Strange events start happening to a family in their new home after ghosts communicate with them through the television. Things start out friendly, but soon grow more sinister when their young daughter is taken into another dimension.
Poltergeist is a 1982 horror film, directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) with a story by Steven Spielberg. It stars Craig T. Nelson (Parenthood), JoBeth Williams (The Big Chill), Dominique Dunne (Breaking Away), Oliver Robbins (Airplane II: The Sequel), and Heather O’Rourke (Happy Days). It also features appearances by Zelda Rubinstein (Picket Fences), Beatrice Straight (Network), and James Karen (The Return of the Living Dead).
For many years, I’d seen bits and pieces from Poltergeist, but never seen the full film in its entirety. I have now fixed that gap in my film knowledge, and I’m glad that I finally did.
I think what strikes me the most about this film is that there is a good level of fun in it. I was expecting something that swings much further into a purely horror realm, but Poltergeist has a lot of that adventurous energy we’ve come to know several 80s classics for. This makes complete sense when taking into account that Steven Spielberg came up with the story idea, helped write the script, and produced the film. His influence is felt throughout the entire film. I’m not exactly sure that he didn’t direct it himself, honestly.
There is a strong family dynamic built up from the start, and we come to know the characters in a way similar to Spielberg’s work on Jaws and E.T. This helps to feel something when the paranormal events start, another aspect that comes into play earlier in the film than I expected.
Even coming in as soon as it does, the paranormal stuff starts out as a bit of an adventure. Sure, there are moments that are a bit scary, but they’re also shown as fun in the beginning. Mother and daughter experiment with chairs being moved across the room. They even attempt to be pushed themselves like it’s an amusement park ride. From the moment their young daughter looks toward the audience and proclaims, “They’re here,” there is a sense of intrigue about it.
This makes the transition from fun to menacing much more impactful. What have we let in to our lives? If we had reacted differently, would it have made any difference?
These moments of horror are truly a sight to be seen as well. While there are several moments of flashing lights that are quite an eye sore (Please be aware if you are triggered by flashing lights), I was impressed by how well most of the effects held up. Some of it could be considered cheesy, but I didn’t mind.
There is one scene in particular where a character has a horrific vision of their face being peeled off in a mirror that I found particularly effective. The final climax is sure to get the adrenaline pumping as well. I’ll go ahead and thank Tobe Hooper for that.
I think the pacing is also really great here. I love the double tiered climax, complete with a calm before the storm. As I mentioned previously, the amount of set up for that Spielberg family dynamic draws you in well. I even enjoyed the time taken to illustrate the family’s quaint life in suburbia. It helps solidify themes, and there are so many good comedic moments from those scenes too. It’s just such an engaging ride.
It’s difficult to watch Poltergeist now and not explicitly see subtext in it. There are so many things to be read from it. We have the destruction of the “American Dream,” a picturesque suburb built on a lie where the family’s material possessions turn against them. There’s a large emphasis on the strain that television can put on families, complete with contrasting shots at the beginning and end of the film to drive the point home.
There’s even a long, panning shot of Craig T. Nelson’s character reading a book about Ronald Reagan while smoking pot with his wife that I won’t even get into here. I’m sure if I watched it again I might see even more to discuss.
I would absolutely recommend seeing Poltergeist if you haven’t already. If you have seen it, maybe give it another go! With a story like this, it definitely holds up.
Haley Noelle Cummings 