"They're here," and they're ready to stay.
1982's "Poltergeist" is widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films of the last 35 years, and certainly one of the most popular and widely imitated. I've caught "Poltergeist" many times over the years, but I have never actually sat down and watched the whole thing in its entirety. It's a gripping film, with a great cast, great story, high production values, and great direction.
"Poltergeist" is one of those great cinematic collaborations that everyone dreams about: it was directed by horror veteran Tobe Hooper (of 1974's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), but it was produced and co-written by Hollywood director Steven Spielberg ("Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Raiders of the Lost Ark"). I've read that there's been some debate over who was the true director here - Hooper or Spielberg - but there's no denying that the film bears the marks of both of its principal creators: Hooper's unique ability to shock the viewer and make people physically ill with what they're watching, and Spielberg's eye for human drama and ground-breaking special effects (courtesy of George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic - ILM).
"Poltergeist" involves an American middle-class suburban family's battle with malevolent spirits. But this film was like no other haunted-house movie before it. While films concerning themselves with evil spirits haunting human protagonists in isolated locations like large foreboding castles and mansions, or small cabins in the deep forest are all too common in the horror genre, "Poltergeist" brought that very same ghost story to middle-class America - forcing the film's protagonists (and the audience) to confront a supernatural horror right in their own homes. You can probably read all sorts of socio-political subtexts in this story - like the idea of how people escape to the suburbs to free themselves of the dangers prevalent in the bigger cities, only to find themselves the victims of something far more dangerous than anything there (in this case, ghosts, or "poltergeists").
We're introduced to the Freeling family, who live in the picturesque suburban Southern California community of Cuesta Verde. There's Steven Freeling (Craig T. Nelson), his wife Diane (JoBeth Williams), their oldest daughter Dana (the late Dominique Dunne, who was murdered by her boyfriend a few months after this film's release), Robbie (Oliver Robins), and Carol Anne (the late Heather O'Rourke, who tragically passed away six years later from septic shock caused by intestinal stenosis, while filming this movie's second of two sequels).
Like William Friedkin had done on "The Exorcist" (1973), Hooper takes his time in introducing us to the Freelings so that we get to know each of them as people and see them going about their daily lives. But soon, strange occurrences begin happening around the house. At first, they're benign, even if understandably unsettling. Eating utensils appear bent out of shape. Chairs move by themselves. And Carol Anne can hear voices talking to her through their living room television set.
This strange phenomena soon starts to turn terrifying, and violent. Robbie is nearly eaten alive by the old tree outside his bedroom window. And tragically, Carol Anne is abducted by the ominous forces that seemed to have taken up residence in the Freeling's house and dragged her off to the spirit realm. Steven and Diane waste little time in contacting professionals - in this case, university parapsychologist Dr. Lesh (the late Beatrice Straight), who regards her profession as one with little reward but who soon sees that what the Freelings are dealing with is the real deal, and Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein), a medium who explains to everyone that the Freeling house is haunted by a malevolent supernatural entity known only as "The Beast" that is holding Carol Anne hostage on the "other side."
"Poltergeist" is a bold marriage of talent and special effects. For a film that was released 34 years ago (as of this writing), its practical special effects still stand up to the test of time and beat out many of its more modern-day CGI-laden counterparts. Only someone as gifted as Steven Spielberg and Lucas's ILM could have been capable of doing this.
"Poltergeist" is one of the great modern ghost stories. The unique collaboration of director Tobe Hooper and producer/co-screenwriter Steven Spielberg is one of the great collaborative efforts in the history of film.
10/10
1982's "Poltergeist" is widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films of the last 35 years, and certainly one of the most popular and widely imitated. I've caught "Poltergeist" many times over the years, but I have never actually sat down and watched the whole thing in its entirety. It's a gripping film, with a great cast, great story, high production values, and great direction.
"Poltergeist" is one of those great cinematic collaborations that everyone dreams about: it was directed by horror veteran Tobe Hooper (of 1974's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), but it was produced and co-written by Hollywood director Steven Spielberg ("Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Raiders of the Lost Ark"). I've read that there's been some debate over who was the true director here - Hooper or Spielberg - but there's no denying that the film bears the marks of both of its principal creators: Hooper's unique ability to shock the viewer and make people physically ill with what they're watching, and Spielberg's eye for human drama and ground-breaking special effects (courtesy of George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic - ILM).
"Poltergeist" involves an American middle-class suburban family's battle with malevolent spirits. But this film was like no other haunted-house movie before it. While films concerning themselves with evil spirits haunting human protagonists in isolated locations like large foreboding castles and mansions, or small cabins in the deep forest are all too common in the horror genre, "Poltergeist" brought that very same ghost story to middle-class America - forcing the film's protagonists (and the audience) to confront a supernatural horror right in their own homes. You can probably read all sorts of socio-political subtexts in this story - like the idea of how people escape to the suburbs to free themselves of the dangers prevalent in the bigger cities, only to find themselves the victims of something far more dangerous than anything there (in this case, ghosts, or "poltergeists").
We're introduced to the Freeling family, who live in the picturesque suburban Southern California community of Cuesta Verde. There's Steven Freeling (Craig T. Nelson), his wife Diane (JoBeth Williams), their oldest daughter Dana (the late Dominique Dunne, who was murdered by her boyfriend a few months after this film's release), Robbie (Oliver Robins), and Carol Anne (the late Heather O'Rourke, who tragically passed away six years later from septic shock caused by intestinal stenosis, while filming this movie's second of two sequels).
Like William Friedkin had done on "The Exorcist" (1973), Hooper takes his time in introducing us to the Freelings so that we get to know each of them as people and see them going about their daily lives. But soon, strange occurrences begin happening around the house. At first, they're benign, even if understandably unsettling. Eating utensils appear bent out of shape. Chairs move by themselves. And Carol Anne can hear voices talking to her through their living room television set.
This strange phenomena soon starts to turn terrifying, and violent. Robbie is nearly eaten alive by the old tree outside his bedroom window. And tragically, Carol Anne is abducted by the ominous forces that seemed to have taken up residence in the Freeling's house and dragged her off to the spirit realm. Steven and Diane waste little time in contacting professionals - in this case, university parapsychologist Dr. Lesh (the late Beatrice Straight), who regards her profession as one with little reward but who soon sees that what the Freelings are dealing with is the real deal, and Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein), a medium who explains to everyone that the Freeling house is haunted by a malevolent supernatural entity known only as "The Beast" that is holding Carol Anne hostage on the "other side."
"Poltergeist" is a bold marriage of talent and special effects. For a film that was released 34 years ago (as of this writing), its practical special effects still stand up to the test of time and beat out many of its more modern-day CGI-laden counterparts. Only someone as gifted as Steven Spielberg and Lucas's ILM could have been capable of doing this.
"Poltergeist" is one of the great modern ghost stories. The unique collaboration of director Tobe Hooper and producer/co-screenwriter Steven Spielberg is one of the great collaborative efforts in the history of film.
10/10