The Poltergeist Pool Scene's Spooky Secret

Claim A says Poltergeist's pool skeletons were wax props from a prop shop. Claim B says Poltergeist's muddy pool scene used real human skeletons. Claim B is true, and Claim A is completely made up.

The proof surfaced in an unlikely place: a courtroom. In late 1982, makeup effects artist Craig Reardon was deposed in a lawsuit against Steven Spielberg, filed by two screenwriters who claimed the production had borrowed their script material.

Under oath, Reardon said he had acquired "actual biological surgical skeletons", the kind hung in classrooms for study. He said they were real skeletons from real people, and he believed the bones came from India.

The art department got them from a biological supply company instead of ordering replicas. Many outlets say real bones were cheaper than quality plastic ones, but that price comparison comes from Reardon's account and secondary reporting, not a documented receipt.

Meanwhile, JoBeth Williams spent roughly four or five days covered in mud and goop, surrounded by bones. She assumed they were plastic or rubber. She later learned the truth and called it "a real nightmare."

As for the "Poltergeist curse," that part is legend. The skeletons are documented, but the claim that they caused cast and crew misfortunes is a fan theory, and Reardon himself has pushed back on it.

As for Claim A, the skeletons were not wax. They were genuine human skeletons from a biological supply company.

Think you'd have spotted the real bones? Share this with a friend who still sleeps with the lights on.