Poltergeist
3/4
Starring: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke, Beatrice Straight, Zelda Rubenstein
Rated PG for Scary Action, Some Gore, Language and Brief Drug Use (I guess)
"Poltergeist" is one of the most famous horror movies. It's also very overrated. Yes, it's a good movie, but it's got some significant problems, like the story (which is pretty thin) and the pacing.
The Freelings are living in a new development in suburbia. Steve (Nelson) is a real estate agent who is helping the developer, Mr. Teague (character actor James Karen), sell the houses he built. His wife Diane (Williams) is a stay-at-home mom to her three children: teenager Dana (Dominique Dunne), young son Robbie (Oliver Robins) and younger daughter Carol Anne (O'Rourke). But strange things are happening to the Freelings. Carol Anne is sleepwalking and talking to the TV set (set on static), a spot on the kitchen floor acts like a running walkway, and the kitchen table and chairs move themselves. To their horror, their house is not just quirky, it's filled with evil spirits, and they've kidnapped Carol Anne.
The acting is okay. JoBeth Williams makes for a surprisingly normal mom. Craig T. Nelson underplays his role a little too much. But they're the straight men, so to speak, of this film. They're the ones we're supposed to identify with. To the extent that we can (a point I will get to later), we do. The color is provided by the supporting characters. Beatrice Straight, who holds the record for the shortest onscreen performance ever to win an Oscar (she was on screen for all of 5 minutes 40 seconds in the dark satire "Network") is suitably frumpy and odd as the paranormal expert Dr. Lech, but after the first few scenes, she doesn't have much to do other than look scared (and even in the first scenes, her character is almost superfluous). Far more important (and memorable) is the empath Tangina (Rubenstein). The petite, baby-voiced actress is weird enough to fit in a horror movie. That last statement is a compliment by the way.
For Tobe Hooper, who came into the horror film echelon with the infamous "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in 1974 (an odd start for a director of a film aimed at kids and teens), didn't do much after "Poltergeist." His work here is solid, but he moves things way too fast. In a movie like "Aliens," which was as much an action movie as a horror film, that would be okay. With a ghost story, things need to move slower, at least initially. We need to be able to identify with the protagonists before things start happening to them. That doesn't happen here; the very first scene is intended to freak us out. Rumor has it that co-writer and producer Steven Spielberg did most of the work, however.
"Poltergeist" has been the basis of rumored curse, including sudden deaths of cast members and failed careers. Heather O'Rourke died of intestinal stenosis in 1988 at the age of 12. Dominique Dunne was strangled by John Thomas Sweeney, her abusive boyfriend, at age 22. Tobe Hooper's career has gone essentially nowhere. Neither JoBeth Williams or Craig T. Nelson has had a stellar career (although they are both successful character actors).
Still, despite a rather thin story and some suspect editing, the film works. It's freaky, there are lots of loud noises and atmosphere, and the special effects are pretty cool and hold up surprisingly well. It's not the classic that it's rumored to be, but it's a fun choice for a horror movie night with your friends. Especially for the kids.
Starring: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke, Beatrice Straight, Zelda Rubenstein
Rated PG for Scary Action, Some Gore, Language and Brief Drug Use (I guess)
"Poltergeist" is one of the most famous horror movies. It's also very overrated. Yes, it's a good movie, but it's got some significant problems, like the story (which is pretty thin) and the pacing.
The Freelings are living in a new development in suburbia. Steve (Nelson) is a real estate agent who is helping the developer, Mr. Teague (character actor James Karen), sell the houses he built. His wife Diane (Williams) is a stay-at-home mom to her three children: teenager Dana (Dominique Dunne), young son Robbie (Oliver Robins) and younger daughter Carol Anne (O'Rourke). But strange things are happening to the Freelings. Carol Anne is sleepwalking and talking to the TV set (set on static), a spot on the kitchen floor acts like a running walkway, and the kitchen table and chairs move themselves. To their horror, their house is not just quirky, it's filled with evil spirits, and they've kidnapped Carol Anne.
The acting is okay. JoBeth Williams makes for a surprisingly normal mom. Craig T. Nelson underplays his role a little too much. But they're the straight men, so to speak, of this film. They're the ones we're supposed to identify with. To the extent that we can (a point I will get to later), we do. The color is provided by the supporting characters. Beatrice Straight, who holds the record for the shortest onscreen performance ever to win an Oscar (she was on screen for all of 5 minutes 40 seconds in the dark satire "Network") is suitably frumpy and odd as the paranormal expert Dr. Lech, but after the first few scenes, she doesn't have much to do other than look scared (and even in the first scenes, her character is almost superfluous). Far more important (and memorable) is the empath Tangina (Rubenstein). The petite, baby-voiced actress is weird enough to fit in a horror movie. That last statement is a compliment by the way.
For Tobe Hooper, who came into the horror film echelon with the infamous "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in 1974 (an odd start for a director of a film aimed at kids and teens), didn't do much after "Poltergeist." His work here is solid, but he moves things way too fast. In a movie like "Aliens," which was as much an action movie as a horror film, that would be okay. With a ghost story, things need to move slower, at least initially. We need to be able to identify with the protagonists before things start happening to them. That doesn't happen here; the very first scene is intended to freak us out. Rumor has it that co-writer and producer Steven Spielberg did most of the work, however.
"Poltergeist" has been the basis of rumored curse, including sudden deaths of cast members and failed careers. Heather O'Rourke died of intestinal stenosis in 1988 at the age of 12. Dominique Dunne was strangled by John Thomas Sweeney, her abusive boyfriend, at age 22. Tobe Hooper's career has gone essentially nowhere. Neither JoBeth Williams or Craig T. Nelson has had a stellar career (although they are both successful character actors).
Still, despite a rather thin story and some suspect editing, the film works. It's freaky, there are lots of loud noises and atmosphere, and the special effects are pretty cool and hold up surprisingly well. It's not the classic that it's rumored to be, but it's a fun choice for a horror movie night with your friends. Especially for the kids.
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