He survived a tree mauling, an attack perpetrated by a psychotic clown doll and the "Poltergeist" curse. I speak of Oliver Robins, the boy who played Robbie Freeling in the 1982 horror movie that successfully made TV snow scary. You probably remember Robins as the kid who beat the living crap out of that aforementioned clown doll, which, as far as I am concerned, is the embodiment of all things sinister. After starring in the original "Poltergeist," he appeared in the sequel, "Poltergeist II: The Other Side." This is what he looked like then:
So what's happened to him since the '80s? For starters, he became the only kid in the fictional Freeling family to live fully into adulthood. Dominique Dunne, who played teenage daughter Dana, was murdered by her ex-lover at the age of 22. And Heather O'Rourke, the same cute little Carol Anne who creepily announced "They're here," died at the age of 12 due to intestinal stenosis. These are just two of the reasons some people seriously believe in that "Poltergeist" Curse.
Robins eventually graduated from USC Film School, and these days he works as a writer-director. So far, his movies have either been for television or gone straight to DVD. (Perhaps you've seen "Wild Roomies" ... or perhaps not.) Clearly he hasn't made a big splash yet. But he's still standing at age 36. And for a guy who is famous for appearing in a movie that may or may not have a hex on it, that's a major accomplishment. Here is Oliver now (yeah, he's the important-looking director-type guy on the left):
Rich or Rehab appears on Strollerderby every Tuesday morning.
Photos: icommag.com and Jessica Werner via imdb.com
