruction. (Disney General Entertainment Content via ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

“All I can say between the medical care Heather received and what is available today is that technology has clearly advanced over 30 years,” Bailey said. “If his problems were happening today, I think they would be caught with modern ultrasounds and MRIs. I’m not a medical professional, but technology has advanced so much that these things probably wouldn’t go unnoticed.”

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Friends of Heather O’Rourke spoke in Nick Bailey’s documentary. (First Star Media)

“In 1988, I think they did their best to figure out what was wrong with the technology they had,” Bailey added.

Heather O’Rourke was photographed in Los Angeles. With his mother’s permission, he was keen to pursue a career in show business. (Ron Wolfson/WireImage/Getty Images)

In the documentary, Kathleen reveals that for years she carried overwhelming guilt over her daughter’s death and agonized over whether there was anything she could have done differently to save her. Conspiracy theories deepened this wound even further.

“Kathleen is a sweet woman who just wanted to share her daughter’s story,” Bailey said. “Those rumors really affected the family. The biggest thing Kathleen wants people to know is that they are real people. And when people write things online, they need to think about how it’s going to affect the family or anyone who knew Heather. Even now, when Kathleen talks about Heather, it’s still very hurtful to her. It hurts to relive the loss of your child every day. And Heather was loved.”

Heather O’Rourke’s mother, Kathleen, talked about her daughter’s last days on camera. (First Star Media)

Today, Bailey hopes to make amends but also show what can happen.

“They always said Heather was an old soul,” he said. “He was wise beyond his years. He knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a producer and director. Even when he was seven years old, we have an interview where he talked about exactly what he wanted to be in the documentary. Everyone we talked to said he would be a great director one day. He loved holding a camera.”

Heather O’Rourke was seen on set in 1983. (Disney General Entertainment Content via ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

“That’s all he wanted to do in ‘Poltergeist III,'” Bailey said. “All little 12-year-old Heather wanted to do was sit in Gary Sherman’s chair and watch him direct the movie. She was fascinated. She wanted to be on set all the time. I believe Heather will definitely not only be a great actress, but will also follow in Drew Barrymore’s footsteps.”

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Heather O’Rourke is buried at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. (First Star Media)

“So sad,” thought Bailey. “I wish Heather were here. I wish we were making this movie with her and not about her.”

“Heather O’Rourke: She Was Here” is available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home and Google Play.