On October 1, 2012, we opened the first ever 31 Days of Halloween with a review of the horror classic “Poltergeist.” I think its fitting that we close the current Halloween season with the 2015 remake.
With changes in the technological and social landscapes of our society, culture, and film, remakes are often a way of introducing a new generation to the past. More often than not, remakes are never quite as good as the original and the latest movie in the “Poltergeist” series proves that thesis.
This go around, the movie was written and directed by David Lindsay-Abraire and Gil Kenan respectively, two men who were in preteen years in 1982 when the original film was released. The plot is closely related, but the infusion of current day elements like cell phones and the internet remove any doubt that its present day and not the 1980s.
The five member Bowen family movies into a new home that was of course built on top of an old graveyard. Ghostly things start to happen; benign at first like youngest daughter Madison (Kennedi Clements) having her hair mysteriously pulled, and quickly escalating into the horror hi-jinx one would expect.
Son Griffin (Kyle Catlett) is forced to take the bedroom in the attic, to which themes from the original are included but done in their own unique way. Griffin is already a cause of concern for his parents, with fears of the dark and bad dreams plaguing him since he was a toddler.
An area of the new rendition I loved is the family’s financial hardships which are the cause of them moving into the reduced price home in the first place. This aspect is explored perfectly in the relationship between Amy Bowen (Rosemarie DeWitt) a writer who is trying to hash out her first novel and husband Eric (Sam Rockwell) who will do anything to provide for his family in both financial and supportive means.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie was not a typical scary part, but one in which Eric is at a store buying parts to fix a leak and has his credit cards rejected. Back in the car, Eric has a quick and highly emotional discharge at his perceived failure as a husband and father. Sam Rockwell does a marvelous job in the role and anyone watching can certainly relate.
The original movie boasted a memorable fright courtesy of a toy clown, and the remake includes this aspect as well when Griffin discovers a box of old clowns stashed in the attic, the lead clown being far more terrifying than the original.
Another great sequence depicts daughter Kendra (Saxon Sharbino) babysitting for her siblings. Inhuman sounds coming through the phone lead to a host of scary things in the home. The scares are there when they are called upon but unfortunately they don’t sustain throughout.
Where “Poltergeist” ultimately fails is the second half of the movie when horror morphs into a comical family fantasy type of story. Madison’s supernatural predicament brings a crew of paranormal investigators into the home but all scares seem to end completely at this point, and it becomes more of a search and rescue for the child.
The remake is an okay movie; not the best and not the worst, but I thought and was hoping it would be a lot scarier. I think it has its place alongside the original, and is worth checking out just to see the comparison.
As for horror, we will see you next year for the 6th annual 31 Days of Halloween – October 1st 2017 is just 334 days away.
by – Matt Christopher
