Clown in Poltergeist

1982’s Poltergeist is a classic of the horror genre, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a horror film that does not lack any shock or fear value whilst maintaining a strong central plot, with tangible character relationships keeping the structure tight. Directed by Tobe Hooper and co-written and produced by Steven Spielberg himself, Poltergeist celebrates its 40-year anniversary this year with a Blu-Ray release. If you’ve never seen it, I implore you to run to your couch, either rent it or buy that Blu-Ray, and watch it. As someone who has always adored horror movies, I’m kicking myself for not having seen it sooner, as it not only serves as a brilliant viewing experience, but it genuinely felt like I was getting a lesson in the history of horror cinema.

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RELATED: ‘Poltergeist’ 40 Years Later: The Unease Buried Beneath the Suburban Dream


Poltergeist 1982 Your Average Happy Family

For those of you as dumb as me who are taking their time to watch it, here’s the basic plot: Poltergeist follows Diane and Steve Freeing (JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson) and their three children: Teenage Dana (Dominique Dunne), 8-year-old Robbie (Oliver Robbins), and little 5-year-old Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke). They’ve just moved into a comfortable home in an affluent suburb constructed by the company Steve works for, a project that he spearheaded himself. One night, the family is awoken by Carol Anne having a conversation with the static television. When she announces “They’re here,” the rest of the family has no idea what they’re in for. Furniture moves, the family dog barks at people who aren’t there and the weather gets stormier and stormier. Just when things seem to be as extreme as they can get, the haunting presence takes Carol Anne into another dimension, setting the family on a desperate mission to get her back, but they need help from people with this kind of experience.

Help Is Here

Enter Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight) and her two assistants who camp out in the house with the family to try to document the paranormal presence in the house and figure out how they can save Carol Anne. They ascertain that this is not a traditional “haunting,” it’s a “poltergeist” that is holding Carol Anne hostage. The mission proves to be beyond their abilities, and so they call in the clairvoyant Tangina Barrons (Zelda Rubinstein) to save Carol Anne and somehow eradicate the spirits. A subplot sees Steve trying to reckon with the implications of his career success. He learns that his boss and company are responsible for the goings-on in his house, facing the ramifications of careless greed.

Poltergeist As a Blueprint for Modern Cinema

It’s interesting to go back and watch this after seeing so many modern horror films and notice how much of a blueprint Poltergeist really is. The scene of the kitchen furniture reassembling itself in the time Diane momentarily turns her back is borrowed by the Paranormal Activity franchise. The character motif of the comforting and insightful paranormal expert and her two henchmen is seen again in the Insidious movies. Recent horror movies depicting a family in a haunted house such as The Conjuring all feel like callbacks to this 1982 classic. Poltergeist well and truly set up themes and tropes that permeate current horror cinema.

The Unknown Can Be Both Terrifying and Awe-Inspiring

What I felt most shocked by when watching the movie is how much it focuses on humanity rather than terror. Yes, there are some scares and what the Freeing family faces is undoubtedly traumatic, but that’s not the central theme of the movie. It’s best personified in a conversation between Diane and Dr. Lesh. Dr. Lesh tells Diane after they’ve all come face to face with the scope of what they’re dealing with, “It’s all the things we don’t understand.” There’s such a real human vulnerability to Dr. Lesh, which we don’t often see in the expert/confidante character in horror; the willingness to accept that some things lie beyond our ability to comprehend. There are forces, entities, and threats that are so much bigger than us.

What places Poltergeist among the top tier of horror after all this time is its perfect balance of focusing on the fear and beauty of the unknown. There are times when the spirits haunting the home come into sight and the expressions of the characters are a mixture of utter terror and awestruck wonderment. Even Steve and Diane’s first reaction when they realize what is going on in their home isn’t to be scared; it’s excitement and intrigue. They’re giddy at the thought of something so exciting and unknown coming into their middle-class, suburban home. So often in recent horrors, the feeling of threat and terror needs to be established quickly to let audiences know they should be scared too. But Poltergeist lets you marvel at the other side for a little, allowing the characters and the audience to get excited at the thought of something unknown to us.

A True Horror

Although at times this feels like a family drama, don’t despair, there is a lot of horror in this. There’s a particularly visceral body horror scene in the middle of the movie that sets the tone for what’s to come, and the final 20 minutes have their brutal moments. It’s undoubtedly horror, maybe just not the horror we’ve become accustomed to. Poltergeist knows it has a strong script and so, does not rely on any cheap scares (there are some jump scares, but they’re used sparingly and to great effect). There is something for every type of horror fan in Poltergiest. Actually, scratch that, there’s something for every type of movie fan in it. I would happily recommend this to anyone from a gore fanatic to a horror hater. It’s just an interesting story told well at the end of the day, and can absolutely be enjoyed by anyone (well, over the age of 16 maybe).

The acting and chemistry between the characters are one of the main factors that set Poltergeist above a lot of cinema. Williams and Nelson work seamlessly together as the heart of the family, laughing and getting high in their bedroom like teenagers at the start of the film. Beatrice Straight plays Dr. Lesh with the perfect combination of awe and fear, not having all the answers about the other dimension but being desperate to find them. Zelda Rubinstein’s performance was the one I felt most impacted by. Her character’s entrance is timed perfectly. Just when you think the chaos, madness, and turmoil of the house is getting to be too much, Rubinstein’s calm authority sobers up the film and gets the plot on track to saving Carol Anne.

40 years, two sequels, and a pretty awful remake later, Poltergeist still stands as a horror heavyweight. Perhaps it’s due to its focus on family dynamics in times of crisis, maybe it’s the fact that it doesn’t try to give concrete answers about the unknown, or maybe it’s just down to a great script and some fantastic performances. Either way, Poltergiest deserves to still be celebrated. I can only imagine that the current horror scene would look very different without this blueprint film to look back on and gain inspiration from.

Grade: A-

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