Post by StevePulaski on May 21, 2015 12:02:06 GMT -5
Poltergeist (1982)
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
An iconic shot from the original Poltergeist film.
Rating: ★★★½
Even more than three decades after its original release, Poltergeist remains the most elegantly made supernatural horror film I have yet to see. Unconcerned with payoffs delivered through the drudgery of jumpscares or convoluted setups that do nothing but squander the inherent simplicity of these kinds of films, Poltergeist so flawlessly weaves through storytelling components, atmospheric attention, tension, and pleasantly controlled chaos, creating the complete package of a film that proves that blood need not be shed and ghosts can be included in a good horror film.
The film revolves around Steven and Diane Freeling (Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams) and their three children, Dana (Dominique Dunne), Robbie (Oliver Robins), and Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke), who encounter an unrelenting supernatural spirit when Carol Anne, the couple's youngest, finds herself able to communicate with the family's Television set when it's tuned to complete static. Strange events begin to occur in the Freeling home - everything from glasses breaking and furniture altering startles the family. The culmination of these strange events happens when Carol Anne is sucked into the Television set one day by an unknown apparition, who continues to haunt the Freeling home whilst holding Carol Anne captive. The family must find a way to get Carol Anne back to safety along with either finding a way to rid the spirit of the home or finding a new home themselves.
Much has been made about who actually directed Poltergeist, as Steven Spielberg, who was also directing E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial at the time, couldn't have his name as director on both projects due to contractual obligations, sought assistance from Tobe Hooper to bring his vision to life. The relationship between Hooper and Spielberg was said to be less a cooperation and more a monopolization by Spielberg, who found Hooper to be more-or-less a "yes man," excited to work on a mainstream project and simply trying to remain an active positive on the film. While the film bears a campiness in its videography similar to Hooper's known style in both The Funhouse and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there is a Spielberg-level scope on display in terms of capturing a cacophony of action with his evident clarity.
Spielberg has a way about his shooting that reveals an uncommon amount of professionalism within his work. He can take a few million dollars, as shown here, and turn it into a creative spectacle, or he could take hundreds of millions of dollars and turn it into a blockbuster. Here, Spielberg and Hooper work to give Poltergeist just the right amount of leverage visually to make it easy to take seriously, but infuse just the right amount of camp and low budget horror in certain scenes (specifically the "they're here!" scene in addition to the end sequence) to make this a collaboration of different styles fit for the horror genre.
Poltergeist remains entirely clear in its visual scheme, even when the action turns wild and arbitrary circumstances begin to take place. Being one of the first of its kind for a mainstream audience, the stigma of ghost movies being childish and relatively "kiddy" in nature was something that had to be surpassed and forgotten with the creation of Poltergeist if it wanted to succeed and be hailed as a great film. Thankfully, the talent on display here assures competence with every turn thanks to Spielberg, Hooper, and the trio of writers (Michael Grais, Mark Victor, and Spielberg himself). This, at times, is a legitimately terrifying film that thrives on slowburn suspense and unique visuals rather than the bare-bones inclusions of low-budget horror films. Rather than a momentary diversion, an experience and a frightening world was created within Poltergeist and that among its visual scheme, simple-but-effective storytelling, slowburn tension, and pacing contribute to its elegance not only within its subgenre but its larger genre.
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robbins, and Heather O'Rourke. Directed by: Tobe Hooper.