Poltergeist is a 1982 horror movie directed by Tobe Hooper with a story by Steven Spielberg. Yes, that Steven Spielberg. I didn’t know about his involvement with this movie until the appearance of his name in the credits. It’s the twenty-first movie in our 2021 October challenge.
Poltergeist stars JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O’Rourke and Beatrice Straight. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this movie through the years, and it’s not hard to see why.
Poltergeist tells the story of a family whose house is in the midst of a haunting by a supernatural entity. At first, they only think it’s an earthquake. However, when things move in the house, they realise it isn’t. Seeing a chair move, Diane (Williams) is ecstatic. She’s loving having an entity in her house that moves objects, including them over the kitchen floor.
But all of this comes to an end when its true purpose appears. The entity kidnaps her youngest daughter, pulling her into a different dimension. This is when the Parapsychologists arrive, ready to figure out what’s going on.
As the story progresses, secrets to do with the house, and the housing estate are revealed. Everything climaxes into a terrifying final act that leaves the audience wanting more. Not to mention, scared of televisions.
Poltergeist is a masterclass in just about everything – acting, writing, directing, you name it. This is a movie I’m finding difficult to have issues with. In a decade where most horror movies are all about the killings, blood, over-the-top dialogue and trying to show as much flesh as possible, this one doesn’t care about that.
I think it’s why Poltergeist stands out. It spends time on the characters, fleshing them out and making the audience feel for them. It wouldn’t be surprising if James Wan’s inspiration for The Conjuring and Insidious comes from this.
This is the type of horror I enjoy.
It might be light on the trope scares such as jumpscares but it does something better. It forces the audience to be fear for the characters by caring for them. The idea a character I’m attached to could die is scarier than a galleon of blood or a masked slasher.
Of course, I’m not saying it doesn’t have scary moments. There are a few that are creepy, even by today’s standards. But they don’t rely on just the scares to push a reaction.
I can see this being a movie I watch every October. If you haven’t seen it yet, I wholly recommend it. Poltergeist is a riveting, well-acted, well-written and directed horror movie that leaves you on the edge of your seat and makes you want more.
