Poltergeist (PG)

When compiling a list of all time horror classics, the 1982 supernatural thriller “Poltergeist” is almost always near the top of anyone’s list.  With its creepy fabled curses (see below) and the iconic phrase “they’re here,” “Poltergeist” has a magnitude of spooky elements and jump-in-your-seat moments.

Set at the Freeling house in a California suburb, the film wastes no time diving into the fright.  The opening scenes consist of the Freeling’s two small children, Robbie and Carol Anne going to bed in their shared room which has a window looking outside to a sinister appearing tree.  The room itself houses a toy clown so horrifying Robbie can’t sleep without covering its head with a shirt – a ritual he endures every night beckoning you to ask, why is it in the room in the first place?  Nevertheless, the ambiance is set for the terror that will follow.

A strange static begins emitting from the television after it has gone to off-air in the bedroom of the parents, Diane and Steven (JoBeth Williams, and Craig T. Nelson of “Coach” and “Parenthood” television fame) after they have fallen asleep.  Carol Anne seems drawn to something inside the TV.  The next night, the same bedtime shenanigans continue prompting the children to sleep in bed with their parents.  Again, the television begins flickering with static while the family is sleeping.  Carol Anne crawls close to the set, placing her hands on the screen (an iconic image all movie fans will know) and witnesses a supernatural creature depart from the screen and vanish into the house.  She then turns and utters one of horror movies most famous lines – “They’re here.”

Tepid skylarkings of the ghosts turn malicious the following night when the tree outside the bedroom window reaches in and attacks Robbie in his bed.  In the chaos, Carol Anne vanishes into another dimension, haunting cries for her mother coming through the television the only thing that can be heard.

In attempt to rid their house of the poltergeists and rescue Carol Anne, the family hires a team of parapsychologists to assist.  It is revealed that the house they reside in was built on an Indian burial ground – and rescuing Carol Anne may be the least of the Freeling’s problems.

The acting at times is scarier than the movie.  The Freeling’s possess a cavalier attitude throughout the situation, including wise-cracks and a seeming aloofness, despite the fact that their young daughter has literally been sucked into the television set.  But it’s about what you would expect from anything coming from the 80s, especially a horror movie.  Individual snippets are downright terrifying – the Poltergeist clown is reputed to have created a generation of people afflicted with coulrophobia.  Most frights more startle you than scare you and as such, the movie is lacking.

The premise and components are set for it to be a truly terrifying movie if done properly.  The score makes several scenes more cheesy than scary, and co-writer and Producer Steven Spielberg put his soft handprint all over the movie, robbing it of what it could have been.

One interesting element is the subtle references to other popular movies of the era – “ET,” “Star Wars,” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”  The introduction of parapsychologists is an obvious influence for the 1984 blockbuster “Ghostbusters.”

One of the most popular urban legends associated with movies is the so-called Poltergeist Curse, derived from the fact that 4 cast members died in the 6 years between the releases of the first and third films:

Dominique Dunne, who played the eldest daughter Dana in the first movie, died on November 4, 1982 at age 22 after being strangled by her abusive former boyfriend.

Julian Beck, 60-year-old actor who played Henry Kane in “Poltergeist II: The Other Side,” died on September 14, 1985 of stomach cancer diagnosed before he had accepted the role.

Will Sampson, 53 years old, who played Taylor the medicine man in “Poltergeist II,” died as a result of post-operative kidney failure and pre-operative malnutrition problems on June 3, 1987.

Of course the most famous (and something that adds to the spookiness of the film) is Heather O’Rourke, who played Carol Anne.  O’Rourke died on February 1, 1988 at the age of 12 after what doctors initially described as an acute form of influenza but later changed to septic shock after bacterial toxins invaded her bloodstream.

Another bit of curse foreshadowing is the appearance of a hand drawn poster above Robbie’s bed announcing the 1988 Super Bowl XXII.  The poster is accurate in that Super Bowl XXII was in 1988.  What’s odd is that a little boy would choose to have that on his wall in a movie that was released in 1982. There’s no indication throughout “Poltergeist” that it occurs in the future.

January 31, 1988, the day of the Super Bowl in San Diego, California, O’Rourke happened to be living in San Diego where she suddenly became violently ill. The very next day, she collapsed while getting ready to go to the hospital, and later that afternoon, she passed away. And just like that, the movie proved its prescience with one of the weirdest set decoration choices in horror movie history.

Check out Poltergeist just to say you’ve watched it.  It is a classic, though don’t expect to be blown away.

– by Matt Christopher