Who said horror movies need to be dead serious? Coming off of the cult classic horror/slasher masterpiece The Texas Chainsaw Masterpiece, director Tobe Hooper decided to team up with legendary director/producer Steven Spielberg to make the quintessential haunted house story. With Hooper directing and Spielberg writing/co-producing, the magic was there for a once in a lifetime experience. Set against the great suburban lifestyle and the ever expansion of neighborhood complexes, Poltergeist tells the story of the Freeling family who moves into a newly built house on a continuing expanse of new found land that is slowly being turned into a fully functioning neighborhood. What they once thought was an opportunity of a lifetime to raise their perfect suburban family turns into something much darker, as their house starts to become plagued by supernatural forces and the kidnapping of their youngest daughter, Carol Anne. What comes next is a classic horror tale with a light twist to the whole formula that makes Poltergeist the perfect “gateway” horror film for young fans of the genre.
You can’t deny the talents of both Hooper and Spielberg, who both utilize their skills to create a Frankenstein of sorts. Hooper gets to craft a visually spectacular film and sets up some pretty fantastic practical effects, while Spielberg crafts a family story set on a backdrop resembling his classics like Close Encounters and E.T. (which also came out the same year) as well as returning to his roots of horror storytelling that he honed a few years back with Jaws. The combination of the two create a semi-lighthearted haunted house tale, much like you’re walking through a haunted house yourself, toning down horror’s darker side for a true-to-the-heart family story. That’s not to say Poltergeist holds back at all; from a killer tree to a insanely creepy scene involving a clown doll that will haunt your dreams, Hooper definitely creates his own brand of horror, distancing himself from the blood and gore of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. So if you’re in the mood for a light, fun horror film, Poltergeist is most definitely the film for you.
Poltergeist
1982
dir. Tobe Hooper
114 min
Screens Friday, 10/21, and Saturday, 10/22, at midnight @ Cooldige Corner Theatre
35 mm!
