Fright Flicks - Trading Card #80

Poltergeist (1982)

One of the more irritating paranormal-themed urban legends regards the usage of actual human skeletons (aka human remains) in Poltergeist. While that may add an additional layer of ghoulishness to both the film and the gruesome reason for why the haunting is occurring. The truth is that actual human skeletons were used with great frequency throughout countless productions.

That skeleton hanging in the background of the doctor's office? Most likely real. Real skeletons were cheaper to rent than fake ones. So... if you see a skeleton in any and every thing from 1930s up through the 1980s, chances are it is a real skeleton.

Also, ignoring the real world horrors of domestic violence and blaming an innocuous prop is in very poor taste, in my humble opinion.