Does DirecTV’s New ‘Poltergeist’ Commercial ...

EmploymentCrossing.com DirecTV has been playing a new series of commercials that bring stars back to their classic movie roles, including Sigourney Weaver in “Aliens,” Robert Patrick in “Terminator 2,” and Jessica Simpson in “Dukes of Hazard.” The commercials feature them taking a quick timeout to address the perks of satellite TV. The latest ad in the series features a 2008 Craig T. Nelson conversing with Heather O’Rourke from the classic film, “Poltergeist.” After O’Rourke stares into the television and delivers her classic “They’re heeeere!” line, Nelson sits up in bed and says “No honey, they’re not here...Forgetting to switch on DirecTV? Yeah, that’s going to come to haunt me.” Nelson delivers the lines to an O’Rourke lookalike. The commercial is particularly disturbing because of O’Rourke’s complicated tragic death at the age of 12 involving toxic shock and cardiac arrest. O’Rourke had Chron’s Disease. Her untimely death was such a shock that the director tried to shelve the sequel to Poltergeist, and the studio had to drastically alter its marketing campaign. Critics are bothered by the use of the young star’s deceased celebrity to endorse a product they never will see exist. Further, O’Rourke never gave this performance, and in creating the ad has taken away her free will, although O’Rourke’s family did give DirecTV consent to use her likeness.