Poltergeist (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
I enjoyed 1982's 'Poltergeist' (a haunted house thriller directed by Tobe Hooper & produced/co-written by the great Steven Spielberg) as a child. But after having seen it last night as an adult for the 1st time in many years ... holy cow ... that is one. scary. movie! Ambitious realty rep Steve Freeling (Craig T. Nelson) is in heaven now that he has moved his middle-class family into a new suburban community named Cuesta Verde. He has his dream house, a lovely wife named Diane (JoBeth Williams), & 3 kids: promiscuous Dana (Dominique Dunne), bratty elementary schooler Robbie (Oliver Robins), & sweet little Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke). Everything seems great in their new suburban world; Steve & Diane even relax at night by smoking a lottt of pot {odd, but interesting to have this in the movie}.
But some strannngge things start happening in this dream house. 1) Their pet bird meets a sudden end. 2) An old tree 'acts up'. 3) furniture/dishes moves around by themselves (which - odd, again - Diane finds humorous, not creepy). 4 and most disturbingly) a TV causes the room to shake & summons Carol Anne to the set where she becomes zombie-like, saying "They're heeere!" Then, on that stormy night, Carol Anne is sucked into a closet & her disembodied voice is pleading for her mother's help from beyond the TV screen. Terrified, the Freelings call-in a team of parapsychologists led by Dr. Lesh (the great Beatrice Straight), who explains all they'd want to know about "poltergeists" (meaning "noisy or mischievous spirit" in German) & re-assures the family that Carol Anne is both alive & can 'possibly' be rescued. For said rescue, the team calls-in clairvoyant dwarf/professional exorcist Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein), who takes control of the situation. Mayhem ensues as Tangina figures out 'why' this is happening, and Diane must try to pry her daughter out of the other dimension where demonic spirits are holding her prisoner.
While this movie is pure hokum, it still rivets thanks to the notion that these once-haphazard parents must mature quickly & become the responsible protectors that they're supposed to be ... thanks to this supernatural calamity. I like how Steven Spielberg cleverly changed the typical ghost setting from a gothic mansion to a seemingly idyllic house inhabited by an 'outwardly' idyllic family; people the audience can identify with. Director Hooper also does a great job setting everything up calmly & smoothly, then slowly-but-surely instilling dread into the proceedings, then UNLEASHING the horror in the 3rd Act where some fantastically eerie special effects take-over. Some of said effects are corny (from the early 80s), but plenty are shocking, scary, & bone-chilling. I also like how the ghost dimension otherworld remains unexplained. As depicted visually & sonically, said world is frightening & fascinating. Also, look out for a crazy swimming pool sequence {ew!!}.
Acting-wise, this horror film belongs to the females in the cast, particularly JoBeth Williams’ mom, Diane, who bucks-up (from previous behaviors) & bravely commits to getting her daughter back at ANY cost. She wowed me in a scene where she feels her daughter's presence pass through her {wow}. I was viscerally blown away watching Diane's horrifying confrontations with the evil spirits who haunt her house. And it is her connection with Carol Anne which steers the plot as chaos ensues around her/them. Beatrice Straight is great as the doctor sent to investigate the initial paranormal activity; but quickly realizes she's in way over her head.
Zelda Rubinstein is both memorable & brilliant as our little clairvoyant, Tangina. Her line deliveries of, "There is no death. It is only a transition to a different sphere of consciousness" and, of course, her spoken-too-soon "This house is clean", are great. Amid all the ridiculousness of the storyline, each actor in the film brings verisimilitude to the proceedings. If there are any themes/lessons to be learned by watching 'Poltergeist', they might be: never trust real estate developers; too much TV is bad for you; and never poo-poo the notion of needing help from parapsychologist {wink, wink}. Steven Spielberg & co. have given us an excellent horror film here; one that revels in showing refreshingly stupid parents {haha}, oddball doctors, genuine scares, & a special-effects driven climax the likes we hadn't seen before.
But some strannngge things start happening in this dream house. 1) Their pet bird meets a sudden end. 2) An old tree 'acts up'. 3) furniture/dishes moves around by themselves (which - odd, again - Diane finds humorous, not creepy). 4 and most disturbingly) a TV causes the room to shake & summons Carol Anne to the set where she becomes zombie-like, saying "They're heeere!" Then, on that stormy night, Carol Anne is sucked into a closet & her disembodied voice is pleading for her mother's help from beyond the TV screen. Terrified, the Freelings call-in a team of parapsychologists led by Dr. Lesh (the great Beatrice Straight), who explains all they'd want to know about "poltergeists" (meaning "noisy or mischievous spirit" in German) & re-assures the family that Carol Anne is both alive & can 'possibly' be rescued. For said rescue, the team calls-in clairvoyant dwarf/professional exorcist Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein), who takes control of the situation. Mayhem ensues as Tangina figures out 'why' this is happening, and Diane must try to pry her daughter out of the other dimension where demonic spirits are holding her prisoner.
While this movie is pure hokum, it still rivets thanks to the notion that these once-haphazard parents must mature quickly & become the responsible protectors that they're supposed to be ... thanks to this supernatural calamity. I like how Steven Spielberg cleverly changed the typical ghost setting from a gothic mansion to a seemingly idyllic house inhabited by an 'outwardly' idyllic family; people the audience can identify with. Director Hooper also does a great job setting everything up calmly & smoothly, then slowly-but-surely instilling dread into the proceedings, then UNLEASHING the horror in the 3rd Act where some fantastically eerie special effects take-over. Some of said effects are corny (from the early 80s), but plenty are shocking, scary, & bone-chilling. I also like how the ghost dimension otherworld remains unexplained. As depicted visually & sonically, said world is frightening & fascinating. Also, look out for a crazy swimming pool sequence {ew!!}.
Acting-wise, this horror film belongs to the females in the cast, particularly JoBeth Williams’ mom, Diane, who bucks-up (from previous behaviors) & bravely commits to getting her daughter back at ANY cost. She wowed me in a scene where she feels her daughter's presence pass through her {wow}. I was viscerally blown away watching Diane's horrifying confrontations with the evil spirits who haunt her house. And it is her connection with Carol Anne which steers the plot as chaos ensues around her/them. Beatrice Straight is great as the doctor sent to investigate the initial paranormal activity; but quickly realizes she's in way over her head.
Zelda Rubinstein is both memorable & brilliant as our little clairvoyant, Tangina. Her line deliveries of, "There is no death. It is only a transition to a different sphere of consciousness" and, of course, her spoken-too-soon "This house is clean", are great. Amid all the ridiculousness of the storyline, each actor in the film brings verisimilitude to the proceedings. If there are any themes/lessons to be learned by watching 'Poltergeist', they might be: never trust real estate developers; too much TV is bad for you; and never poo-poo the notion of needing help from parapsychologist {wink, wink}. Steven Spielberg & co. have given us an excellent horror film here; one that revels in showing refreshingly stupid parents {haha}, oddball doctors, genuine scares, & a special-effects driven climax the likes we hadn't seen before.