Tangina Goes into the Light
Another horror icon has left us... The LA Times is reporting that actress Zelda Rubinstein has finally passed on at the age of 76, after suffering a heart attack two months ago. Rubinstein appeared in a number of very cool projects over the years, including Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and the TV show Picket Fences. But it's her role as psychic Tangina Barrons in the Poltergeist movies for which horror fans remember her best.
As numerous critics have pointed out over the years, Rubinstein really is the best thing in the original Poltergeist. (And that's saying a lot, since the film has a terrific cast.) Her character provides the authoritative presence (despite her diminutive size) that makes the whole thing feel real, and scary. In fact, she's as essential to Poltergeist's success and legacy as Robert Shaw's Quint is to that of Jaws or Donald Pleasence's Dr. Loomis is to that of Halloween. And Rubinstein was, by most accounts, a heckuva nice person too; and one of the first high-profile AIDS activists back in the '80s. To say she'll be missed is putting it mildly. We lose a lot of our favorites every year, but this one is particularly strongly felt.
Here's our exclusive interview with Rubinstein, which we published on Poltergeist's 25th Anniversary two years ago. After reading it, perhaps you, like me, will find some comfort in Tangina's own words: "There is no death. It is only a transition to a different sphere of consciousness."
