Film Review: Poltergeist by Collin Brennan on May 22, 2015, 10:30am

Ghosts in the ‘80s had it so much easier. If you’re a malevolent spirit trying to get by in 2015, you might wax nostalgic for the days when a dash of TV static was all it took to scare people out of their wits. I almost feel sorry for the poltergeists in Poltergeist, a reboot of the iconic Tobe Hooper film that first brought ghosts into the suburban tract home. When they’re not trying to find a way to make the iPhone 5 terrifying, they’re staring quizzically at a drone-mounted camera and wondering how in the hell it got into their netherworld. But technology waits for no one, least of all the dead.
If you came to this review with one burning question, it was probably, “Did the world really need another Poltergeist?” As you might have suspected, the answer is, “No, it most certainly did not.” The original film struck a nerve with the American public because it brought supernatural horror into a recognizable space. It convinced people that hauntings were not confined to castles and creaky old mansions—that nowhere, not even your own boring housing development, was safe. Three decades later, those housing developments remain just as boring and just as recognizable, which is partly why Hooper’s (and, yes, Steven Spielberg’s) vision has held up so well.

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The new film contains a decent amount of scares, sure, but it’s mostly afraid of itself. It knows that it has no good reason to exist, and so it attempts to justify its existence with an orgy of technology that unmistakably belongs to the 21st century. The very first shot we see is a close-up of a zombie video game, and much of the film’s narrative exposition seems aimed at exploring the question of, “Hey, what would it look like if the original Poltergeist had drones and Macbooks and other kinds of cool new gadgets?” It’s an innately superficial question that doesn’t need answering, especially when there are films out there (Blumhouse’s Unfriended, for one) better equipped to tackle the thorny nest of techno-anxiety.
Even so, I’m tempted to look past all those annoying gizmos and give Poltergeist 2.0 the benefit of the doubt. After all, Sam Raimi’s behind this thing, and the last franchise reboot he produced was the wickedly fun, maybe-even-borderline-great Evil Dead in 2013. Here, Raimi has entrusted the directorial reins to relative newcomer Gil Kenan, but his sly humor still peeks through cracks in the script. Early in the film, parents Eric and Amy Bowen (Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt) get a brief moment alone while touring their prospective house. “You have to try to like this,” Amy tells her husband. “Okay, I’ll try,” he sighs in resignation. I could almost feel the filmmakers reaching out to me, attempting to squash my cynicism before it sent me sprinting for the exit. “Okay,” I whispered under my breath, “I’ll try.”
But try as one might, it’s hard not to succumb to the fatigue of repetition here. The plot of Poltergeist is largely a rehash of the first film, with enough minor details changed to justify the “revisionist” tag. Pint-sized ghost whisperer Carol Anne has been swapped out for six-year-old Maddy (Kennedi Clements), a gregarious child to whom the dead are equally attracted. Clements strikes just the right balance between cute and creepy, and one could argue that she’s a slight improvement over predecessor Heather O’Rourke. The same can’t be said for her older siblings. The teenaged Kendra (Saxon Sharbino) is alternately reduced to screams and smart-ass remarks, while younger brother Griffin (Kyle Catlett) is a stiff, awkward kid who’s afraid of everything and thus destined to play the role of reluctant hero. The most welcome newcomer may well be Jared Harris as Corrigan Burke, a ghost hunter with an Irish brogue and his own reality show. Harris seems to understand the general ridiculousness of the plot, and he has fun skewering the legions of fake “ghost hunters” that have haunted late-night cable in recent years.
Remakes—or, excuse me, “revisionist reboots”—are only worth as much as the new ideas they bring to the table. We saw the good side of this a couple of years ago with Evil Dead, which smartly subverted gender roles and found some glorious new ways to kill off its cast. What the new Poltergeist lacks, aside from any real sense of purpose, is an iconic scene to call its own. There are plenty of callbacks to the first film, but nothing to rival the timeless terror of that evil tree scene, which remains the strongest piece of propaganda in favor of Amazonian deforestation. Even the clowns feel lazy and perfunctory here, though one scene involving a drill bit generates a good amount of tension before succumbing to 3D gimmickry.
Poltergeist’s obsession with such gimmicks, of course, stems from its near-pathological desire to feel “new.” It doesn’t feel new, and the sad irony is that, 30 years from now, this film will likely feel hopelessly dated. At that point, some cynical studio executive will probably order yet another remake, because why the hell not? I just can’t help but sympathize with the ghosts, doomed to stay the same kind of dead even as the world of the living evolves. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from them. Everything dies, after all, but not everything is needlessly brought back to life.

How the Poltergeist Curse Continues to Haunt People in Real Life

Poltergeist may be even more terrifying off-screen than it is on-screen. The horror franchise—launched in 1982—birthed two sequels (in 1986 and 1988) as well as a recent reboot (out May 22), starring Sam Rockwell. But what's even scarier than the premise of angry ghosts haunting an innocent family is the strange real-life occurrences that happened around the filming of the original trilogy.

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Whether or not you believe in curses, and particularly this one—famously dubbed the Poltergeist Curse—you have to admit the odd happenings are more than just a little eerie. Young actress Heather O'Rourke, who played Carol Anne (a.k.a. the little girl sitting in front of the TV in the iconic image), met her maker too soon, when she died at the age of 12 from cardiac arrest caused by septic shock. She passed away on Feb. 1, 1988, just four months before Poltergeist III, her final film, was released. Dominique Dunne, who played Carol Anne's older sister in the first Poltergeist, was strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend five months after the release of the film. In 1985, actor Julian Beck, who played Kane, the evil reverend in the second Poltergeist, died of stomach cancer, while Will Sampson, who played Taylor the Medicine Man, passed away in 1987 from post-operative kidney failure. Between 1982 and 1988—the six years during which the three films released—the Poltergeist franchise saw four deaths from its cast members.

Though not often cited as part of the Poltergeist Curse, the gruesome death of actor Lou Perryman, who had a small part as Pugsley in the original Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg film, reignited interest in the curse in 2009. He was murdered with an axe in his own home. It's not unusual for a movie 33 years old to have cast member deaths, but the abnormal manner of Perryman's death was worthy of note among the unfortunate events surrounding the film. 

Many people have cited the skeletons in the film for the curse—later revealed to be real dead bodies, because they were apparently cheaper than fake ones. In an effort to cleanse the set of evil spirits, actor Will Sampson (who is also a shaman) performed an actual exorcism after shooting one night. Actress JoBeth Williams, who plays the mom, Diane Freeling, has said that during filming, she would always come home to find pictures on her wall crooked, even if she'd straighten them every day. Spooky, right?

With the release of the new Poltergeist, horror buffs are wondering, Is the curse back? Was it ever real, or all just terrible coincidence?

In a recent Reddit AMA, director Gil Kenan of the new Poltergeist detailed some unnerving events during filming: "The location for the house, during shooting, I chose because it had a strange and unnecessary field that the houses of this particular community were built around," he wrote. "And we found—throughout production—that we had persistent and repeatable equipment field only on that strange plot of land. For instance, lights that could turn on anywhere else in the neighborhood would blow out the second you'd try to light them on this plot." It's unclear whether this is spooky for reasons other than something totally normal and logical. Plus, considering Kenan has been "trying to catch a curse since [he] was 11," it's possible some of the oddities have been amplified in his head.

But here's the scariest and latest chapter of the mysterious curse: Just last month, a family in Sacramento claimed to have experienced horrifying events after purchasing the Cabbage Patch Doll that once belonged to Heather O'Rourke. The details of the case can be found here, along with the email the couple sent paranormal investigator Paul Dale Roberts (co-owner of Halo Paranormal Investigations). The husband, Dusty, said that since he and his wife Jamie-Lynn are huge fans of Poltergeist, they excitedly bought the doll off eBay, but terrible things started happening shortly thereafter:

The doll arrived on the 30th of October. We were in awe. Halloween day, we left for our anniversary trip to Reno. Our anniversary is Nov 1. While in Reno, we got a call that my wife's step brother had been in a terrible accident while playing soccer. He ended up with a ruptured spleen and broken ribs. Due to internal bleeding, he was hospitalized for 5 days. 3 days later, my father-in-law became ill. Within 2 days, he was in a coma. He was diagnosed with encefalitis. He remained in a coma for 5-6 days and we almost lost him. Miraculously, he woke up and was released after a 9 day stint. He is still in rehab for brain damage. We thought we could be back to our lives after a very trying few weeks. On Dec 2nd, my wife found out her childhood friend, John had committed suicide by gunshot. Dec 8th, our good friend Dawn died of heart failure...she was 33. Shortly after, my mother was having agonizing pain in her hip. She ended up having surgery. On Jan 7th, my wife's Uncle Jeff (not a blood relative, he was her best friend's father who took my wife in on more than one occasion as a child) passed away from a heart attack. He had no known medical conditions. January 26th, my wife was hospitalized for the night with a rare intestinal infection. The end of January, I left my job for a new company. On Feb 12, I was let go. Feb 14th, we had to put our dear dog, Zeus down. Early March, our 4 year old Pomeranian lost a tooth.
Shortly after, my wife was told something was wrong with her heart and they suspended her driver's license. She has had to wear heart monitors for 24 hours twice and they still don't know what is wrong. On March 27th, due to an error, Kern County Child Support levied my account right before a bunch of debit purchases and auto drafts cleared. This left us with a negative account balance of almost $2,000. My car broke down two days prior. Last week, the doctors notified my mother that her surgery not only failed, she had a fracture in her hip. She had a hip replacement April 8th. On top of all of this, my wife and I have not gotten along. There is constant tension in the air and the topic of divorce has come up more than once.

I called up the paranormal investigator on this case to hear his take on this curse, and if there have been any follow-ups with the doll owners. Paul Dale Roberts has worked on thousands of cases since he started in 2006, and he does indeed believe the Poltergeist Curse exists. "Yeah, I believe that negative energy can be thrown upon something. It can be thrown upon any inanimate object and stay there. When a person gets around this negative energy, something bad could happen to them. They may get sick, someone close to them can get sick, there can be a death."

He believes the doll was responsible for Dustin and Jamie-Lynn's recent misfortunes as well. He explained: "There was some type of curse on it. I mean, it has the history. It goes all the way back to The Poltergeist movie. Steven Spielberg supposedly used human bones from India, which upsets the spirit world, which caused the curse. So yeah I believe that the curse was manifesting from the doll and when it was trying to prevent the cleansing, which caused me to become dizzy." He and his wife Deanna Stinson, a psychic, work on cases together; she confirmed an evil spirit attached to the doll.

When he tried to cleanse the household, he felt a resistant spirit. "I felt very, very dizzy," he says. "I fell off-balance. It was almost like something was trying to prevent me from cleansing the doll." He believes the cleansing was successful though. The couple still owns the doll, but now keeps it in a blessed glass case. "Things are calm now," he says.

So is the latest Poltergeist in danger? Roberts doesn't think so. "No, even though this movie is a remake of Poltergeist, I don't think it has a connection to the curse," he tells Complex. "I think everybody is relatively safe." Whew. Perhaps we can all go see the new Poltergeist without fear of IRL repercussions.

Here's A Reminder Of Everything Wrong With Poltergeist

This week sees the release of the remake of Poltergeist hitting theaters, so now is as good a time as any to reflect back on the 1982 horror classic that inspired it. However, if you have nothing but positive memories about the movie, you may want to turn away now, as this video is going to tear it a new one.



CinemaSins has launched the latest episode of its "Everything Wrong With..." series, and this time around they've taken aim at what many consider to be one of the greatest paranormal activity films ever made. There is a point in the video where the narrator admits that Poltergeist really is a fantastic movie, and actually knocks five points off the final sin score as a result, but everything before and after really does point out a lot of big problems in both the narrative and the construction of the film.

So what are the central issues of the Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg film? Well, the approach to the paranormal activity in the movie is certainly a one. For example, it seems like the spirits in the story do enjoy really screwing with the inhabitants of the house, but why exactly has it taken so long for them to start acting up? There are also some pretty strange inconsistencies in the degrees of their behavior, from stacking chairs and creating slip n' slides to face-ripping hallucinations. Furthermore, it's never really made clear why the Freeling family seems to be the only family being affected by the ghosts, considering it's clearly said that their house is not the only one built on a burial ground.

As the video points out, though, there is a weird ace up Poltergeist's sleeve that can be used to really explain away any of the movie's many notable weird continuity mistakes or character actions: the ghosts are responsible. How did that Darth Vader poster get back up on the wall? Ghosts did it. Why did Carol Anne's entire family abandon her during all the weirdness? Ghosts did it. Why does a bottle of 409 turn into a bottle of Fantastik? Ghosts did it.

For all its issues, however, Poltergeist is still a terrific film, and the upcoming remake directed by Gil Kenan most definitely stands in a large shadow. We'll have a review of the new movie up for you later in the week, and we'll see if perhaps the new version can fix some of the original's issues

• Swami Drahcir • a year ago

  Actually most of the things mentioned in this video are what makes Poltergeist a classic. These are not "mistakes," but are cinematic devices that add interest and style to a movie that has appropriately achieved classic status. Poltergeist should not have been remade. Have appreciation for the true classics, Hollywood.
  

  

  Lane Meyer • a year ago

  This video is complete bullshit. There are plenty of movies you do this to, but this isn't one of them. Any flaws it has are microscopic when compared with the overall quality of the film.
  

  
  

  

  Charlie Kelly • a year ago

  the dog walking thru the house introducing the characters on by one is a movie, gtfoh.. lame ass videos
  

  
  

  

  JSB • a year ago

  I've grown to really dislike these videos. It's basically throwing a group's hard work to the curb and often times tries to poke holes where there are none. The worst is when the videos point out problems that aren't even problems, but opinions on what they want it to be. A few of these I've watched and quickly disposed of a good portion of their complaints by just paying attention to the movie.
  

  
  

  

  Alric the Red JSB • a year ago

  I agree with you. I don't even watch them anymore. At all. None of them. I read the comments usually to the video, to see what others are saying -- like I did just now, and stopped by here -- but I ignore the snark-filled crapfests.
  

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  Charlie Kelly JSB • a year ago

  yeah they make them about every movie too.. lmfao like at some point who gives a fuck? ya mean?
  

Poltergeist

Poltergeist

1982 / 114min / 35mm

DIRECTOR: TOBE HOOPER

CAST: CRAIG T. NELSON, JOBETH WILLIAMS, HEATHER O'ROURKE

COMPOSER - JERRY GOLDSMITH
STORY - STEVEN SPIELBERG
PRODUCER - STEVEN SPIELBERG & FRANK MARSHALL

The directors of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Jaws teamed up for this allegedly family-friendly haunted-house saga, utilizing cutting-edge, Oscar-nominated special effects for the tale of a middleclass California family trying to rescue its cherubic five-year-old (“Carol Anne! Carol Anne!”), who has been whisked away to another dimension by meanspirited apparitions. Any of us who saw it young will never forget it—especially the scene in which a man rips his own face off in front of a mirror. Though Poltergeist was initially given an R rating, producer Steven Spielberg sweet-talked the MPAA down to a PG, resulting in sleepless nights for children for years to come.

200° The Best Horror Movies of the 80's

Although the 80’s is well known for its terrible fashion sense, it did bring us some downright amazing horror movies.  These movies helped shake, shiver and shape a generation, with its iconic killers and memorable death scenes. Crafty from Pixelcereal.com brings you the top movies of this crazy era.

The Shining (1980):

Jack Torrance becomes a caretaker at an isolated hotel in Colorado, over the winter. Hoping to cure his writer’s block, he settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny. Danny soon becomes plagued by psychic premonitions of the past and future. As Jack’s writing goes nowhere and Danny’s visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers that the hotel harbours some dark secrets. He soon begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac and starts terrorising his family. I don’t think anyone could forget the famous line “Heeeereees Johnny.”

Why it Made the List:

Jack Nicolson is an amazing actor and to see him in his younger years going bad shit crazy… Well, who wouldn’t want to see that.

The Thing (1982):

A group of American scientists are disturbed at their base camp by a helicopter shooting at a sled dog in remote Antarctica. They take the dog into their camp, where it brutally attacks both humans and other dogs. they discover that the beast can assume the shape of its victims. This 80’s movie classic was a huge gore fest and I still get a little freaked out when the guys head falls off and sprouts legs.

Why it Made the List:

This movie was super scary back in the day and still is. It is full of amazing, gory effects that will stick in your mind forever.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1985):

In this classic slasher film, the teenagers of Elm street fall prey to Freddy Krueger, a disfigured killer who preys on the teenagers in their dreams, and in turn, kills them in reality.

Why it Made the List:

There has never been a horror movie killer more terrifying to me than Freddy, everything about the way he looks is scary as s**t. Let’s not forget he’s a killer who can get you in your dreams… And Let’s face it everyone has to fall asleep at some point.

Evil Dead 2 (1987):

Ash Williams once again battling horrifying demons at a creepy cabin in the woods. After discovering an audiotape left by a professor that contains voices reading from the Book of the Dead. Ash’s girlfriend Linda becomes possessed by evil that is awakened by the voices on the tape. Ash soon discovers there is no escaping the woods. This horror comedy is an amazing watch and you can’t help but laugh along as Ash loses his mind and the house begins to laugh.

Why it Made the List:

With it’s over the top gore and humorous scenes, why wouldn’t this movie make the cut?

Poltergeist (1982):

Strange things start happening in the home of the Freeling family (Steve, Diane, teenaged Dana, eight-year-old Robbie, and five-year-old Carol Ann) when ghosts communicate with them through the television set. Initially playful, the spirits turn menacing, and, when Carol Ann goes missing, Steve and Diane turn to an exorcist for help. This movie to me is terrifying and the line “there here!” has always stuck in my mind.

Why it Made the List:

Where do I start? This Movie scares the life out of me from the creepy tree to the bodies popping up in the pool. Most of this movie is watched from behind my fingers. Yeah, I’m a wimp… Get over it!

The Lost Boys (1987):

Teenage brothers Michael and Sam move to a small town in northern California with their mother. While the younger Sam meets a pair of  geeky comic-book nerds Edward and Alan, Michael soon meets a vicious gang of vampires. Sam and his new friends must save Michael from the clutches of the undead.

Why it Made the List:

This is one of my favourite movies of all time and it started off my crazy, vampire obsession. The Vampires were hot and of course, they didn’t sparkle. The acting was amazing and the soundtrack legendary.

Halloween 2 (1981):

After failing to kill stubborn Laurie in the first Halloween movie, Michael Myers has followed her to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she’s been admitted after Michaels attempt on taking her life. Michael Myers Is not happy about failing so her cuts, stabs and slashes his way through the hospital staff to reach his favourite victim.

Why it Made the List:

Another amazing horror movie icon who still hits our cinema screen to this day. Michael Myers is a cold, cool force of nature and won’t let anyone or anything get in his way.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986):

The chainsaw-wielding Leatherface is up to his tricks once again, along with the rest of his twisted cannibal family. This time, the masked killer has set his sights on pretty disc jockey Vanita, who teams up with a Texas lawman to stop the maniac and his family in their tracks.

Why it Made the List:
Leatherface wouldn’t think twice about chopping you into pieces and wearing your face on his as if it were a new fashion accessory.

Friday the 13th (1980):

Crystal Lake’s history of murder doesn’t stop counsellors from setting up a summer camp in the area. Locals warn against it, but they pay no attention to the old-timers superstitons. They soon find themselves stalked by a brutal killer, as they get killed off one by one.

Why it Made the List:

This movie was the birth of Jason Vorhees, the unkillable, machete-wielding killer of Camp Crystal Lake.

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

August 7th, 2012 by unkle lancifer · 15 Comments

POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE falls apart like a subpar paper towel on several occasions and yet it somehow sports a scene so acutely chilling that it leaves most other cinematic depictions of evil looking hopelessly impotent. That it achieves that transcendent point without the aid of special effects (save a rain machine) compounds the impressiveness of what’s been captured. If you’ve seen the movie you know the bit I’m referring to. In it, JULIAN BECK as the reverend Henry Kane attempts to gain entrance into the home where the ill-fated Freeling family has taken up temporary residence. The day is bright and gorgeous and watching cadaverous Kane making his way to the front door is like witnessing a skull-faced wrecking ball rolling through a flowerbed leaving a trail of smoldering ash behind it. At the time of filming BECK was reportedly gravely ill and I can’t help wondering if his proximity to death allowed him to relay his grim tidings in a frighteningly unmodified manor. We peg Kane at once as a manipulative liar but wince at the base truth he dispels when he very nearly looks directly into the camera and bellows, “You’re all going to die in there!” The scene, taken alone, remains as ghoulishly powerful as it ever was and I know I’m not exaggerating its impact because we’ve received a slew of Traumafessions certifying its indelibility.
Running not so close behind is a lesser showstopper involving lovable (mostly due to cues provided by the impossible to argue with JOBETH WILLIAMS) dad Steve Freeling (CRAIG T. NELSON) getting trashed on tequila, gulping a possessed worm, and transforming into the antithesis of the good natured man we’ve come to know. NELSON mimics BECK’s mannerisms with wild gusto and even purses his lips to mime his facial structure and the result hits my favorite note of being both legitimately disturbing and borderline embarrassing. Love still holds some power in the POLTERGEIST universe so when Diane states her unconditional devotion to her hubby, he has no recourse but to puke up the demon, which then squirms and flaps about on the floor like a giant maggot. The slimy bastard even has the cheekiness to grimace like a Kane-o-lantern before hobbling out of the room! I am giving this scene less laudation because some of its success hinges on somewhat dated special effects but like the one previously mentioned, it hits a bona fide nerve. Vomit creature (as it’s listed in the credits) aside, Steve’s loathsome, post-possession behavior replicates that of an abusive alcoholic in a squirmy, uncomfortable way (not much of a leap considering the instigator he ingests is found at the bottom of the bottle.)
So with not one but two highly memorable, if not classic, scenes like these what could possibly be wrong with POLTERGEIST 2? Well, a lot. Director BRIAN GIBSON is fine when dealing with consummate professionals like BECK, NELSON and WILLIAMS, but every other cast member is left looking humiliatingly amateurish and hung out to dry. Matters are made worse by a title that sparks the imagination with a promise of revealing the afterlife when all we are delivered are poor blue screen flying effects, a badly realized miniature representing “the beast” and a too corny for even this cornball glowing grandma angel who saves the day to a furiously trying to pick up the slack JERRY GOLDSMITH score. In fairness, P2: TOS experienced more than its share of behind-the-scenes setbacks including the already mentioned death of its ace in the hole baddie BECK but that hardly explains all of the lack of creativity shown depicting the titular “Other side.” In addition, it’s a little difficult to buy the “We must do this as a family” schmaltz when the Freeling’s eldest child has disappeared and it’s deemed not worth mentioning why. The fact that DOMINIQUE DUNNE who played daughter Dana, was murdered shortly after the first film makes the mass denial all the more crass…or maybe it’s just sad.
Oh hell, you know what I have to do? I’m going to do it. I’m stamping this movie with my slightly unflattering but ultimately affirming GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME stamp! There. Bang. I just did it. Parts of it are crap and it reeks of negative energy but when it shines it shines and maybe there are better sequels out there but do they boast such monumental take away moments? Not much can alter the fact that THE OTHER SIDE is the least fun film of the trilogy (PART 3 is hilarious) but that’s the price you pay for raking up unpleasantries like spousal rape, alcoholism, child abuse, religious fraud and suicide cults (not to mention granny death) in a would-be summer blockbuster. Hey, at least it’s ambitious. People can go ahead and claim this is a retread of the first but its actually following its own dark guide. If the first film secretly worried about the teacher student relationship children have with their television this one boldly wonders if Sunday school was ever any better. I love the first movie, it can’t be beat, but one thing it doesn’t have is JULIAN BECK as Kane. If his character was all that this movie offered that would still be good enough for me. Yep, heaven is a let down but should anyone be surprised? Here’s hoping BECK is somewhere enjoying something grander than a blue screen cloud.
Wait a minute! I thought I was done with the above post but I have to add one more thing. If I had any pride in my work I’d incorporate this thought to the above text but I’m taking the easy way out and shoving this tacked on addendum here instead like a lazy bastard. While gathering the images for this pile of words I came across another scene that I’m strangely drawn to. It’s right after the grandma dies and Diane goes out to the garden, she sees a rose bush and she recalls planting it with her mother in a gauzy flashback (Me = sucker for gauzy flashbacks). A wind picks up and as petals fly by, Diane senses her mother still very much with her and how sweet. Then suddenly it’s night and a weird cloud is over the house. Diane gets up from bed to visit the area where she felt her mother’s spirit. I think she even hears her voice. Then all of the sudden rotting dead people jump out of the ground and drag her under the earth screaming (Don’t worry it’s just a dream). I don’t know, something about contrasting the earlier consoling scene with it’s pessimistic opposite so quickly afterward gets to me. One moment it’s suggested that the cycle of life is completed with one becoming part of nature and the next we’re being told it ends with one succumbing to an inescapable army of rot. See, this movie is so unapologetically morbid that I must forgive its slipshod moments. I have no choice.

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Tags: General Horror

For the Love of:: Poltergeist III

October 14th, 2016 by unkle lancifer · No Comments

UNK SEZ: Hey, hold the toy phone! It turns out my long time pals MEEP and BEN of RETRO MOVIE LOVE PODCAST both love POLTERGEIST III as much as I do! What if the three of us picked our three favorite things from this shamefully undervalued third installment? This pyramid of power must come to pass because Three is a magic number! Good old MEEP goes first…
MEEP: Recently experiencing Poltergeist III on the big screen in 35 MM brought it all back for me. The late 80’s MGM/UA Communications logo. The music. The fashions. The dialogue. That building. I know it’s hard to separate yourself from your love of the Freelings from the first two Films, but I think it’s also fun to be in a part III of a Movie that mixes it up a bit. It’s a busy Movie that actually tries. So few Movies do that anymore. A general laziness seems to be commonplace these days in modern Filmmaking. And so few Films focus on characterization. I want to care about the characters in the movie I’m watching, dammit.
There’s much to savor here but if I had to pick ONLY three reasons that help solidify my love of Poltergeist III they would be:
MEEP: 1. The shifting of suburbia as a playground for evil to a super modern, urban setting. What better way to get away from the true evil that lurks in the suburbs: Chicago’s Sears Tower! I love Movies set in buildings, and for me Poltergeist III and Gremlins 2 are the most important ones in the genre. They are both in their own way bonkers sequels that go out of their way to entertain and add a little something different to a franchise. And both happen to be the last Films made in their franchise! Gary Sherman and Joe Dante didn’t play it too safe and ended up with Movies that will be remembered as franchise killers. I love them for it! No risk, no reward. Both of these Movies are full of them for me. Also, I don’t mind that for a long time characters run around a building, calling out each other’s names, either. I probably would be doing the same thing. My 4 year old son is also obsessed with buildings and elevators. Is he too young to show this Film to him yet? What would Seaton think about that?
MEEP: 2. Kids in peril. I know for some they’d rather not have kids in Horror Movies, but, if done right, kids definitely have their place in the genre. I feel like around this point in the 80’s we were getting some really fun ones like The Gate and The Monster Squad, so in it’s own late 80’s logic, it’s natural for The Freelings to ditch their daughter and send her to chilly Chicago. What are they doing, anyway? Rebuilding another house? Do you think they live in another subdivision? Carol Anne really needed a change of pace. She’s been through so much. And she goes through a hell of a lot in this one. But, I also feel really bad for the outfits they put her in. They are unfortunate and the Film does try to make her seem younger than she was (Heather O’Rourke was around 12 when they shot this — we were born the same year). Perhaps that is the true peril. We all know by the end of a Poltergeist Film that a family’s tight bond will save Carol Anne, but, no one saved her from those iconic red pajamas and that winter gear.
MEEP: 3. Growing up with it in the 80’s. It’s strange to me how much I took for granted Films of this era while living through it. I saw so many of these Movies first run, in a Movie theatre. Even if Movies were changing, there was plenty for me at the local theatres and multiplexes to devour. Poltergeist III played at the Cineplex Odeon Fortway Theatre in Brooklyn, which had sparkly stars on the ceiling above you, and it seemed to go over well enough opening day. I was there for the first show, naturally. By this point it was June and I was off of school and I was at the Movies almost every day. I remember also seeing Big Business and my third screening of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood that very same weekend. Poltergeist III elicited the appropriate reactions in theaters, though at the recent retro screening I went to it seemed that they were more interested in the comedic aspects of the Film. I think watching Movies that are nearly 30 years old will always attract laughs, and there are some genuine laughs in Poltergeist III, but, I tend to take the Movie slightly more seriously, or at least at face value. It’s just where I’m coming from as a dedicated Movie watcher who’s now getting as old as Kane.
Do I think Poltergeist III is a great Film? That’s for you to decide. I’m just saying it’s a very important one in my life. I’m so thankful to be around such cool kids who love it as well. I have read some of Ben and Unk’s thoughts about the Movie and I couldn’t agree more. Heather O’Rourke, Nancy Allen, Tom Skerritt and Lara Flynn Boyle’s jean jacket and hat 4 eva. Pass the popcorn and the whoppers, please.
BEN: 1. Carol Anne’s Trauma History. Horror sequels rarely really deal with their protagonists’ struggles with post-traumatic stress from their experiences in the previous film (Rob Zombie’s Halloween II and Slumber Party Massacre II are other rare exceptions!). Poltergeist III actually delves into Carol Anne’s struggle dealing with some severe emotional shit from being stalked and kidnapped by ghosts and abandoned by her parents. When Carol Anne tells stupid Dr. Seaton that she’s “lonely I guess,” I want to cry, for I sense that she’s not only lonely because she misses her friends and family, but also because she is alone in what she’s experienced.
Poltergeist III offers up some surprising commentary about how people were discussing trauma in the late 1980s. This was the moment when children reported Satanic ritual abuse at daycare centers, and adults confessed to remembering childhood alien abductions. Garbage people—real life Dr. Seatons—said that such people were “lying” and “hysterical,” ignoring the fact that people sometimes find their traumatic memories clouded by fantasy because reality is too difficult to tolerate. In other words, sometimes it’s easier to imagine that you were abused in Satanic rituals than admit to yourself that you were molested by a relative. Anyway, Dr. Seaton learns his lesson and so do we all: the other dimensions of trauma are real, no matter what forms they take for those who find themselves trapped there, and the only way to avoid losing your loved ones to them is to love and believe them fiercely. Turquoise jewelry also helps.
BEN: 2. Aunt Pat’s Crisis. Maybe I am confronting the worst parts of myself by saying this, but I identify with Aunt Pat so much. Here is a woman who wisely decided not to have children because she wanted to have her own life, open a gallery, wait to marry until she became a fully authentic person, and be a stepmother to a hip teenager. You get the sense that, growing up, she was the person in her family that had to keep it together and over-achieve while Diane and her mother went with the flow and had psychic flights of fancy. Diane had other priorities: she wanted to marry young to steal Stephen Freeling from that slut Cookie Gurnich, she wanted to devote her life to raising a family, she wanted to move to the California suburbs and watch cable TV. Fine. Not Aunt Pat’s thing. What does she get for knowing herself and making conscious choices? She has to adopt her niece and all of her supernatural stalkers because Diane can’t deal with the drama anymore (btw, we, Diane’s friends, know that she would NEVER pull that shit, but let’s talk about the world of the film rather than real life). It is possible that Aunt Pat is just a trifle cold and guarded because that’s the only way to even try to set boundaries with her family.
Now Pat has to drive a carpool for two weeks in a row, when she took the pill so that she would never have to drive a carpool. Furthermore, she has a houseguest indefinitely, when she obviously knows that having a houseguest for three hours is too long. Her husband treats her like a selfish bitch when she complains about these untenable circumstances, and then she has to run around a high rise for hours WHILE WET and dramatically apologize to the universe for her reasonable feelings. People who know themselves well enough to create lives that violate “acceptable social conventions” always get stuck with crap like this. People say that this movie isn’t scary, but Aunt Pat lives my ultimate nightmare.
BEN: 3. Late ’80s Affluence For some reason late ’80s Chicago always seemed glamorous in a unique way (see also: the office party in Adventures in Babysitting), but Poltergeist III is the national pinnacle of late ’80s glamour. I could live in this stark, mirrored world forever. Where to start? I love the generic apartments with their white leather furniture (how rude that Aunt Pat and Uncle Bruce leave the TV in Carol Ann’s room! Typically a trooper, I’m sure that she noticed but didn’t say anything). I love Aunt Pat’s dress that cost her a year’s salary, which is probably so expensive because it incorporates so many unique yet complementary shades of gray. I love Donna’s name and her friends’ hats and earrings. I love that the characters live my dream of inhabiting an apartment building that is also a mall (I bet that it had a video store). I love that Aunt Pat has sushi at her opening because all rich people in Chicago only eat sushi (see also: The Breakfast Club) and cilantro (don’t forget it!). I love Aunt Pat’s chic as hell, tough loving Assistant Director who can afford to drive a Mercedes because the ’80s were so abundant for the 1%. More than anything, I love the humorless artist Takamitsu, his haunted sculptures, and all of the illuminati with poofy hair and padded shoulders who come to admire his work. Aunt Pat is surely the most glamorous gallery owner in all of Chicago, although isn’t it a bit déclassé to have your gallery in a mall?
UNK: 1. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: All hail, Tangina! Can there ever be enough Tangina (ZELDA RUBINSTEIN) in the world? The answer is no. To me, this sequel is precious beyond measure simply for existing as a space for this iconic horror hero to roam about in. I’m only sorry that a spin-off series that centered on the diminutive ghostbusting goddess never materialized. Think of the potential! I so dig the way POLTERGEIST III keeps our Tangie under wraps and out of the film’s opening and waits until the perfect moment to play its knee-high ace card. Suddenly we find ourselves at a table with Tangina and a few mysterious friends of hers in an outdoor café. As she pours tea, she is hit with a psychic alarm lightening bolt of knowledge that “He has found her!” and like Clark Kent, she’s up and running. Soon she’s on a plane (not unlike SCATMAN CROTHERS’ Hallorann in THE SHINING) speeding her way to save the day.
Our gal has got her work cut out for her as she’s not only facing the dark spirit of Reverend Kane but also a new nemesis in the form of snarky shrink extraordinaire Dr. Seaton (RICHARD FIRE– screenwriter of HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER!) who clearly studied at the same college as FRIDAY THE 13th PART 7’s devious Dr. Crews (TERRY KISER). Indeed, in the universe of POLTERGEIST III, psychiatry itself is presented as volatile and dangerous. In fact, Tangina reprimands Dr. Seaton for pressuring Carol Anne to address her past and even claims that Carol Anne’s traumas have returned because she dared to speak of them out loud! I don’t know how healthy that idea is but it’s hard to doubt her as the voice of reason when Seaton’s rationalizations are more outlandish than any ghostly explanation. Consider that rather than accept the supernatural, Seaton believes Carol Anne has the ability to force lavish hallucinations upon entire communities and brainwash others to do her bidding without their knowledge. I mean really, if Seaton’s theories are correct Carol Anne would be the most powerful person to ever walk the Earth and that can’t be true because we all know that lil’ Tangie is!
Face it folks, it’s a rare and beautiful thing to see an actress and her role fit so snuggly together. As much as I strongly advise that all humans also check out the hypnotic ANGUISH, the delightful TEEN WITCH and even her role on PICKET FENCES (alongside her POLTERGEIST III co-star TOM SKERRITT), you don’t have to be psychic to know RUBINSTEIN shines the brightest in the POLTERGEIST trilogy.
UNK: 2. THE KRUEGER-ING OF KANE: It’s not everyday that a third installment in a horror franchise makes more than its predecessors, so when dream demon Freddy Krueger accomplished just that feat, several sleeping horror giants (Myers, Voorhees and PHANTASM’s “Tall Man” to name a few) were immediately nudged awake. Although the result was unlikely to receive a thumbs up from critics, the idea of resurrecting POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE’s ghoulish reverend Kane as a centerpiece villain was a rather inspired one and perhaps too good (and potentially financially rewarding) to resist. Sadly, the brilliant JULIAN BECK had died months before his remarkable performance as Kane had seared theater screens. Surely no replacement could ever fully fill his shoes but it could be said that there was something so creepy about the Kane character that even a lesser facsimile would successfully unnerve. All he would need was a group of teens to threaten in order to stay competitive with his fellow nightmare makers!
And that’s how we all got invited to a clandestine late night pool party with Carol Anne Freeling’s teen queen step-cousin Donna (the lovely LARA FLYNN BOYLE who would go on to play another Donna in TWIN PEAKS!) and her LEO SAYER-headed giggly boyfriend Scott (KIPLEY WENTZ). I don’t care what anyone says, I LOVE THIS. Even though it’s mostly all set up resulting in nothing and absolutely no teen is killed on screen, I LOVE THIS. I love the anticipation and even the unfulfilled promise of it like a jean jacket loves a BEDAZZLER. Say what you will but for sheer ‘80s-ness, P3 leaves its precursors in the dust. I have a feeling that the slasher teen-baiting aspects of this movie are exactly what makes many dismiss it as a pandering also-ran that fails the sense of awe and wonder about life and death found in this first two flicks and that may be true, BUT it also makes for a more casual, light-hearted watch and that’s worth something too!
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking you miss Ma and Pa Freeling (JOBETH WILLIAMS and CRAIG T. NELSON). Let me put it this way, if you HAD to replace them (and due to $ they probably did), could you think of anyone better to replace them with than ALIEN’s TOM SKERRITT and effervescent charm boat NANCY ALLEN? I can’t! In fact, if we’re talking emotional range, I think this is NANCY ALLEN‘s finest hour. She sails from placid to tempest like a master and is so incredibly sincere the whole trip. Furthermore if ya miss the original folks- you’ve come to the right place! That’s what this movie is all about! Take a number! Get behind poor Carol Anne!
UNK: 3. THE (VERY) SPECIAL EFFECTS: Director GARY SHERMAN (love me some DEAD AND BURIED too, btw) made a brave and endlessly intriguing choice to orchestrate all of the film’s supernatural shenanigans live on camera rather than later in some lab (a last minute lightening strike was tacked on in post but he had no part or approval of it). SHERMAN designed all the fantastic set pieces himself and apart from the usual squishy props there’s a wealth of visual entertainment involving forced perspective, sneaky slight of hand and trippy bogus reflections. Some of the illusions work better than others and sometimes the timing/reactions can be wonky but I think every single (sometimes awkward) swatch of it adds to the overall surreal, off-balance, disorienting tone. The end result is rather like running dizzy through a harshly lit funhouse mirror maze.
The first two POLTERGEIST flicks made it clear you didn’t need an old dark house to have a spooky time and this third haunt places the game board in perhaps the most unlikely space of all, a brightly gleaming, slickly modern, well-populated building. There’s really nothing like it. Sure, some of it is bizarrely off but I think this flick’s fans are attracted to just that perplexing off-ness. It’ll never be as beloved as the first or as brazenly disturbing as the second but its quirky originality deserves mucho respect too. Even if it may be a wee bit better at mystifying than satisfying, I don’t mind going on record saying POLTERGIEST III stands skyscraper tall as the most creatively audacious and mischievously innovative of the series.
NOTE: For the ultimate POLTERGEIST III fansite, fly on over HERE!