I actually got the Blu-ray release of “Poltergeist” around the time the Circuit City store near where I worked was closing down forever. I had seen bits and pieces of it before, but until recently I had never watched it all the way through. What finally spurred me to watch it was having seen “Poltergeist III” on cable which was a true abomination, and I figured what came before it had to be so much better. Getting past all the trivia surrounding “Poltergeist” and its so-called “curse,” it remains remarkably frightening for a PG-rated movie.
Actually, it’s quite fitting that I watched “Poltergeist” today during this period of the wildly successful “Paranormal Activity” movies since they all focus on the strange and bizarre happenings around suburban households. These days it seems like the “found footage” genre is the only way to make a horror story set in the suburbs seem at all frightening. But “Poltergeist” showed that if you got the details just right, then you can find yourself relating to characters and where they live very deeply.
“Poltergeist” was directed by Tobe Hooper, but Steven Spielberg’s name is all over it as he came up with the story, co-wrote the screenplay and served as one of the movie’s producers. It’s hard to escape the influence which he had over this production as, like “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial” which came out around the same time, it takes place in the suburbs of America where many of us grew up.
We drop in at the home of the Freeling family located in the nice clean California town known as Cuesta Verde, and it’s that kind of neighborhood where the majority of houses don’t look all that different from one another. The cars are parked out front because they aren’t parked in the garage for some odd reason, and the kids are riding their bikes all over the neighborhood.
Steven (Craig T. Nelson) is a successful realtor, and his wife Diane (JoBeth Williams) is a stay at home mom caring for their children Dana, Robbie, and Carol Anne. One night, little Carol Anne goes downstairs and sits in front of the TV which is showing nothing but static. It’s an especially frightening image on the Blu-ray release as the flickering creates an eerie strobe light effect as if the inhabitants of this house are in the process of being brainwashed. Carol Anne begins talking to the TV as if she’s having a conversation with someone who is invisible to everybody else. We can’t even hear what that someone is saying, but we believe Carol Anne is talking to someone, and our imagination runs amuck at who that might be.
Soon though, strange things happen around the Freeling household like chairs moving by themselves, and the kitchen being rearranged by some invisible force. One night while sitting in front of the TV in her parent’s room, a hand reaches out and pushes her away followed by a force of energy which penetrates the walls. Her parents wake up to see their daughter telling them:
“They’re here…”
What makes “Poltergeist” so effective is how the filmmakers play on those childhood fears we all had. Whether it’s that creepy looking tree outside the bedroom window or that clown puppet which you fear will come alive and attack you during the night, we can all relate to what goes on here (except for being sucked into another dimension). I remember always asking my mom to put my AT-AT toy (that Imperial walker from “The Empire Strikes Back”) on its side so that it wouldn’t crawl over to me while I was sleeping. I also kept having these dreams where this green school desk I once had would end up rushing towards my bed and attack me. Now imagine if these things happened in real life, and you will get a sense of what “Poltergeist” is all about.
Having it set in an ordinary neighborhood in America was another masterstroke as many of us have grown up in a place like Cuesta Verde. There’s nothing too unique about the characters who live there, and that makes them all the more relatable to us. Seeing the kids’ room with all those “Star Wars” posters and bed covers (my brother had those) bring back memories. So when these supernatural occurrences start happening and get increasingly worse, we can easily see it happening in our own homes. Of course, that might make our own households far more exciting than they have any right to be!
“Poltergeist” is also perfectly cast, and even though these actors are more well-known and bigger stars now, they still seem incredibly down to earth when you watch this movie today. Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams still seem like the typical American parents we all know. The kid actors (Heather O’Rourke, Dominique Dunne, and Oliver Robins) are perfectly natural and seem very comfortable with themselves in front of a camera. You also have Beatrice Straight as Dr. Lesh, and she gives dramatic weight to what would seem like a comical or ridiculous role in today’s movies, a parapsychologist. What does that even mean?
There is also something to be said for Zelda Rubinstein’s performance as spiritual medium Tangina Barrons. While her high-pitched voiced might seem a little annoying, she makes what could have been preposterous dialogue sound very believable as she becomes the family’s last hope to save Carol Anne. It’s no wonder her presence in “Poltergeist” is so unforgettable, and not just for her line:
“This house is clean!”
Movies like “Poltergeist” usually have filmmakers getting too caught up in perfecting the special effects at the expense of everything else. But Tobe Hopper manages to balance everything out to create one of the ultimate haunted house movies. As much as Spielberg’s name is all over this movie, I have to believe that Hooper is the one who made it this scary. While it may not be as unnerving as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (very few movies are), he really packs in as many scares as he can for a PG rated movie.
You could also say that “Poltergeist” is a serious dig at the cutthroat world of real estate as Steven makes the horrifying discovery of certain sacred things which were not moved. People will do anything for the perfect property when there’s a ton of money at stake, and if they can cut corners to make house building go faster, they will. It almost sounds like a supernatural version of “Glengarry Glen Ross!”
I also can’t help but wonder if home insurance ever covers supernatural occurrences like this. Would the Freeling’s insurance carrier find an excuse to deny them any financial compensation? Could you imagine the looks on their faces if an insurance agent denied their claim for negligence? As if it’s their fault for not reporting this Poltergeist to the authorities sooner? If I were on the receiving end of that, I’d be pissed!
It says a lot about a 80s movie like “Poltergeist” still holds up well after so many years. Its portrayal of suburban America doesn’t look all that different from what we see today. I guess the only real difference these days (aside from cell phones and iPads) are the number of bank foreclosures going on, and you certainly don’t see any of that happening here. While it may have been ruined a bit by sequels (and this movie really didn’t need any), it still is worth re-discovering and would perhaps make an interesting double feature with “Paranormal Activity.”
I’m glad I finally took the time to watch “Poltergeist” as I needed something to wipe away the utter ridiculousness of “Poltergeist III.”
Oh and one other thing; is it just me or does that white spidery creature who blocks JoBeth Williams from her children’s bedroom have the voice of MGM’s roaring lion?
* * * * out of * * * *
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