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{{Short description|1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper}}
{{Infobox Film
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Poltergeist | name = Poltergeist
| image = Poltergeistposter.jpg | image = Poltergeist (1982).png
| caption = ''Poltergeist'' original theatrical poster | alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = ] | director = ]
| writer =
| producer = ]<br />]
| screenplay = {{plainlist|
| writer = ]<br />]<br />]
* Steven Spielberg
| starring = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]
* ]
| music = ]
* ]
}}
| story = ]
| based_on =
| producer = {{plainlist|
* ]
* Steven Spielberg
}}
| starring = {{plainlist|<!-- per poster -->
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| narrator =
| cinematography = ] | cinematography = ]
| editing = ]<br />] | editing = ]
| music = ]
| distributor = ]/UA Entertainment Company
| studio = {{plainlist|
| released = ] ], 1982<br>] ], 1982<br>] ], 1982
* ]
| runtime = 114 min.
* SLM Production Group
| country = {{USA}}
* Mist Entertainment
| language = ]
* ]
| budget = $10,700,000 (estimated)
}}
| preceded_by =
| followed_by = '']'' | distributor = ]
| amg_id = 1:38628 | released = {{film date|1982|06|04}}
| runtime = 114 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 114:20--><ref>{{cite web |title=''POLTERGEIST'' (15) |url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/poltergeist-1970-5 |publisher=] |date=July 29, 1982 |access-date=May 12, 2015}}</ref>
| imdb_id = 0084516
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $10.7 million
| gross = $121.7 million<ref>{{cite web | url=https://the-numbers.com/movies/1982/0PGE1.php |title=Box Office Information for ''Poltergeist'' |website=] |access-date=January 29, 2012}}</ref>
}} }}


'''''Poltergeist''''' is the first and most successful '']'' ], released on ], ] and nominated for three ]. The film was directed by ] and was co-produced and co-written by ], his first major success as a producer. The plot revolves around the haunting of a suburban family home that is suspected to be the work of ]s. '''''Poltergeist''''' is a 1982 American ] directed by ] and written by ], ], and ] from a story by Spielberg. It stars ], ], and ], and was produced by Spielberg and ]. The film focuses on a suburban family whose home is invaded by ]s that abduct their youngest daughter.


As Spielberg was contractually unable to direct another film while he made ''],'' Hooper was selected based on his work on '']'' and '']''. The origin of ''Poltergeist'' can be traced to '']'', which Spielberg conceived as a horror sequel to his 1977 film '']''; Hooper was less interested in the sci-fi elements and suggested they collaborate on a ].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/Fangoria_023_c2c_1982_Evil_Dead_scan_by_SproutHatesWatermarks_S|title=Fangoria #23, Article "Tobe Hooper on Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist"|last=Martin|first=Bob|year=1982|pages=}}</ref> Accounts differ as to the level of Spielberg's involvement, but it is clear that he was frequently on set during filming and exerted significant creative control. For that reason, some have said that Spielberg should be considered the film's co-director or even main director, though both Spielberg and Hooper have disputed this.
The film is often referred to as ] because of the murder of ] and early death of ], as well as the fact that actress ] has pointed out in television interviews that she was actually told that the ] used in the well-known swimming pool scene in the first Poltergeist film were real. This has been the focus of an '']'' on the ].


Released by ] through ] on June 4, 1982, ''Poltergeist'' was a major critical and commercial success, becoming the ]. In the years since its release, the film has been recognized as a horror classic. It was nominated for three ], named by the ] as the 20th-scariest film ever made, and a scene made ]'s ''].''<ref>{{cite web |title=Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments |url=https://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml |access-date=May 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030070540/http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml |archive-date=October 30, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Critics' Scariest Films|url=https://www.altfg.com/film/chicago-critics-scariest-films/ |publisher=AltFilmGuide.com |access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref> ''Poltergeist'' also appeared at No. 84 on ]'s ].<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills |url=https://www.afi.com/Docs/tvevents/pdf/thrills100.pdf |publisher=] |access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref> The film was followed by '']'' (1986), '']'' (1988), as well as a ], but none had the critical success of the original.
This film was ranked as #80 on ]'s ].


==Plot== ==Plot==
Steven and Diane Freeling live in the ] of Cuesta Verde, California. Steven is a successful real estate agent, and Diane looks after their three children: sixteen-year-old Dana, eight-year-old Robbie, and five-year-old Carol Anne. Late one night, Carol Anne inexplicably converses with the family's television set while it displays post-broadcast ]. The next night, she fixates on the television again, and a ghostly white hand emerges from the screen, followed by a violent earthquake. As the family is shaken awake by the quake, Carol Anne eerily intones, "They're here."


The following day is filled with bizarre events: a glass of milk spontaneously breaks, silverware bends, and furniture moves on its own. These phenomena initially seem benign, but soon grow sinister. During a severe thunderstorm, the gnarled backyard tree seemingly comes alive. A large limb crashes through the children's bedroom window, grabs Robbie, pulls him outside into the pouring rain and attempts to devour him. While the family rushes outside to rescue Robbie, Carol Anne is pulled into a portal inside the closet. After saving Robbie from the tree, which got sucked into a tornado, the family frantically search for Carol Anne, only for her voice to call out from the television.
A group of seemingly benign ]s begin communicating with five-year-old Carol Anne Freeling (]) in her parents' ] ] home via ] on the television. Eventually they use the TV as their path into the house itself.


] Martha Lesh arrives with team members Ryan and Marty to investigate. They determine there is a ] intrusion involving multiple ]s. Meanwhile, Steven learns from his boss Lewis Teague that the Cuesta Verde development was built on a former cemetery and the graves were moved to a nearby location.
First, there are a few signs that the ghosts have arrived: Carol Anne's pet bird dies; an ] occurs that only the Freelings feel; Carol Anne announces, "They're here." The next morning, glasses break at breakfast, forks bend by themselves, and when the mother, Diane (]), asks Carol Anne, "What did you mean? Who's here?" she answers, "The TV people." At first the ghosts play harmless tricks and amuse the mother, including the chairs in the ] moving around and stacking themselves. Of course, Diane must convince Steven (]) that night by showing him. His dominant father mode kicks in, announcing that "nobody goes into the kitchen until I know what's going on." Carol Anne's elder sister Dana (]) leaves to stay with friends.


Dana and Robbie are sent away for safety, while Dr. Lesh calls in Tangina Barrons, a ]. Tangina divulges the spirits are lingering in a different "sphere of consciousness" and are not at rest. They are attracted to Carol Anne's life force. Tangina also detects a dark presence she calls the "Beast", who is restraining Carol Anne and manipulating her life force in order to prevent the other spirits from crossing over.
During a terrible thunderstorm, the ghosts distract the family with a tree coming to life and grabbing Robbie (]), Carol Anne's brother, through a window, and then getting what they really came after. Like a wind tunnel, they take Carol Anne through her ] ] into their dimension. Having got what they came for, the sprits blast away the tree with a minature tornado. With Robbie rescued, and the belief that the ] caused the trouble, the family can't find Carol Anne. They search the entire house including the new ] until Robbie hears Carol Anne through the T.V.


The entrance to the other dimension is in the children's bedroom closet and exits through the living room ceiling. Diane, secured by a rope, passes through the portal, guided by another rope previously threaded through both portals. Diane retrieves Carol Anne, and they drop through the ceiling to the living room floor, covered in ]. As they recover from the ordeal, Tangina proclaims the house is "clean".
Steven reluctantly calls on a group of ] from ]: Dr. Lesh (]), Ryan (]), and Marty (Martin Casella), who are awestruck by the manifestations they witness. With the parapsychologists present, the Freelings show them things they've never before seen. They open the door to the children's room to reveal toys and other objects flying around by themselves and disembodied laughing voices. Previously, one of the parapsychologists described a Matchbox car taking seven hours to move seven feet, calling it "fantastic. Of course, this would never register on the naked eye." After they see the Freelings' house, they are all humbled.


Shortly after, the Freeling family have nearly finished packing to move out of the house. Before the family is to leave, Steven goes to his office while Dana is on a date, leaving Diane at home with Robbie and Carol Anne. The "Beast" ambushes Diane and the children, aiming for a second kidnapping attempt. The unseen force drives Diane to the backyard in the pouring rain, where she stumbles into the flooded swimming pool ]. Skeletal corpses and coffins float up around her in the muddy hole. Diane crawls out and rushes back into the house. She rescues the children, and they narrowly escape outside as more coffins and bodies erupt from the ground.
Over ] (and a coffee urn that moves by itself), the parapsychologists explain to the Freelings the difference between a poltergeist and a haunting. They determine that indeed, it is a poltergeist they are experiencing.


Accompanied by Teague, Steven arrives home to the mayhem and realizes that only the gravestones were relocated; the development was built over the abandoned graves. The Freelings jump into their car and collect Dana just as she returns home. They flee Cuesta Verde as the house implodes into a portal while Teague and stunned neighbors look on. The family checks into a room at a ], where Steven promptly removes the TV.
It turns out that the spirits have left this life but have not gone into the "Light." They are stuck in between dimensions, watching their loved ones grow up, but feeling alone. Carol Anne&mdash;born in the house and only 5 years old&mdash;gives off her own life force that is as bright as the Light. It distracts and confuses the spirits, who think Carol Anne is their salvation. Hence, they take her. (A different explanation was given in the second film).


== Cast ==
What is also in the other dimension with the spirits is a hateful spirit. It likes that the spirits are confused and lost, and uses Carol Anne as a distraction so they cannot move on into the Light. After witnessing a paranormal episode where they hear Carol Anne talking to Diane through the TV, see spirits, and hear the pounding footsteps of the spirit, they leave, admitting they need more help. When they return, they bring a spiritual ], Tangina Barrons (]), who informs Diane that her daughter is "alive and in this house." She also explains the malevolent spirit in the house to Diane, saying "it lies to her and tells her things only a child can understand. To her, it simply is another child. To us, it is the Beast."
* ] as Steven "Steve" Freeling
* ] as Diane Freeling
* ] as Dr. Lesh
* ] as Dana Freeling
* ] as Robbie Freeling
* ] as Carol Anne Freeling
* ] as Ben Tuthill
* Virginia Kiser as Mrs. Tuthill
* Martin Casella as Dr. Marty Casey
* ] as Dr. Ryan Mitchell
* ] as Tangina Barrons
* ] as Mr. Lewis Teague
* ] as Jeff Shaw
* ] as Pugsley
* ] as Pool Worker


== Production ==
They realize the entrance to the other dimension is through the children's bedroom closet. By tying a rope around a live person who can enter, and presumably exit the other side, with enough time to grab Carol Anne, they could bring her back. Diane is the only choice to go. What happens next is a terrifying sequence where Diane gets Carol Anne and Tangina coaxes the agonized spirits away from Carol Anne to the real Light (during this, Steve panics and pulls on the rope, causing a giagantic monster head to appear right in front of him). Diane comes through the living room ceiling clutching Carol Anne and holding on to a new head of grey hair, presumably from fright. Tangina pronounces that "this house is clean."
] and ] had written an unproduced comedy called ''Turn Left And Die'' and the action film '']'', when ] decided to invite them to possibly work with him. After screening '']'' for them and saying he wanted to remake that film—which he would in 1989's '']—''Spielberg also mentioned a ghost story idea he intended to turn into a script. Grais called Spielberg the next day saying he and Victor only had interest in the ghost story, and after plans with another writer fell through, Spielberg brought the two to the job.<ref name=grais></ref> Spielberg wanted ] to co-write the screenplay, but he was unavailable.<ref>{{cite magazine| last=Breznican| first=Anthony| title=The untold story of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg's (almost) collaborations| date=April 5, 2018| magazine=Entertainment Weekly| url=https://ew.com/movies/2018/04/05/stephen-king-steven-spielberg-almost-collaborations/}}</ref>


Principal photography rolled mostly on Roxbury Street in ].<ref>Kendrick, James (2014). ''Darkness in the Bliss-Out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg''. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. Page 41. {{ISBN|9781441146045}}.</ref><ref>Epting, Chris (2003). ''James Dean Died Here: The Locations of America's Pop Culture Landmarks''. Santa Monica Press. Page 204. {{ISBN|9781891661310}}.</ref> Following completion of principal photography in the first week of August 1981, Hooper went on to spend ten weeks in the editing room, compiling the first cut of the film.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A6hmQbfOeTAC|title=Spielberg: The Man, the Movies, the Mythology|last=Sanello|first=Frank|date=2002-08-05|publisher=Taylor Trade Publications|isbn=9780878331482|page=119 }}</ref> During much of this time, Spielberg was at ] (ILM), supervising the ] photography.
Unfortunately, though the spirits have seemingly moved on, the Beast hasn't, and wants revenge. On their final night in the house, when they are almost packed up and ready to go, the Beast punches a hole back into our world to reclaim what he believes is his: Carol Anne. This time, the Beast does his own dirty work and comes after Carol Anne personally.


=== Creative credit ===
Through skill and luck, the Freelings finally escape the house, but not before the anger of the Beast reveals the reason for the spirits being there in the first place&mdash;coffins and bodies begin exploding out of the ground throughout the neighborhood. When the neighborhood was first built the real estate developer Steven worked for moved a ] that was on the location, but in reality in order to save money they moved the cemetery headstones but left the bodies, building houses right on top of them. As the Freelings flee down the street in their car, the Beast is so angry that the house implodes into the other dimension as stunned neighbors look on. The movie ends with the family checking into a ] for the night, pushing the ] set outside their room.
A clause in Spielberg's contract with ] prevented him from directing another film while preparing '']''.<ref name="Brode101">{{cite book |last= Brode|first=Douglas |title=The Films of Steven Spielberg |year= 2000|publisher=] |location=New York |isbn= 0-8065-1951-7 |page=101}}</ref> According to ], the core concept of the film was an idea he pitched to Spielberg after turning down the offer to direct ''Night Skies.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/Fangoria_023_c2c_1982_Evil_Dead_scan_by_SproutHatesWatermarks_S|title=Fangoria 023 c2c 1982 Evil Dead scan by SproutHatesWatermarks S|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Writer Michael Grais stated that "we weren't really 'working' with Spielberg because he was on ''E.T.''", and that Spielberg only had sporadic meetings with the writers in MGM's commissary.<ref name=grais/> ''E.T.'' and ''Poltergeist'' were released a week apart in June, 1982; '']'' and '']'' referred to it as "The Spielberg Summer". There were suggestions that Spielberg, in addition to being ''Poltergeist''{{'}}s co-producer and co-writer, had also served as its de facto co-director. This view was bolstered by various statements Spielberg made about his involvement, including a '']'' quote on May 24, 1982: "Tobe isn't ... a take-charge sort of guy. If a question was asked and an answer wasn't immediately forthcoming, I'd jump in and say what we could do. Tobe would nod agreement, and that became the process of collaboration."<ref name="Brode102">Brode, pg 102</ref>


That same article noted that the ] had opened an investigation into the "question of whether or not Hooper's official credit was being denigrated by statements Spielberg has made, apparently claiming authorship."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pollack |first1=Dale |title='Poltergeist': Whose Film Is It? |agency=Los Angeles Times |date=May 24, 1982}}</ref> The investigation ended in an arbitrator's ruling that MGM/UA Entertainment Co. must pay $15,000 to Hooper because the studio gave producer Spielberg a bigger credit than Hooper got in its trailers, although also noting that "broader issues of dispute exist between producer-writer (Spielberg) and the director" (damages of $200,000 were originally sought by the DGA).<ref>{{cite news |last=Searles |first=Jack |title=Hooper gets some recognition |agency=Los Angeles Herald Examiner |date=1982-06-19}}</ref> Co-producer ] told the ''LA Times'' that "the creative force of the movie was Steven. Tobe was the director and was on the set every day. But Steven did the design for every storyboard, and he was on the set every day except for three days when he was in Hawaii with ]." However, Hooper stated that he "did fully half of the storyboards."<ref name="Brode101"/>
==Production==
Director Tobe Hooper claims to have experienced ] activity as a young man. During his teenage years, Hooper's father had died and for weeks after his death Hooper witnessed "doors breaking in, dishes flying around the residence and other bizarre occurrences". Hooper comments that's what attracted him to the project.


The week of the film's release, '']'' printed an ] from Spielberg to Hooper:
===Creative relationship===


<blockquote>Regrettably, some of the press has misunderstood the rather unique, creative relationship which you and I shared throughout the making of ''Poltergeist''.
A clause in his contract with ] prevented Spielberg from directing any other film whilst preparing '']''.<ref name="Brode101">{{cite book |last= Brode|first=Douglas |title=The Films of Steven Spielberg |year= 2000|publisher=Citadel Press |location=New York |id= ISBN 0-8065-1951-7 |pages=101}}</ref> '']'' and '']'' tagged the summer of 1982 "The Spielberg Summer" because ''E.T.'' and ''Poltergeist'' were released a week apart in June. As such a marketable name, some began to question Spielberg's role during production. Suggestions that Spielberg had greater directorial influence than the credits suggest were aided by comments made by the writer/producer:
I enjoyed your openness in allowing me, as a writer and a producer, a wide berth for creative involvement, just as I know you were happy with the freedom you had to direct ''Poltergeist'' so wonderfully.
Through the screenplay you accepted a vision of this very intense movie from the start, and as the director, you delivered the goods. You performed responsibly and professionally throughout, and I wish you great success on your next project.<ref name="Brode99">Brode, pg 99–100</ref></blockquote>


In a 2007 '']'' interview, ] discussed her recollections of the shooting process. She said "Steven directed all six days" she was on set: "Tobe set up the shots and Steven made the adjustments." She also alleged that Hooper "allowed some unacceptable chemical agents into his work," and that during her audition, "Tobe was only partially there."<ref>{{cite web |title=Click over, children! All are welcome! All welcome! Quint interviews Zelda Rubinstein!!!! |date=October 2, 2007|work=] |url=https://aintitcool.com/node/34266 |access-date=January 6, 2008}}</ref> Comments from actor ], concerning a 25th-anniversary Q&A event which both attended, categorized Rubinstein's remarks as unfair to Hooper. "She laid into Tobe and I don't know why ... Tobe was kind to her."<ref name="ruemorge121">{{Cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/Rue_Morgue_121_2012|magazine = Rue Morgue|title=30 Years of Poltergeist |issue=121 |year=2012 |via=] }}</ref>
<blockquote>"Tobe isn't... a take-charge sort of guy. If a question was asked and an answer wasn't immediately forthcoming, I'd jump in and say what we could do. Tobe would nod agreement, and that become the process of collaboration."<ref name="Brode102">Brode, pg 102</ref></blockquote>


In a 2012 ] article commemorating ''Poltergeist''<nowiki/>'s 30th anniversary, interviews were conducted with several cast and crew members. In response to the magazine's query about the authorship issue, cast members unanimously sided with Hooper. James Karen said, "Tobe had a hard time on that film. It's tough when a producer is on set every day and there's always been a lot of talk about that. I considered Tobe my director. That's my stand on all those rumours." Martin Casella stated: "So much of ''Poltergeist'' looks and feels like a Spielberg movie but my recollection is that Tobe was mostly directing." Oliver Robins: "The guy who sets up the shots, blocks the actors and works with the crew to create a vision is the director. In those terms, Tobe was the director. He's the one who directed me, anyway." Make-up and effects artist Craig Reardon said Spielberg often had the final say. The original version of the cancerous steak, for instance, was created by Reardon per Hooper's specifications—but vetoed by Spielberg: "Although the first steak did not represent a killing amount of work, it had consumed enough time and effort—none of which I could afford to waste—that I determined in the future to make certain whatever I prepped would be approved in advance by Spielberg as well as Hooper."<ref name="ruemorge121" />
The ] "opened an investigation into the question of whether or not Hooper's official credit was being denigrated by statements Spielberg has made, apparently claiming authorship."<ref name="Brode101"/> Co-producer ] told the '']'' that "the creative force of the movie was Steven. Tobe was the director and was on the set every day. But Steven did the design for every ] and he was on the set every day except for three days when he was in ] with ]."<ref name="Brode101"/> However, Hooper claimed that he "did fully half of the storyboards."<ref name="Brode101"/>


Hooper was asked about the controversy in a 2015 interview with online journal ''Film Talk'' and said the rumors originated from a '']'' article which reported on Spielberg shooting footage of "little race cars" in front of the house, while Hooper was busy elsewhere shooting another scene. "From there it became its own legend. That is how I remember it; I was making the movie and later on, I heard this stuff after it was finished. I really can’t set the record much straighter than that."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://filmtalk.org/2015/04/17/tobe-hooper-i-always-wanted-to-work-in-the-time-before-i-was-born/|title=Tobe Hooper: "I always wanted to work in the time before I was born"|date=April 17, 2015|publisher=Film Talk|access-date=September 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310221935/https://filmtalk.org/2015/04/17/tobe-hooper-i-always-wanted-to-work-in-the-time-before-i-was-born/|archive-date=2016-03-10}}</ref>
'']'' printed an open letter from Spielberg to Hooper in the week of the film's release.


According to the ] website, first assistant cameraman ] reported that Spielberg directed the film more so than Hooper, stating, "Hooper was so nice and just happy to be there. He creatively had input. Steven developed the movie, and it was his to direct, except there was anticipation of a director's strike, so he was 'the producer' but really, he directed it in case there was going to be a strike and Tobe was cool with that. It wasn't anything against Tobe. Every once in a while, he would actually leave the set and let Tobe do a few things just because. But really, Steven directed it."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blumhouse.com/2017/07/14/confirmation-who-really-directed-poltergeist/|title=Confirmation? Who Really Directed POLTERGEIST?|first=Rob |last=Galluzzo|date=July 14, 2017|publisher=]|access-date=July 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901144147/http://www.blumhouse.com/2017/07/14/confirmation-who-really-directed-poltergeist/|archive-date=2017-09-01}}</ref>
<blockquote>Regrettably, some of the press has misunderstood the rather unique, creative relationship which you and I shared throughout the making of ''Poltergeist''.
<br>I enjoyed your openness in allowing me... a wide berth for creative involvement, just as I know you were happy with the freedom you had to direct ''Poltergeist'' so wonderfully.
<br>
Through the screenplay you accepted a vision of this very intense movie from the start, and as the director, you delivered the goods. You performed responsibly and professionally throughout, and I wish you great success on your next project.<ref name="Brode99">Brode, pg 99-100</ref></blockquote>


Following Hooper's passing in 2017, director Mick Garris, a publicist on the film who made several on-set visits, came to Hooper's defense on the ''Post Mortem'' podcast:
Several members of the ''Poltergeist'' cast and crew have over the years consistently alleged that Spielberg was the 'de facto director' of the picture. In an 2007 interview with '']'', ] discussed her recollections of the shooting process. She said that "Steven directed all six days" that she was there: "Tobe set up the shots and Steven made the adjustments." She also alleged that Hooper "allowed some unacceptable chemical agents into his work," and at her interview felt that time "Tobe was only partially there."<ref>{{cite web |title=Click over, children! All are welcome! All welcome! Quint interviews Zelda Rubinstein!!!! |date=] |work=Ain't It Cool News |url=http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34266 |accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref>


<blockquote>Tobe was always calling action and cut. Tobe had been deeply involved in all of the pre-production and everything. But Steven is a guy who will come in and call the shots. And so, you're on your first studio film, hired by Steven Spielberg, who is enthusiastically involved in this movie. Are you gonna say, 'Stop that... let me do this'? Which did.
===Special effects===
In ], on an episode of ]'s '']'', JoBeth Williams revealed that the production used real skeletons when filming the swimming pool scene. Many of the people on the set were alarmed by this and led others to believe the "curse" on the film series was because of this use. ], a special effects artist who worked on the film, commented at the time that it was cheaper to purchase real skeletons than plastic ones as the plastic ones involved labor in making them.


Tobe was a terrific filmmaker. I don't think it's that Steven was controlling. I think it was Steven was enthusiastic. And nobody was there to protect Tobe. But all of the pre-production was done by Tobe. Tobe was there throughout. Tobe's vision is very much realized there. And Tobe got credit because he deserved credit. Including... Steven Spielberg said that.
===Location===
Location scouts for the studio decided upon Roxbury Street, ] after realizing it met all of their requirements. The homes were new and, at the time, the land behind the street was free, allowing plenty of access for the studio trucks. The studio didn't tell the residents that the street was to be used in a Spielberg production as they would've demanded more money. Instead they were told it was for a low-budget ], and by way of payment, the residents were offered free landscaping in their front yards. The houses which were brand new had no lawns at the time and so all residents accepted. The first house on the street, which looks the same as the Freelings' home, had no one living there. Close observation suggests no landscaping was done there. The coach lamps at the entrance to the pathway of the Freelings' home were added on by production and wires that power them can be seen, taped to the pillars, at the film's climax.


Yes, Steven Spielberg was very much involved. It's a Tobe Hooper film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3459069/mick-garris-delivers-final-word-poltergeist-controversy-tobe-directed-movie/|title=Mick Garris Delivers Final Word on 'Poltergeist' Controversy; "Tobe Directed That Movie."|author=John Squires|date=September 14, 2017|publisher=]}}</ref></blockquote>
The house used in the movie received substantial earthquake damage in the 1994 ]. The garage came free of its foundation, the driveway had to be re-poured, the pinafore wall under the main windows and main garden wall also shook loose and collapsed. Today concrete breeze blocks replace the garden wall.


=== Special effects ===
The clown doll that tortured young Robbie can be seen at ] in ].
The special effects for ''Poltergeist'' were produced by ] and overseen by ]. The film won the ] for ] and earned a nomination for the ], which it lost to '']''.


The scene of Diane (]) climbing up the walls was done using a static camera in a rotating set.<ref>{{cite magazine| last=Breznican| first=Anthony| title=What Really Happened During the Making of 'Poltergeist'| date=September 22, 2022| magazine=Vanity Fair| url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/poltergeist-at-40}}</ref> A similar effect was used in '']'' to make it look like ] was dancing on the ceiling.
==Home release==


Spielberg recalled that the most complicated lighting effects were used in Carol Anne's closet: "There were so many lighting effects: strobes and Las Vegas spots and fish tanks of water to give different kind of diffusion to the beams coming out and four large wind machines... We wanted the light to live."<ref>{{cite AV media | people=Frank, Marshall (director) | date=1982 | title=The Making of Poltergeist | type=Motion picture | publisher=Amblin Entertainment| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGZanwuNO7o}}</ref>
] released a 25th anniversary ] of the first film on standard DVD, ] and ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Live Chat with Warner Home Video |date=] |work=Home Theater Forum |url=http://www.hometheaterforum.com/chat/warner07.txt |accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref> in ] and the US on ] ]. The re-release has digitally remastered picture and sound, and a two-part documentary: "They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists." It makes extensive use of clips from the film.


The ] is used in the scene of Diane running down the hallway to Carol Anne's room. This is done by pulling the camera back while zooming the lens forward. In ''Poltergeist'' it creates the illusion of expanding space.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Moynihan |first1=Tim |title=WTF Just Happened: How Do They Pull Off the Vertigo Effect in Movies | date=August 28, 2014| url=https://www.wired.com/2014/08/wtf-just-happened-vertigo-effect/ |magazine=Wired}}</ref>
A six disc prototype, from the abandoned 20th Anniversary Special Edition, surfaced on ] a few years ago and still crops up from time to time. Special features included the ''The First Real Ghost Story'' and ''The Making of Poltergeist'' featurettes, screenplay, several photo galleries and '']'' interviews, and the documentaries '']'', '']'' and ''Terror in The Aisles''. The 6th disc was a copy of the original motion picture soundtrack by ].


==Reception== === Music ===
The music for ''Poltergeist'' was written by ], who recalled:
''Poltergeist'' was a box office success worldwide. The film grossed $76,606,280<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=poltergeist.htm</ref> in the United States, making it the 8th biggest release and highest grossing horror film of ].<ref>{{cite web |title=POLTERGEIST |work=BOX OFFICE MOJO |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=poltergeist.htm |accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref>


<blockquote>Steven Spielberg called me about five months before went into production and wanted to know if I would be interested in doing it. He’d long been an admirer of mine, and we had met several times. I said I’d be very interested, so he sent me a script and I loved it. I was very excited about being involved with anything with Spielberg, anyway... With Spielberg, probably more than any other director, there’s a tremendous amount of discussion. He’s very articulate about music, and one can discuss for hours about approaches. Anything I did was not on my own volition; it was a joint effort in that we both agreed what we were trying to do with the music for the picture. We wanted a childlike theme for the little girl; Spielberg felt that much of the action in the closet should have a quasi-religious atmosphere to it. There was something definitely non-human about it, yet it was not evil all the way. It was discussing specifics like that which resulted in our approach... was not involved at all with post-production. That was all strictly with Steven, and I worked very closely with him.<ref>{{cite web|last=Larson|first=Randall D.|url=https://cnmsarchive.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/jerry-goldsmith-on-poltergeist-and-nimh/|title=Jerry Goldsmith on Poltergeist and NIMH|work=CinemaScore|date=1983}}</ref></blockquote>
Many critics discussed the role of the family in the film. Douglas Brode compares the "]" in ''Poltergeist'' to the ]/] ].<ref name="brode111">cited in Brode, p. 111</ref> ], in '']'', wrote that when Carol Ann is lost the parents and the two older children "come together in blood-kin empathy to form a larger-than-life family that will reach down to the gates of hell to save its loved ones."<ref name="brode111"/> In the '']'', Peter Rainer wrote:

Goldsmith wrote several themes for the score, including the lullaby "Carol Anne's Theme" to represent blissful suburban life and the young female protagonist; a semi-religious melody for the souls caught between worlds; and several dissonant, atonal blasts for moments of terror.<ref name="Filmtracks">{{cite web|title=Filmtracks: Poltergeist (Jerry Goldsmith)|url=https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/poltergeist.html|publisher=]|access-date=May 31, 2013|date=December 31, 2010}}</ref><ref> soundtrack review at ], accessed February 16, 2011.</ref> The score went on to garner Goldsmith an ] nomination for ], though he lost to ] for '']''.

Goldsmith's score was first released in 1982 on LP through ] in a 38-minute version. ] later released a 68-minute cut on CD in 1997. A two-disc soundtrack album later followed on December 9, 2010 by ] featuring additional source and alternate material. The 2010 release also included previously unreleased tracks from Goldsmith's score to '']'' (1963).<ref name="Filmtracks"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/list.cfm?sortby=r&sortdir=1|title=''Poltergeist''|magazine=]|access-date = October 20, 2012}}</ref>

There is an alternate version of "Carol Anne's theme" which has lyrics. That version is unofficially titled "Bless this House" (which is a line from the chorus). It was not featured in the film but was part of the original album.

=== Allusions ===
A clip of ] in '']'' (1943) can be seen on the TV in the Freelings' bedroom. This is one of Spielberg's favorite childhood films, which he would remake as '']''. ''Joe'' is also a film about the afterlife.

Posters for '']'' and '']'' can be seen in the room shared by Robbie and Carol Anne.

The story of ''Poltergeist'' has similarities to '']'' episode "]", about a girl who finds a portal to another dimension in her bedroom; the girl's family (including the dog) can hear her but can't see her. The similarity was noted by the episode's author, ]: "They sort of used that idea and made their own concept of it." Matheson said he had a positive relationship with Spielberg, adding "God knows the man has talent."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poltergeist.poltergeistiii.com/wrote.html|title=The Script's Development (Page 1 of 2) @ poltergeist.poltergeistiii.com|website=www.poltergeist.poltergeistiii.com}}</ref>

A sign at the Holiday Inn reads "Welcome Doctor Fantasy and Friends". This is an inside joke; producer Frank Marshall is an amateur magician, and his stage-name is Dr. Fantasy.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Anderson|first=Ross|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jUOWDwAAQBAJ&q=Marshall+as+%22Dr.+Fantasy%22+or+%22DJ+Master+Frank%22.&pg=PT197|title=Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat: The Making of Roger Rabbit|date=2019-05-23|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-4968-2230-7|language=en}}</ref> After a production wraps, Marshall performs magic for the crew.<ref>{{cite web| title=Calling The Shots No. 39: Frank Marshall| work=BBC| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/callingtheshots/frank_marshall.shtml}}</ref>

== Release ==

=== MPAA rating ===
''Poltergeist'' initially received an ]<ref name="MPAA">{{cite web| url=https://www.filmratings.com/Search?filmTitle=Poltergeist&x=19&y=10| title=Poltergeist (1982)| publisher=filmratings.com| access-date=6 July 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714131322/http://www.filmratings.com/search.html?filmTitle=poltergeist&x=61&y=15| archive-date=July 14, 2014| url-status=dead}}</ref> by twenty-four reviewers from the ] due to bathroom gory scene.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Good |first=Owen S. |date=2020-10-03 |title=Poltergeist’s PG rating was a crime against kids of the ’80s |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/10/3/21497819/scariest-pg-movies-poltergeist-scenes-clown-tree-pool-skeletons |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper disagreed with the R rating and succeeded in changing it to PG on appeal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Spielberg's 'Poltergeist' Reclassified|work=Albuquerque Journal|date=May 24, 1982|page=A15}}</ref>

=== Reissues ===
The film was reissued on October 29, 1982, to take advantage of the Halloween weekend. It was shown in theaters for one night only on October 4, 2007, to promote the new restored and remastered 25th-anniversary DVD, released five days later. This event also included the documentary ''They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists'', which was created for the new DVD.

The ''Poltergeist'' franchise is believed by some to be ] due to the premature deaths of several people associated with the film (including Heather O'Rourke and Dominique Dunne),<ref name="Snopes">Mikkelson, Barbara. , ], August 17, 2007</ref> a notion that was the focus of an '']''.

=== Home media ===
''Poltergeist'' was released by MGM/UA Home Video on ], ], ], and ] in 1982. On April 8, 1997, ] released ''Poltergeist'' on ] in a snap case, and the only special feature was a trailer. In 1998, ''Poltergeist'' was re-released on DVD with the same cover and disc as the 1997 release, but in a keep case and with an eight-page booklet. In 1999, a snap case edition with the same DVD disc, but a different cover, was released by ] (later Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), after the pre-May 1986 MGM library was acquired by the ]-owned ] Warner tentatively scheduled releases for the 25th anniversary edition of the film on standard DVD, ], and ]<ref>{{cite web |date=February 26, 2007 |title=Live Chat with Warner Home Video |url=https://www.hometheaterforum.com/chat/warner07.txt |access-date=June 1, 2008 |work=Home Theater Forum}}</ref> in Spain and the US on October 9, 2007. The re-release was billed as having digitally remastered picture and sound, and a two-part documentary: ''They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists'', which makes extensive use of clips from the film. The remastered DVD of the film was released as scheduled, but both high-definition releases were eventually canceled. Warner rescheduled the high-definition version of the film, and eventually released it only on the Blu-ray format on October 14, 2008.<ref> at WBshop.com</ref>

To commemorate the film's 40th anniversary, ''Poltergeist'' was released by Warner Bros. on ] on September 20, 2022.<ref> at ComicBook.com</ref>

=== Novelization ===
A novelization was written by ], adapted from the film's original screenplay. It was printed in the United States through Warner Books, with the first printing in May 1982.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kahn |first1=James |title=Poltergeist (9780446302227): James Kahn: Books |year=1982 |publisher=Warner Books |isbn=0446302228}}</ref> While the film focuses mainly on the Freeling family, much of the book leans toward the relationship between Tangina and Dr. Lesh. The novel also expands upon many scenes from the film, such as the nighttime manifestation of outer-dimensional entities of fire and shadows in the Freelings' living room, and an extended version of the kitchen scene in which Marty watches a steak crawl across a countertop. In the book, Marty is frozen in place and skeletonized by spiders and rats. There are also additional elements not in the film, such as Robbie's mysterious discovery of the clown doll in the yard during his birthday party, and a benevolent spirit, "The Waiting Woman", who protects Carol Anne in the spirit world.

== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
''Poltergeist'' was released by ] on June 4, 1982.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Woofter|editor-first=Kristopher|title=American Twilight: The Cinema of Tobe Hooper|location=Austin, Tex.|publisher=University of Texas Press|date=2021|isbn=9781477322833|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CIooEAAAQBAJ|page=329}}</ref> The film was a commercial success and earned $76,606,280 in the United States, making it the highest-grossing horror film of ], and eighth overall for the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl107709953/weekend/ |title=Box Office Information for ''Poltergeist'' |website=] |access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref>

=== Critical response ===
The film was well received by critics and is considered by many as a classic of the ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/1016513-poltergeist/?page=2&critic=columns&sortby=date&name_order=desc&view=#contentReviews |title= ''Poltergeist'' Movie Reviews, Page 2 |website=] |access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/1016513-poltergeist/?page=3&critic=approved&sortby=date&name_order=desc&view=#contentReviews |title= ''Poltergeist'' Movie Reviews, Page 3 |website=]|access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref> as well as one of the best films of 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmsite.org/1982.html |title=The Greatest Films of 1982 |publisher=] ] |access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/movies/features/story/10-best-movies-of-1982/15287150/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715151956/http://www.mtv.com/news/movies/features/story/10-best-movies-of-1982/15287150/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 15, 2018 |title=The 10 Best Movies of 1982 |publisher=] |access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.films101.com/y1982r.htm |title=The Best Movies of 1982 by Rank |publisher=Films101.com |access-date=May 21, 2010 |archive-date=September 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120915/http://www.films101.com/y1982r.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> On ] ] it has an approval rating of 88% based on reviews from 72 critics, with an average rating of 7.50/10. The site's consensus reads: "Smartly filmed, tightly scripted, and—most importantly—consistently frightening, ''Poltergeist'' is a modern horror classic."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1016513_poltergeist |title=Poltergeist |website=] |access-date=October 21, 2022 }}</ref> On ] it has a score of 79% based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=Poltergeist |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/poltergeist-1982 |website=] |access-date=2020-11-01 }}</ref> ] gave ''Poltergeist'' three stars out of four and called it "an effective thriller, not so much because of the special effects, as because Hooper and Spielberg have tried to see the movie's strange events through the eyes of the family members, instead of just standing back and letting the special effects overwhelm the cast along with the audience."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/poltergeist-1982 |title=Poltergeist |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=June 1, 1982 |website=] |access-date=November 27, 2018 }}</ref> ] of '']'' called it "a marvelously spooky ghost story" with "extraordinary technical effects" that were "often eerie and beautiful but also occasionally vividly gruesome."<ref>{{cite news |date=June 4, 1982 |last=Canby |first=Vincent |author-link=Vincent Canby |title=Film: 'Poltergeist' From Spielberg |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/04/movies/poltergeist-from-spielberg.html |newspaper=] |page=C16 }}</ref> ], in '']'', wrote that when Carol Anne is lost, the parents and the two older children "come together in blood-kin empathy to form a larger-than-life family that will reach down to the gates of hell to save its loved ones."<ref name="brode111">Cited in Brode, p. 111</ref> In the '']'', Peter Rainer wrote:


<blockquote>Buried within the plot of ''Poltergeist'' is a basic, splendid fairy tale scheme: the story of a little girl who puts her parents through the most outrageous tribulation to prove their love for her. Underlying most fairy tales is a common theme: the comforts of family. Virtually all fairy tales begin with a disrupting of the family order, and their conclusion is usually a return to order.<ref name="brode111"/></blockquote> <blockquote>Buried within the plot of ''Poltergeist'' is a basic, splendid fairy tale scheme: the story of a little girl who puts her parents through the most outrageous tribulation to prove their love for her. Underlying most fairy tales is a common theme: the comforts of family. Virtually all fairy tales begin with a disrupting of the family order, and their conclusion is usually a return to order.<ref name="brode111"/></blockquote>


], in his entry on Spielberg in '']'', calls ''Poltergeist'' "wondrous."<ref>{{cite book| last=Thomson| first= David| title=]| year=2004| page=848}}</ref>
The film was re-released in cinemas for one night only on Thursday, ] ]. This special one-night event also included a 15-minute never-before-seen glimpse into the real world of poltergeists. This was part of the promotional campaign for the new restored and remastered 25th anniversary DVD released on ].


Not all reviews were as positive. ] gave the film one-and-a-half stars out of four, writing that ''Poltergeist'' "is very good at getting the details of suburban life right—in other words, it sets its stage beautifully—but when it comes time for the terror to begin, the whole thing is very, very silly."<ref>] (June 4, 1982). '']''. Section 3, p. 3.</ref> Gary Arnold of '']'' observed that the film "looks and feels decidedly patchy, as if it had been assembled by different hands frequently working at cross purposes."<ref>{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Gary |date=June 4, 1982 |title=Horror With the Spielberg Touch |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/06/04/horror-with-the-spielberg-tough/1f9a3024-9cae-406f-b4a4-eb1b7e5ad285/ |newspaper=] |page=D1 }}</ref> ] of the '']'' wrote, "In terms of simple, flat-out, roof-rattling fright, ''Poltergeist'' gives full value. In terms of story, however, simple is indeed the word, and dumb might be a better one. And when so many effects are lavished on a story this frail, you have a lopsided film."<ref>] (June 4, 1982). "An Epic Bump By Spielberg". '']''. Part VI, p. 1.</ref>
==Cultural impact==
''Poltergeist'' has been referenced in several films, TV shows and music videos.
]", the tree is based on the one that captures Robbie.]]
An episode of '']'' called "]" directly parodied the events in ''Poltergeist''. Peter builds a multiplex in his backyard and discovers an Indian burial ground. When he takes an Indian chief’s skull, a poltergeist invades the Griffins’ home. The episode also used some of the same musical cues heard in the film, and re-created no less than four memorable scenes, including baby Stewie saying "they're here".<ref>{{cite web |title=Petergeist |work=TV.com |url=http://www.tv.com/family-guy/petergeist/episode/664917/summary.html |accessdate=2007-06-25}}</ref>


=== Accolades ===
At the end of the first '']'' '']'' installment, ''Bad Dream House'', the house in which the Simpsons move turns out to be haunted. After repeated failed attempts to scare them away, it implodes in a way similar to that of the house at the end of ''Poltergeist'', rather than spend life with the Simpson family. In another ] segment, ''Homer³'', after entering the 3rd dimension, Homer communicates with his family in a reverberating voice similar to that of Carol Anne's when she speaks through the television. In an attempt to rescue Homer, Bart enters the dimension with a rope tied around him, similar to the manner Carol Anne is retrieved by Diane.
The film continues to receive recognition 40 years after its release. ''Poltergeist'' was selected by '']'' as one of The Best 1000 Movies Ever Made.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html | work=] | title=The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made | date=April 29, 2003 | access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref> It also received recognition from the ], with a number 84 ranking on ] list;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/thrills100.pdf?docID=250 |title=AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills |publisher=] |access-date=May 21, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716072119/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/thrills100.pdf?docID=250 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> "They're here" was named the 69th-greatest movie quote on ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/quotes100.pdf?docID=242 |title=AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes |publisher=] |access-date=May 21, 2010 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716070844/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/quotes100.pdf?docID=242 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


The film received three ] nominations: ], ], and ], losing all three to Spielberg's '']''.<ref> at oscars.org; Accessed November 2, 2010.</ref>
In the '']'' episode, "]", the ending of the first film was loosely spoofed when the ] vanishes, and in "]", Cartman makes Dr. Nelson say "Carol Anne - don't go into the light" during the fight with him.


{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
In '']'' episode "Shadows", ] and ] were discussing what had taken over their car and caused them to crash. Mulder believes that a young woman they had just visited had caused the crash via psychokinetic powers. When Scully questions Mulder's beliefs, Mulder also says it could be a poltergeist. Scully then mocks him by saying, "They're here!" Mulder replies, "Yes, they just might be."
|-
! Year
! Association
! Category
! Result
|-
| rowspan="11"| 1983
| rowspan="3"| ]
| ]
| {{nom}}
|-
| ]
| {{nom}}
|-
| ]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="6"| ]
| ]
| {{won}}
|-
| ]
| {{won}}
|-
| ] – Zelda Rubinstein
| {{won}}
|-
| ] – JoBeth Williams
| {{nom}}
|-
| ] – Tobe Hooper
| {{nom}}
|-
| ] – Jerry Goldsmith
| {{nom}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| {{won}}
|-
| ]
| ] – Heather O'Rourke
| {{nom}}
|-
|}


==Legacy==
In the '']'' episode "Lying Pig", Jaye's brother declares "This trailer is clean, kind of" after helping her remove all of the talking objects ''a la'' ]. Similarly, in the movie '']'' ] does a spoof of the "This house is clean" line but mistakenly says "This house is clear". In the '']'' episode "Polargeist", a direct spoof of the first film, Dale discovers ghosts in his house and is abducted into the spirit world through his beer fridge.


=== Sequels and remakes ===
In the April 19, 2007 episode of '']'', Dean explains to his brother the curse of the set of ''Poltergeist''. In the music video for the ] song "]" ] re-creates a scene from the movie. Also in a first season episode called Home, Dean makes a reference to Missouri Mosley cleaning out their old house of a poltergeist by commenting on her doing her whole Zelda Rubinstein thing. Rubinstein played Psychic Tangina Barrons in all 3 Poltergeist films.
In 1986, '']'' retained the family but introduced a new motive for the Beast's behavior, tying him to an evil cult leader named Henry Kane, who led his religious sect to their doom in the 1820s. As the Beast, Kane went to extraordinary lengths to keep his "flock" under his control, even in death. The original motive of the cemetery's souls disturbed by the housing development was thereby altered; the cemetery was now explained to be built above a cave where Kane and his flock met their ends. It also reveals that the women of the family are actually psychics.


'']'', released in 1988, finds Carol Anne as the sole original family member living in an elaborate Chicago skyscraper owned and inhabited by her aunt, uncle and cousin. Kane follows her there and uses the building's ubiquitous decorative mirrors as a portal to the Earthly plane.
On '']'', a level is named "Poltergex" on Scream TV. On '']'', a level is called "Poultrygeist" and another is called "Poultrygeist Too".


The 1988 Italian film '']'' (also known as ''La casa 3''), written and directed by ], has been described as an imitation of the original ''Poltergeist''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Golden|first1=Christopher|author-link1=Christopher Golden|last2=Bissette|first2=Stephen R.|author-link2=Stephen R. Bissette|last3=Sniegoski|first3=Thomas E.|author-link3=Thomas E. Sniegoski|date=2000|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Monster Book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ah7QSsMKDZsC&pg=PA300|publisher=]|page=285|isbn=978-0671042592}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Newman|first=Kim|date=2011|title=Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNMz3tGZVvAC&pg=PA262|publisher=]|page=262|isbn=978-1408805039}}</ref>
== See also ==
* '']''
* '']''
* ]
* ]


In 2013, a remake of the original ''Poltergeist'', produced by MGM and ] and directed by ], was announced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/06/mgm-fox-2000-to-co-finance-production-to-start-this-fall-525652/|title=MGM, Fox 2000 To Co-Finance & Distribute 'Poltergeist'; Production To Start This Fall|first=The Deadline|last=Team|date=June 20, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McNary|first=Dave|title='Poltergeist' Reboot Set For Late-Summer Start|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/poltergeist-reboot-set-for-late-summer-start-1200005032/|newspaper=Variety|date=March 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://collider.com/poltergeist-remake-filming-this-fall-release-2014/ | title = Poltergeist Remake Confirmed to Shoot This Fall; Likely Due out Next Year | first = Matt | last = Goldberg | date = June 20, 2013 | access-date = 2013-06-20 | publisher = Collider.com }}</ref> ], ], and ] produced the film, which stars ], ], and ].<ref name="R"/> '']'' was released on May 22, 2015.<ref name="R">{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/poltergeist-reboot-release-date-spy-release-date-melissa-mccarthy-1201447391/|title='Poltergeist' Reboot Moved Up to May 22, 'Spy' Back to June 5|author=Dave McNary|magazine=]|date=March 5, 2015|access-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref>
==External links==

* {{imdb title|id=0084516|title=Poltergeist}}
On April 10, 2019, it was announced that the ] would helm a new remake.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3555052/poltergeist-getting-remade-captain-america-avengers-directors/|title='Poltergeist' Getting Remade *Again* with 'Captain America' and 'Avengers' Directors?!|first=Brad|last=Miska|date=April 10, 2019}}</ref>
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=poltergeist|title=Poltergeist}}

* - Philosophical essay about Poltergeist and television by ] of ].
In October 2023, it was reported that a television series adaptation was in early development at ] with ]'s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey set to executive produce.<ref>{{cite web|last=Otterson|first=Joe|title='Poltergeist' TV Series in Early Development at Amazon MGM Studios (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/poltergeist-tv-series-amazon-mgm-studios-1235772948/|website=]|date=October 30, 2023|access-date=October 30, 2023}}</ref>

=== In popular culture ===
"Bad Dream House", the first segment of "]", the first episode of the annual '']'' '']'' Halloween specials, is partly a parody of ''Poltergeist.''

The song "Shining" by ] band ], on their 1997 album '']'', is based directly on the film, with the chorus centered on the refrain: "Carol Anne, Carol Anne".<ref>Greene, James R. Jr. (2013). ''This Music Leaves Stains: The Complete Story of the Misfits''. Scarecrow Press {{ISBN|0810884372}}</ref>

] pays homage to the film in their 1997 music video for the song "]".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/happy-birthday-spiceworld-its-time-to-re-watch-some-cheesy-spice-girls-music-6304422/|title=Happy Birthday, 'Spiceworld': It's Time to Re-Watch Some Cheesy Spice Girls Music Videos|last=Strecker|first=Erin|date=November 4, 2014|magazine=]|access-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/ariana-grande-music-video-movie-references-recreations|title=From Ariana to Madonna: A History of Pop Stars Recreating Iconic Movies in Their Music Videos|last=Munzenrieder|first=Kyle|date=November 28, 2018|website=]|access-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref>

Two separate animated TV series helmed by ] have parodied ''Poltergeist''. In the 2006 '']'' episode "]", ] discovers an Indian burial ground when he attempts to build a multiplex in a backyard. When he takes an Indian chief's skull, a poltergeist invades the Griffins' home. The episode used some of the same musical cues heard in the film and recreates several of its scenes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Petergeist |work=] |url=http://www.tv.com/family-guy/petergeist/episode/664917/summary.html |access-date=June 25, 2007 |archive-date=July 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709054651/http://www.tv.com/family-guy/petergeist/episode/664917/summary.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> '']'' also parodied the film with the ] episode "Poltergasm", in which the Smith house has become haunted by ]'s unsatisfied sex drive, and ] plays Ruby Zeldastein, a parody of Tangina.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://avclub.com/tvclub/american-dad-poltergasm-103831|title=American Dad: "Poltergasm"|date=2013-10-07|access-date=2017-04-04}}</ref>

The 2001 ] film '']'' parodies the movie's clown doll attack in Robbie's bedroom, as well as Diane's levitation.<ref name="Raymond">{{cite web |last1=Raymond |first1=Adam K. |title=Every Movie 'Spoofed' in the Scary Movie Franchise |url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/04/scary-movie-franchise-every-film-spoofed-referenced.html |website=] |access-date=23 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111211540/https://www.vulture.com/2013/04/scary-movie-franchise-every-film-spoofed-referenced.html |archive-date=11 November 2020 |date=15 April 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''Poltergeist'' was the subject of walk through attractions at both ] and Hollywood's annual ] event.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/halloween-horror-nights-poltergeist/|title=Halloween Horror Nights Adds 'Poltergeist' to 2018 Mazes|last=Foutch|first=Haleigh|date=August 9, 2018|website=]|access-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Film|Speculative fiction/Horror|1980s|United States}}
* ]
* ]
{{Clear}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|2}} {{Reflist}}


==External links==
{{The Poltergeist Trilogy}}
* {{commons category-inline}}
{{Tobe Hooper Films}}
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
* {{IMDb title|0084516|Poltergeist}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=2822}}
* {{AFI film|56862}}

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{{Tobe Hooper}}
{{Steven Spielberg}}
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{{BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Horror Film 1972–1990}}
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Latest revision as of 05:45, 25 December 2024

1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper

Poltergeist
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTobe Hooper
Screenplay by
Story bySteven Spielberg
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMatthew F. Leonetti
Edited byMichael Kahn
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Production
companies
Distributed byMGM/UA Entertainment Co.
Release date
  • June 4, 1982 (1982-06-04)
Running time114 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10.7 million
Box office$121.7 million

Poltergeist is a 1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, and Mark Victor from a story by Spielberg. It stars JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, and Beatrice Straight, and was produced by Spielberg and Frank Marshall. The film focuses on a suburban family whose home is invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct their youngest daughter.

As Spielberg was contractually unable to direct another film while he made E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Hooper was selected based on his work on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Funhouse. The origin of Poltergeist can be traced to Night Skies, which Spielberg conceived as a horror sequel to his 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Hooper was less interested in the sci-fi elements and suggested they collaborate on a ghost story. Accounts differ as to the level of Spielberg's involvement, but it is clear that he was frequently on set during filming and exerted significant creative control. For that reason, some have said that Spielberg should be considered the film's co-director or even main director, though both Spielberg and Hooper have disputed this.

Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer through MGM/UA Entertainment Co. on June 4, 1982, Poltergeist was a major critical and commercial success, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 1982. In the years since its release, the film has been recognized as a horror classic. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, named by the Chicago Film Critics Association as the 20th-scariest film ever made, and a scene made Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. Poltergeist also appeared at No. 84 on American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Thrills. The film was followed by Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), Poltergeist III (1988), as well as a 2015 remake, but none had the critical success of the original.

Plot

Steven and Diane Freeling live in the planned community of Cuesta Verde, California. Steven is a successful real estate agent, and Diane looks after their three children: sixteen-year-old Dana, eight-year-old Robbie, and five-year-old Carol Anne. Late one night, Carol Anne inexplicably converses with the family's television set while it displays post-broadcast static. The next night, she fixates on the television again, and a ghostly white hand emerges from the screen, followed by a violent earthquake. As the family is shaken awake by the quake, Carol Anne eerily intones, "They're here."

The following day is filled with bizarre events: a glass of milk spontaneously breaks, silverware bends, and furniture moves on its own. These phenomena initially seem benign, but soon grow sinister. During a severe thunderstorm, the gnarled backyard tree seemingly comes alive. A large limb crashes through the children's bedroom window, grabs Robbie, pulls him outside into the pouring rain and attempts to devour him. While the family rushes outside to rescue Robbie, Carol Anne is pulled into a portal inside the closet. After saving Robbie from the tree, which got sucked into a tornado, the family frantically search for Carol Anne, only for her voice to call out from the television.

Parapsychologist Martha Lesh arrives with team members Ryan and Marty to investigate. They determine there is a poltergeist intrusion involving multiple ghosts. Meanwhile, Steven learns from his boss Lewis Teague that the Cuesta Verde development was built on a former cemetery and the graves were moved to a nearby location.

Dana and Robbie are sent away for safety, while Dr. Lesh calls in Tangina Barrons, a spiritual medium. Tangina divulges the spirits are lingering in a different "sphere of consciousness" and are not at rest. They are attracted to Carol Anne's life force. Tangina also detects a dark presence she calls the "Beast", who is restraining Carol Anne and manipulating her life force in order to prevent the other spirits from crossing over.

The entrance to the other dimension is in the children's bedroom closet and exits through the living room ceiling. Diane, secured by a rope, passes through the portal, guided by another rope previously threaded through both portals. Diane retrieves Carol Anne, and they drop through the ceiling to the living room floor, covered in ectoplasm. As they recover from the ordeal, Tangina proclaims the house is "clean".

Shortly after, the Freeling family have nearly finished packing to move out of the house. Before the family is to leave, Steven goes to his office while Dana is on a date, leaving Diane at home with Robbie and Carol Anne. The "Beast" ambushes Diane and the children, aiming for a second kidnapping attempt. The unseen force drives Diane to the backyard in the pouring rain, where she stumbles into the flooded swimming pool excavation. Skeletal corpses and coffins float up around her in the muddy hole. Diane crawls out and rushes back into the house. She rescues the children, and they narrowly escape outside as more coffins and bodies erupt from the ground.

Accompanied by Teague, Steven arrives home to the mayhem and realizes that only the gravestones were relocated; the development was built over the abandoned graves. The Freelings jump into their car and collect Dana just as she returns home. They flee Cuesta Verde as the house implodes into a portal while Teague and stunned neighbors look on. The family checks into a room at a Holiday Inn, where Steven promptly removes the TV.

Cast

Production

Michael Grais and Mark Victor had written an unproduced comedy called Turn Left And Die and the action film Death Hunt, when Steven Spielberg decided to invite them to possibly work with him. After screening A Guy Named Joe for them and saying he wanted to remake that film—which he would in 1989's AlwaysSpielberg also mentioned a ghost story idea he intended to turn into a script. Grais called Spielberg the next day saying he and Victor only had interest in the ghost story, and after plans with another writer fell through, Spielberg brought the two to the job. Spielberg wanted Stephen King to co-write the screenplay, but he was unavailable.

Principal photography rolled mostly on Roxbury Street in Simi Valley, California. Following completion of principal photography in the first week of August 1981, Hooper went on to spend ten weeks in the editing room, compiling the first cut of the film. During much of this time, Spielberg was at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), supervising the visual effects photography.

Creative credit

A clause in Spielberg's contract with Universal Studios prevented him from directing another film while preparing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. According to Tobe Hooper, the core concept of the film was an idea he pitched to Spielberg after turning down the offer to direct Night Skies. Writer Michael Grais stated that "we weren't really 'working' with Spielberg because he was on E.T.", and that Spielberg only had sporadic meetings with the writers in MGM's commissary. E.T. and Poltergeist were released a week apart in June, 1982; Time and Newsweek referred to it as "The Spielberg Summer". There were suggestions that Spielberg, in addition to being Poltergeist's co-producer and co-writer, had also served as its de facto co-director. This view was bolstered by various statements Spielberg made about his involvement, including a Los Angeles Times quote on May 24, 1982: "Tobe isn't ... a take-charge sort of guy. If a question was asked and an answer wasn't immediately forthcoming, I'd jump in and say what we could do. Tobe would nod agreement, and that became the process of collaboration."

That same article noted that the Directors Guild of America had opened an investigation into the "question of whether or not Hooper's official credit was being denigrated by statements Spielberg has made, apparently claiming authorship." The investigation ended in an arbitrator's ruling that MGM/UA Entertainment Co. must pay $15,000 to Hooper because the studio gave producer Spielberg a bigger credit than Hooper got in its trailers, although also noting that "broader issues of dispute exist between producer-writer (Spielberg) and the director" (damages of $200,000 were originally sought by the DGA). Co-producer Frank Marshall told the LA Times that "the creative force of the movie was Steven. Tobe was the director and was on the set every day. But Steven did the design for every storyboard, and he was on the set every day except for three days when he was in Hawaii with Lucas." However, Hooper stated that he "did fully half of the storyboards."

The week of the film's release, The Hollywood Reporter printed an open letter from Spielberg to Hooper:

Regrettably, some of the press has misunderstood the rather unique, creative relationship which you and I shared throughout the making of Poltergeist.

I enjoyed your openness in allowing me, as a writer and a producer, a wide berth for creative involvement, just as I know you were happy with the freedom you had to direct Poltergeist so wonderfully.

Through the screenplay you accepted a vision of this very intense movie from the start, and as the director, you delivered the goods. You performed responsibly and professionally throughout, and I wish you great success on your next project.

In a 2007 Ain't It Cool News interview, Zelda Rubinstein discussed her recollections of the shooting process. She said "Steven directed all six days" she was on set: "Tobe set up the shots and Steven made the adjustments." She also alleged that Hooper "allowed some unacceptable chemical agents into his work," and that during her audition, "Tobe was only partially there." Comments from actor James Karen, concerning a 25th-anniversary Q&A event which both attended, categorized Rubinstein's remarks as unfair to Hooper. "She laid into Tobe and I don't know why ... Tobe was kind to her."

In a 2012 Rue Morgue article commemorating Poltergeist's 30th anniversary, interviews were conducted with several cast and crew members. In response to the magazine's query about the authorship issue, cast members unanimously sided with Hooper. James Karen said, "Tobe had a hard time on that film. It's tough when a producer is on set every day and there's always been a lot of talk about that. I considered Tobe my director. That's my stand on all those rumours." Martin Casella stated: "So much of Poltergeist looks and feels like a Spielberg movie but my recollection is that Tobe was mostly directing." Oliver Robins: "The guy who sets up the shots, blocks the actors and works with the crew to create a vision is the director. In those terms, Tobe was the director. He's the one who directed me, anyway." Make-up and effects artist Craig Reardon said Spielberg often had the final say. The original version of the cancerous steak, for instance, was created by Reardon per Hooper's specifications—but vetoed by Spielberg: "Although the first steak did not represent a killing amount of work, it had consumed enough time and effort—none of which I could afford to waste—that I determined in the future to make certain whatever I prepped would be approved in advance by Spielberg as well as Hooper."

Hooper was asked about the controversy in a 2015 interview with online journal Film Talk and said the rumors originated from a Los Angeles Times article which reported on Spielberg shooting footage of "little race cars" in front of the house, while Hooper was busy elsewhere shooting another scene. "From there it became its own legend. That is how I remember it; I was making the movie and later on, I heard this stuff after it was finished. I really can’t set the record much straighter than that."

According to the Blumhouse Productions website, first assistant cameraman John R. Leonetti reported that Spielberg directed the film more so than Hooper, stating, "Hooper was so nice and just happy to be there. He creatively had input. Steven developed the movie, and it was his to direct, except there was anticipation of a director's strike, so he was 'the producer' but really, he directed it in case there was going to be a strike and Tobe was cool with that. It wasn't anything against Tobe. Every once in a while, he would actually leave the set and let Tobe do a few things just because. But really, Steven directed it."

Following Hooper's passing in 2017, director Mick Garris, a publicist on the film who made several on-set visits, came to Hooper's defense on the Post Mortem podcast:

Tobe was always calling action and cut. Tobe had been deeply involved in all of the pre-production and everything. But Steven is a guy who will come in and call the shots. And so, you're on your first studio film, hired by Steven Spielberg, who is enthusiastically involved in this movie. Are you gonna say, 'Stop that... let me do this'? Which did.

Tobe was a terrific filmmaker. I don't think it's that Steven was controlling. I think it was Steven was enthusiastic. And nobody was there to protect Tobe. But all of the pre-production was done by Tobe. Tobe was there throughout. Tobe's vision is very much realized there. And Tobe got credit because he deserved credit. Including... Steven Spielberg said that.

Yes, Steven Spielberg was very much involved. It's a Tobe Hooper film.

Special effects

The special effects for Poltergeist were produced by Industrial Light and Magic and overseen by Richard Edlund. The film won the BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects and earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, which it lost to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

The scene of Diane (JoBeth Williams) climbing up the walls was done using a static camera in a rotating set. A similar effect was used in Royal Wedding to make it look like Fred Astaire was dancing on the ceiling.

Spielberg recalled that the most complicated lighting effects were used in Carol Anne's closet: "There were so many lighting effects: strobes and Las Vegas spots and fish tanks of water to give different kind of diffusion to the beams coming out and four large wind machines... We wanted the light to live."

The dolly zoom is used in the scene of Diane running down the hallway to Carol Anne's room. This is done by pulling the camera back while zooming the lens forward. In Poltergeist it creates the illusion of expanding space.

Music

The music for Poltergeist was written by Jerry Goldsmith, who recalled:

Steven Spielberg called me about five months before went into production and wanted to know if I would be interested in doing it. He’d long been an admirer of mine, and we had met several times. I said I’d be very interested, so he sent me a script and I loved it. I was very excited about being involved with anything with Spielberg, anyway... With Spielberg, probably more than any other director, there’s a tremendous amount of discussion. He’s very articulate about music, and one can discuss for hours about approaches. Anything I did was not on my own volition; it was a joint effort in that we both agreed what we were trying to do with the music for the picture. We wanted a childlike theme for the little girl; Spielberg felt that much of the action in the closet should have a quasi-religious atmosphere to it. There was something definitely non-human about it, yet it was not evil all the way. It was discussing specifics like that which resulted in our approach... was not involved at all with post-production. That was all strictly with Steven, and I worked very closely with him.

Goldsmith wrote several themes for the score, including the lullaby "Carol Anne's Theme" to represent blissful suburban life and the young female protagonist; a semi-religious melody for the souls caught between worlds; and several dissonant, atonal blasts for moments of terror. The score went on to garner Goldsmith an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score, though he lost to John Williams for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Goldsmith's score was first released in 1982 on LP through MGM Records in a 38-minute version. Rhino Movie Music later released a 68-minute cut on CD in 1997. A two-disc soundtrack album later followed on December 9, 2010 by Film Score Monthly featuring additional source and alternate material. The 2010 release also included previously unreleased tracks from Goldsmith's score to The Prize (1963).

There is an alternate version of "Carol Anne's theme" which has lyrics. That version is unofficially titled "Bless this House" (which is a line from the chorus). It was not featured in the film but was part of the original album.

Allusions

A clip of Spencer Tracy in A Guy Named Joe (1943) can be seen on the TV in the Freelings' bedroom. This is one of Spielberg's favorite childhood films, which he would remake as Always. Joe is also a film about the afterlife.

Posters for Star Wars and Alien can be seen in the room shared by Robbie and Carol Anne.

The story of Poltergeist has similarities to The Twilight Zone episode "Little Girl Lost", about a girl who finds a portal to another dimension in her bedroom; the girl's family (including the dog) can hear her but can't see her. The similarity was noted by the episode's author, Richard Matheson: "They sort of used that idea and made their own concept of it." Matheson said he had a positive relationship with Spielberg, adding "God knows the man has talent."

A sign at the Holiday Inn reads "Welcome Doctor Fantasy and Friends". This is an inside joke; producer Frank Marshall is an amateur magician, and his stage-name is Dr. Fantasy. After a production wraps, Marshall performs magic for the crew.

Release

MPAA rating

Poltergeist initially received an R rating by twenty-four reviewers from the MPAA due to bathroom gory scene. Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper disagreed with the R rating and succeeded in changing it to PG on appeal.

Reissues

The film was reissued on October 29, 1982, to take advantage of the Halloween weekend. It was shown in theaters for one night only on October 4, 2007, to promote the new restored and remastered 25th-anniversary DVD, released five days later. This event also included the documentary They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists, which was created for the new DVD.

The Poltergeist franchise is believed by some to be cursed due to the premature deaths of several people associated with the film (including Heather O'Rourke and Dominique Dunne), a notion that was the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story.

Home media

Poltergeist was released by MGM/UA Home Video on VHS, Betamax, CED, and LaserDisc in 1982. On April 8, 1997, MGM Home Entertainment released Poltergeist on DVD in a snap case, and the only special feature was a trailer. In 1998, Poltergeist was re-released on DVD with the same cover and disc as the 1997 release, but in a keep case and with an eight-page booklet. In 1999, a snap case edition with the same DVD disc, but a different cover, was released by Warner Home Video (later Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), after the pre-May 1986 MGM library was acquired by the Time Warner-owned Turner Entertainment Co. Warner tentatively scheduled releases for the 25th anniversary edition of the film on standard DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray in Spain and the US on October 9, 2007. The re-release was billed as having digitally remastered picture and sound, and a two-part documentary: They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists, which makes extensive use of clips from the film. The remastered DVD of the film was released as scheduled, but both high-definition releases were eventually canceled. Warner rescheduled the high-definition version of the film, and eventually released it only on the Blu-ray format on October 14, 2008.

To commemorate the film's 40th anniversary, Poltergeist was released by Warner Bros. on 4K UHD Blu-ray on September 20, 2022.

Novelization

A novelization was written by James Kahn, adapted from the film's original screenplay. It was printed in the United States through Warner Books, with the first printing in May 1982. While the film focuses mainly on the Freeling family, much of the book leans toward the relationship between Tangina and Dr. Lesh. The novel also expands upon many scenes from the film, such as the nighttime manifestation of outer-dimensional entities of fire and shadows in the Freelings' living room, and an extended version of the kitchen scene in which Marty watches a steak crawl across a countertop. In the book, Marty is frozen in place and skeletonized by spiders and rats. There are also additional elements not in the film, such as Robbie's mysterious discovery of the clown doll in the yard during his birthday party, and a benevolent spirit, "The Waiting Woman", who protects Carol Anne in the spirit world.

Reception

Box office

Poltergeist was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on June 4, 1982. The film was a commercial success and earned $76,606,280 in the United States, making it the highest-grossing horror film of 1982, and eighth overall for the year.

Critical response

The film was well received by critics and is considered by many as a classic of the horror genre as well as one of the best films of 1982. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 88% based on reviews from 72 critics, with an average rating of 7.50/10. The site's consensus reads: "Smartly filmed, tightly scripted, and—most importantly—consistently frightening, Poltergeist is a modern horror classic." On Metacritic it has a score of 79% based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Roger Ebert gave Poltergeist three stars out of four and called it "an effective thriller, not so much because of the special effects, as because Hooper and Spielberg have tried to see the movie's strange events through the eyes of the family members, instead of just standing back and letting the special effects overwhelm the cast along with the audience." Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it "a marvelously spooky ghost story" with "extraordinary technical effects" that were "often eerie and beautiful but also occasionally vividly gruesome." Andrew Sarris, in The Village Voice, wrote that when Carol Anne is lost, the parents and the two older children "come together in blood-kin empathy to form a larger-than-life family that will reach down to the gates of hell to save its loved ones." In the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Peter Rainer wrote:

Buried within the plot of Poltergeist is a basic, splendid fairy tale scheme: the story of a little girl who puts her parents through the most outrageous tribulation to prove their love for her. Underlying most fairy tales is a common theme: the comforts of family. Virtually all fairy tales begin with a disrupting of the family order, and their conclusion is usually a return to order.

David Thomson, in his entry on Spielberg in The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, calls Poltergeist "wondrous."

Not all reviews were as positive. Gene Siskel gave the film one-and-a-half stars out of four, writing that Poltergeist "is very good at getting the details of suburban life right—in other words, it sets its stage beautifully—but when it comes time for the terror to begin, the whole thing is very, very silly." Gary Arnold of The Washington Post observed that the film "looks and feels decidedly patchy, as if it had been assembled by different hands frequently working at cross purposes." Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "In terms of simple, flat-out, roof-rattling fright, Poltergeist gives full value. In terms of story, however, simple is indeed the word, and dumb might be a better one. And when so many effects are lavished on a story this frail, you have a lopsided film."

Accolades

The film continues to receive recognition 40 years after its release. Poltergeist was selected by The New York Times as one of The Best 1000 Movies Ever Made. It also received recognition from the American Film Institute, with a number 84 ranking on AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills list; "They're here" was named the 69th-greatest movie quote on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes.

The film received three Oscar nominations: Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects, losing all three to Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Year Association Category Result
1983 Academy Awards Academy Award for Best Original Score Nominated
Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing Nominated
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects Nominated
Saturn Award Saturn Award for Best Horror or Thriller Film Won
Saturn Award for Best Make-up Won
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress – Zelda Rubinstein Won
Saturn Award for Best Actress – JoBeth Williams Nominated
Saturn Award for Best Director – Tobe Hooper Nominated
Saturn Award for Best Music – Jerry Goldsmith Nominated
British Academy Film Awards BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects Won
Young Artist Awards Young Artist Award for Best Younger Supporting Actress – Heather O'Rourke Nominated

Legacy

Sequels and remakes

In 1986, Poltergeist II: The Other Side retained the family but introduced a new motive for the Beast's behavior, tying him to an evil cult leader named Henry Kane, who led his religious sect to their doom in the 1820s. As the Beast, Kane went to extraordinary lengths to keep his "flock" under his control, even in death. The original motive of the cemetery's souls disturbed by the housing development was thereby altered; the cemetery was now explained to be built above a cave where Kane and his flock met their ends. It also reveals that the women of the family are actually psychics.

Poltergeist III, released in 1988, finds Carol Anne as the sole original family member living in an elaborate Chicago skyscraper owned and inhabited by her aunt, uncle and cousin. Kane follows her there and uses the building's ubiquitous decorative mirrors as a portal to the Earthly plane.

The 1988 Italian film Ghosthouse (also known as La casa 3), written and directed by Umberto Lenzi, has been described as an imitation of the original Poltergeist.

In 2013, a remake of the original Poltergeist, produced by MGM and 20th Century Fox and directed by Gil Kenan, was announced. Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Roy Lee produced the film, which stars Sam Rockwell, Jared Harris, and Rosemarie DeWitt. Poltergeist was released on May 22, 2015.

On April 10, 2019, it was announced that the Russo Brothers would helm a new remake.

In October 2023, it was reported that a television series adaptation was in early development at Amazon MGM Studios with Amblin Television's Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey set to executive produce.

In popular culture

"Bad Dream House", the first segment of "Treehouse of Horror", the first episode of the annual The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials, is partly a parody of Poltergeist.

The song "Shining" by horror punk band Misfits, on their 1997 album American Psycho, is based directly on the film, with the chorus centered on the refrain: "Carol Anne, Carol Anne".

Spice Girls pays homage to the film in their 1997 music video for the song "Too Much".

Two separate animated TV series helmed by Seth MacFarlane have parodied Poltergeist. In the 2006 Family Guy episode "Petergeist", Peter Griffin discovers an Indian burial ground when he attempts to build a multiplex in a backyard. When he takes an Indian chief's skull, a poltergeist invades the Griffins' home. The episode used some of the same musical cues heard in the film and recreates several of its scenes. American Dad! also parodied the film with the season 10 episode "Poltergasm", in which the Smith house has become haunted by Francine's unsatisfied sex drive, and Roger plays Ruby Zeldastein, a parody of Tangina.

The 2001 comedy horror film Scary Movie 2 parodies the movie's clown doll attack in Robbie's bedroom, as well as Diane's levitation.

Poltergeist was the subject of walk through attractions at both Universal Studios Orlando and Hollywood's annual Halloween Horror Nights event.

See also

References

  1. "POLTERGEIST (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 29, 1982. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  2. "Box Office Information for Poltergeist". The Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  3. Martin, Bob (1982). Fangoria #23, Article "Tobe Hooper on Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist". pp. 28.
  4. "Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments". Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  5. "Chicago Critics' Scariest Films". AltFilmGuide.com. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  6. "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills" (PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  7. ^ How Did This Get Made: A Conversation With Michael Grais, Writer Of 'Cool World'
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Awards for Poltergeist
BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects
1982–2000
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