“Poltergeist” is yet another decent remake that’s a re-imagining of a 1980s classic.
Let’s
face it: While many of us (myself included) may ask, “Why make it
again?” the studios are smart enough to know that people who love
originals are going to give the remakes a chance. Remakes generate
interest and make money.
And the new “Poltergeist” is certainly not a bad movie. It just isn’t as scary or as much fun as the original.
The movie opens with a family of
five moving into a new home. Dad Eric Bowen (Sam Rockwell) has been laid
off from Deere & Co. in Moline. (Yes, this got quite a rise out of
the rest of the audience with which I saw the film.)
Rosemarie
DeWitt (“Men, Women & Children”) is the stay-at-home mom who would
love to have time to pursue her writing career. She wants to get a job
outside the home, but Eric won’t have it: The deal was that he would go
to work and she would stay home. Period.
The
two are invited to have dinner with neighbors, who tell them a few
things about their new home that the real estate agent didn’t share.
(There’s a great line I won’t spoil for you that’s uttered by one of the
neighbors.)
Meanwhile, the kids are home by themselves. And all kinds of things begin to go wickedly wrong.
Saxon
Sharbino is Kendra, the older daughter. She Skypes with her friends and
continues to watch a paranormal reality show on television whose host
ends with “This house is clean!” (This, like several other instances, is
a nice nod to the first movie.)
Kyle Catlett is Griffin, the middle
sibling. He’s an anxious boy who doesn’t at all like his new attic room.
Griffin almost instinctively knows that something is wrong with the
house and begins to experience bizarre occurrences nearly right off the
bat.
Kennedi Clements is
terrific as little sister Madison. Right away, we notice her talking to
something or someone that we can’t see.
I
like the way the script uses new technology — a drone toy, a cellphone,
and, of course, a flat-screen TV (you knew that was coming, right?) to
create a sense of fear in common objects. And I really enjoyed Jared
Harris’ turn as Carrigan Burke, the “ghost hunter”-type TV host who
comes to help the beleaguered family.
Because
of the performers, the movie is above-average, but not memorable. You
may enjoy the creepiness of it during the show, but don’t expect it to
haunt you afterward
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