Poltergeist

source: Poltergeist

Poltergeist (1982) Is a huge Spielberg "classic" or "masterpiece", or at least it is supposed to be. I will say this to start off with, the special effects in poltergeist are actually very cool and entertaining, especially for 1982. So that is one positive, impressive creative special effects and visuals! Also, the cast did well with their source material. But the big issue I took with the movie, was the bad script and boring pacing and how terribly non scary this is. It's so true that this movie has no scared at all, I did not jump once or feel scared or tense. Also, I just became bored many times throughout the movie, I was catching myself checking the time, and wishing it would hurry the heck up! Just goes to show you that good acting and special effects cannot be the only good things in a film, it must have a well put together script and the pace must be timed correctly. And if you are creating a horror film, here's a little hint, actually make it scary! 4/10 for Poltergeist.

This is one of the first movies I ever taped. I had gotten cable and this was on HBO. It was utterly captivating. The neat transition from the household ghost that moved chairs to the ugly, vengeful ghost that must be approached to save the little girl ("They're here!") It is so neatly set up with the housing development and the graveyard. The terror as the house begins to put forth the energy of these spirits. The scene when the heavy rain begins to wash the bodies up from under the yard is absolutely horrifying. This family is under assault, but until they know what is going on, they can only deal with the symptoms. This movie gives real estate developers a bad name (oops, that's redundant). To conclude, there are about six different scenes that will stick in my memory forever. That's a lot for a movie. I also loved the very last scene which I won't spoil. See this if you can.

Saw this in the mid 80s on a VHS. Found it to be really scary. Revisited it recently aft watching the remake. The remake was bad. This movies effects were really good for that time. It has diminished over the years but the movie still stands out as one of the best pg13 horror. Moving household items, flickering lights, sudden rain n thunder, ghost investigators coming to live at the house, people passing thru another dimension/ghost world were all the stuff which inspired future horror films. The creepy smiling clown n the big monster tree really added to the scary stuff. Kids will definitely enjoy this as it lacks the tension n violence. Don't let the names of Hooper n Spielberg fool u. Its not brutal or violent neither it is tame or mild. It does hav some creepy n scary stuff.

Horror films often do not get their do, and the 7.1 rating for Poltergeist shows that this trend will most likely continue. Clearly an influential film by Chainsaw director Tobe Hooper, Poltergeist reached for, and achieved, everything that the earlier Amityville Horror failed to be; namely, scary, credible, and well acted. Poltergeist, in a nutshell, is a story of suburban California family that discovers the darker side of the American Dream when their youngest daughter, Carol Ann, makes contact with evil spirits through the family television set. "They're here", never fails to send chills down my spine as I recall seeing this film for the first time as a teenager. Perhaps 10 to 15 more years will finally lend the credibility to this film to finally place it among the classics in modern horror cinema.

I am not going to go into all the controversy surrounding this movie...everybody knows about the various deaths of cast members, as well as questions over who actually directed "Poltergeist". What I will decribe in this review are my feelings concerning the movie. "Poltergeist" is a good scary picture which will not only entertain you, but will make you wonder what originally occupied the land where your home is currently standing. This movie makes good use of foreshadowing and building of tensions to move a viewer to believe what they are actually seeing is really happening. While giving the "funeral" for the pet bird, Robbie asks if they can later dig it up so they can "see the bones". At the end of the film he is indeed treated to seeing "dug up bones", only they were not ones he had in mind. Great movie, great acting, great scary fun! A+