Poltergeist (1982)

Care to guess as to what the scariest thing about Poltergeist is? Alright, well let’s see, how about that kid eating tree? Nope. Hmmm, well, remember that creepy ass clown doll that comes to life and pulls the kid under the bed? Nah. The scene where Craig T. Nelson shows us his beer gut? Wrong again, my friend. The singularly scariest thing about Poltergeist is that this film is now celebrating its 25th Anniversary, which makes me feel very, very, old. Twenty-five years ago this film hit theatres, way back in 1982, now that ghouls and gals, is abso-fucking-lutely terrifying. I think any kid who grew up in the eighties would have to agree, and I think they would also agree on something else...that this movie scared the shit out of anyone who saw it between the ages of 8-12. That age group is important to remember, and I'll explain here in a bit.

I think I first saw this one back when I was about eight, over at a friend’s place whose parents just plunked down the six hundred or so dollars it cost to get a VCR back in the olden days. I sat transfixed and terrified throughout the movie, and afterwards vowed to never stare at the "snow" on a TV screen ever again. Speaking of which, it occurred to me that many younger people who see this film will have no memory of television stations going off the air. Man...twenty five years ago? Anyhow, in my mind, the single reason that Poltergeist works on so many levels is that the film centers on a very real and believable family, in a very real setting. In this case (and typical of producer Spielberg) it’s early eighties suburbia. For those that grew up in that time, you actually feel like it’s your neighborhood and that the Freeling family was the family who lived down the street. The reason all this is important is that it made you feel that since evil spooks could invade their family, then they sure as hell could invade yours and suck your own little ass into the netherworld. What makes this all the more convincing is the acting. It is extremely competent by all; even the child actors do a good job and react realistically to the events going on around them. However, it’s Craig T. Nelson and the foxy Jobeth Williams as the parents who really steal the show, exhibiting some really nice chemistry between the two of them. Williams does an especially good turn as the mom who lost her little girl to ghosts, giving believability to a rather unbelievable situation. Good acting ensures the viewer will care for the characters no matter how fantastic the events are onscreen, and here this is accomplished quite well.

Re-watching this one after many a year, I noticed that it actually plays like two separate films. Of course, with all the controversy of who really directed the film, credited director Tobe Hooper or producer Steven Spielberg, this really isn’t too surprising. At times during the films gorier moments you get the Tobe Hooper vibe, but mainly Poltergeist definitely feels like a Spielberg effort. The first half is very subtle and spooky, and does a great job in setting things up. The second half however, simply goes overboard by dumping the subtle scares of the first half for an inane special effects extravaganza that’s never scary and is almost obscene in its self indulgence. Act 1 is all about the spooky music, the creepy flickering/lighting of the television set as it goes off air and seduces Carol Anne, the chairs moving around, etc. Act 2 seems like it’s almost ashamed of the film’s subtlety in its first half, and acts like it is saying "You want special effects Bub, then that’s what I’ll give ya!" Some scenes such as the tree eating young Robbie and the spook popping it’s head out of the closet are all cool and all, but not really in a scary way. Maybe it’s scary if you’re 8 or 12 years old, but comes off as a bit too much for those who are a little wiser. I’ve always felt that in supernatural styled flicks subtleness equals creepiness, and my theory is self evident here. Act 1 = creepy, Act 2 = not creepy. That’s not to say that the film is completely worthless after the first half, because it’s not. While the effects are all over the place, they are cool and very well done. Remember that this is 1982/pre-CGI, and the skills of special effects artists were really put to the test. My favorite over-the-top scene has to be the poor ghost buster who pulls apart his face during a ghostly hallucination. Many now will say, "Boy is that fake looking", but I think it’s creepy and very well done. After all, the term "real" should not be applied when you are dealing with movies, especially horror films. But again, to show you the effect of subtleness and how it can be used effectively to scare is evident in what I consider the creepiest scene in the whole movie. Jobeth Williams is upstairs alone in the house, just outside the door to Carol Anne’s room which is now run over by ghosts. On a whim, she opens the door only to be greeted by a loud ghostly roar, upon which she slams the door and cries. That’s all you need, the right sound of the roar and Williams crying, and it works.

So, after twenty five years, has Poltergeist aged well? I think it has, and still has the potential to scare the crap out of you. However, I will say this. Even after all these years, you still won’t get me to stare into the snow in a television screen with all the lights out in the room. Even with all of its faults, it is still a personal favorite.