Poltergeist (1982, Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight)
They’re here.
Quick Plot: A nice suburban family lives in a haunted house. The spirits seem friendly initially, playing harmless pranks to the family’s amusement. But the pranks turn malicious and potentially dangerous, culminating in the abduction of the doll-like youngest child. As the family tries to rescue the little girl, with the help of parapsychologists and a clairvoyant, they realize the terrible truth about the poltergeists.
Scariest Scenes: The face-peeling scene. Although the effects appear silly in a CG age, that scene is still freaky!! The scene where the clown attacks the son. Clowns again! Was there ever a time when a clown wasn’t scary?
Final Say: Though he didn’t direct, writer and producer Steven Spielberg has his fingerprints all over this film. Released just a week before ET: The Extra Terrestrial, Poltergeist shares a multitude of elements (Fantasy – check. Suburban life – check. Adorable child stars – check) and translates as the darker half of one whole concept. Spielberg himself reflected that “If E.T. was a whisper, Poltergeist was a scream.” One can only imagine how different the film would be if left entirely up to director Tobe Hooper, the man who brought us The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Somehow I doubt Poltergeist would have gotten that PG rating.
The Poltergeist Curse: It never hurts a scary movie’s reputation to be the source of a supposed curse. Legend has sprung up around the strange occurrences documented during filming and the curious and untimely deaths of several stars. Perhaps Spielberg should have called in an exorcism. Or the Ghostbusters.