'Poltergeist' movie reviews: What critics are saying about the horror remake

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Sam Rockwell, left, and Kennedi Clements star in director Gil Kenan's remake of the horror-thriller 'Poltergeist.' (Kerry Hayes / Twentieth Century Fox / MGM)

Mike Scott, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

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By Mike Scott, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
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on May 19, 2015 at 5:18 PM, updated May 19, 2015 at 5:19 PM

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When word first emerged that a "Poltergeist" remake was in the works, more than a few people offered their full-throated displeasure with the idea. After all, director Tobe Hooper's 1982 creepout -- based on a screenplay by Steven Spielberg -- has become a haunted house classic. Even more importantly, moviegoers of a certain age view it as an unassailable relic from their formative years.
Then came word that the always intriguing Sam Rockwell would star, heading up an impressive cast that also includes Rosemarie DeWitt and Jared Harris. When audiences got a look at the first trailer earlier this year, more than a few people decided that maybe there was something to this whole remake thing after all.
Now, the first reviews for the new "Poltergeist" have started trickling in, and they suggest that critics, like general moviegoers, are a bit conflicted when it comes to director Gil Kenan's film. It's not that it's a poorly made movie, necessarily -- at least not if these first reviews are any guide. But at the same time, Kenan's film is definitely haunted by the specter of Hooper's original. Even those critics who gave the remake a passing grade point out that it doesn't really do much to justify its existence.
On Friday (May 22), Kenan's film finally makes its way into theaters, letting horror fans see for themselves whether or not that's the case. In the meantime, below find a sampling of early reviews of the new "Poltergeist."

'Poltergeist' remake, starring Sam Rockwell, gets a trailer Director Gil Kenan's horror-thriller opens May 22, 2015

The Wrap, Alonso Duralde: "This new spooky-house chiller never escapes the shadow of its predecessor, but it also pales next to the scores of subsequent movies — 'The Conjuring,' 'Insidious' and 'Paranormal Activity,' to name just a few — that have already stripped the original 'Poltergiest' for parts." (Read the full review.)
The Hollywood Reporter, Justin Lowe: "Director Gil Kenan not only delivers on the promise of (1982's original) 'Poltergiest,' but significantly raises the stakes for similar PG-13 fare. With strong brand identity and two generations of moviegoers to cultivate, Fox's Memorial Day weekend release should help boost the summer box office to a promising start." (Read the full review.)
Variety, Andrew Barker: "(A) professionally executed yet bloodless film, itself an act of homage that hews reverently to its source material while missing the essential spirit and vitality that once powered it. Generally entertaining yet fundamentally unnecessary, this tribute-band take on one of the genre's greatest hits should score decent opening weekend numbers before finding its way into the light." (Read the full review.)
Time Out, Tom Huddleston: "A series of superb mid-film set-pieces -- a creepy tree springing to ankle-grabbing life, some nasty business with a power drill -- set a high bar, but Kenan can't sustain the tension. And when the original movie's bellowing dwarf medium is replaced by Jared Harris's smirking Irish TV psychic, the film takes a turn for the tacky, eschewing Hooper's surrealist blowout in favour of pointless overexplanation and a feeble climax." (Read the full review.)
EmpireOnline, Nick de Semlyen: "Much of this is terribly generic. The volume is pumped way up (where the original had one creepy clown toy, this has a whole box of them) and new perils are added (hello, demonic squirrel!), but it all feels very been there, possessed that." (Read the full review.)
Dread Central, Staci Lynn Wilson: "Is it a good movie? Yes. Good. Not great, but it ably delivers on everything you want and expect from a big-budget 3D film based on the source material first brought to life by Stephen Spielberg and Tobe Hooper. Some of the edge is gone (no pot-puffing poppa; no spacey, small psychic), but what's added is wittier repartee, more excitement and suspense, and better special effects." (Read the full review.)