Stars: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson
Director: Tobe Hooper
Sorry for the delay, I started working on this review Friday and then learned that the hilarious Catherine O’Hara had passed away, another huge loss for the entertainment world. Instead of working on horror films, I spent some time reliving her comic genius in films like Best in Show and The Mighty Wind. I’m sure she and John Candy are having a hell of a reunion up there.
Back to horror and a classic ghost story – Poltergeist.
Brief synopsis:
Welcome to Cueste Verde – a planned community in California. The homes look the same but the neighbors seem friendly, especially the Freeling family. Chances are that if you bought a home there, the father Stephen, sold it to you. Stephen is the top realtor for the community after all. Your kids go to school with the children Dana, Robbie, and Carol Anne and your wife probably hangs out with cute housewife Diane. They even have a dog and are having a pool installed.
It is during the digging of that very pool that strange things begin to happen to this all American family. Carol Anne keeps talking to the static on the TV while Robbie grows increasingly fearful of the old tree outside the house and thunderstorms. Soon, the chairs in the kitchen begin moving by themselves and Diane discovers a spot that will drag a person across the kitchen floor. It is all wonderful, mysterious and fun, until the night a huge thunderstorm hits and the real terror begins.
Spoilers below (you have been warned):
The tree Robbie has been scared of suddenly comes to life during the storm and attempts to eat him. While the family is saving him from the tree, the closet eats Carol Anne. The five-year old is trapped in the space between life and death with a group of poltergeists. A group of paranormal investigators come in to help the family and bring in a clairvoyant named Tangina to assist them in their attempts to save Carol Anne from the poltergeists holding her hostage.
Stephen’s boss comes to check on the family and convinces Stephen to take a field trip with him. The boss takes Stephen to a cemetery on a hill overlooking Cueste Verde and reveals that this is the site of the next phase of the project. When Stephen asks about the graves, the boss says that they will just move them again. Cueste Verde is the previous home of the graveyard and the company relocated the graves before starting construction.
Tangina assists the family in getting Carol Anne back and declares the house clean. However, she must not have checked under the beds because apparently there was a little spirit still left in the house and they attack the family as they prepare to move out. As Diane, Carol Anne, and Robbie try to escape, coffins and bodies began bursting out of the ground. A horrified Stephen realizes that his boss only took the headstones and left the bodies in the ground. He manages to get his family away from the house before it implodes and disappears. The last we see of the Freelings, they are at a Holiday Inn and shove the TV out onto the walkway.
My thoughts (with spoilers):
“They’re here!” These two words, spoken by the late Heather O’Rourke, still sends a chill down my spine. There is a lot of debate whether or not Tobe Hooper directed this film on his own or got some help from Steven Spielberg. Having watched this film many times, I can certainly see the Spielberg touches on it. Maybe Hooper was a director-for-hire and followed Spielberg’s story boards and shot set-ups? Could Spielberg have even directed it considering E.T. was filmed roughly during the same time? Absolutely. Ten years later, Spielberg would put out two different but still great films in the same year: Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. Did he direct both E.T. and Poltergeist? Honestly, I don’t think we will ever know. Hooper sadly passed away in 2017 and Spielberg would never tell. I will say, I see more of E.T. in this film than Texas Chainsaw Massacre…
Whoever directed this, it is a hell of a film. The effects, while not quite The Thing worthy, are still great. The spectral images of the different ghosts are spooky and the ending monsters are decently scary. There is great use of the revolving room two years before Nightmare on Elm Street and the static on the screen, especially for those of us who grew up in the 80’s and fell asleep in front of TV too many times to count, is played for maximum creepiness. You can barely hear the voices through the screen but, when they do come through, they are stretched out and higher pitched, almost inhuman. When Carol Anne finally gets to speak, her fear comes through the static loud and clear. This film is proof that you do not need blood and guts to ratchet up the terror, mood and sound can get you there too.
The acting is great across the board. You believe that this is a happy family and that Steve and Diane have been together for years. There is a comfortableness and ease to their interactions that feels real. The kids work well together and you understand the silly fights underlined with love. The two sisters both died tragically early. Dominique Dunne was murdered shortly after this film by her boyfriend who managed to get away with barely a slap on the wrist for the crime and Heather O’Rourke died due an illness right after filming Poltergeist III. The paranormal investigators, including Beatrice Strait as Dr. Lesh and Zelda Rubinstein at Tangina, are well-written and performed. Tangina is a hoot, clearly in her element as the star of the final act and gets in several zingers that help relieve a little of the tension you are feeling.
It should also be noted that the Freelings are the only family attacked by the ghosts. The film offers a couple explanations as to why that may be. Carol Anne was born in the house, a new spirit entering a home that is already filled with old spirits. Also, Steven is the top realtor for the community, the person who has helped desecrate the ground. He may not have known about the graveyard but ignorance is not an excuse. He didn’t care about what was on that ground before, he just wanted to sell houses and make money. This may be why he and his family is targeted too.
One last note, this is a film that still works. I have been showing my teenage granddaughter some of these older films and she screamed out loud when the clown doll grabbed Robbie. After the movie was over, I told her that this was my PG film, as opposed to the films that are PG nowadays like the Trolls movie. Not only that, but I was dropped off to see this film by myself when I was 8 years old. She looked at me in horror and asked “Why would they do that to you?” I just laughed and said “It was the 80’s – that’s what parents did.”
More films from 1982 to check out:
Annie – Musical adaptation of the Broadway play. Not a great film but many great performances including Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters, and the wonderful Carol Burnett.
Grease 2 – Michelle Pfieffer and Maxwell Caulfield star in a so bad it’s good sequel to the 70’s classic. Do I own the soundtrack on CD? Yes, yes I do because sometimes you just need to sing Cool Rider.
Tron – Jeff Bridges stars as a computer programmer who gets sucked into the computer world. Ahead of its time in many ways, this is still a fun watch and I spent hours playing the video game in arcades and at home.