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Poltergeist (1982)

post #1 of 39
9/5/07 at 1:20pm
Thread Starter 
An amazingly complete film that holds you by the balls for nearly it's entire running time. Movie still freaks me out and, as an aspiring filmmaker, there's a lot I can learn from this about how to construct a truly effective horror film.

It hasn't all aged perfectly, and there's some forced moments (the explanation of the hauntings are kind forced in there at the end) but all in all, it's a great horror film.

One question: The sudden jump cut from JoBeth Williams explaining what's been happening to Craig T. Nelson to the two of them asking the neighbors about any disturbances: What the fuck? For the longest time I thought my VHS was fucked, but I watched this on DVD for the first time and it was the same thing. It's one of the worst cuts I have ever seen in any film, ever. It kind of reminds me of when I used to tape shit off the the tv and I'd fuck up the timing of the record button.
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post #2 of 39
9/5/07 at 1:44pm
This movie scared the hell out of me as a child.
The face peeling scene was amazing at the time.

One thing it does is prove that Horror can be intelligent as well as entertaining. That is not to say there aren't any other intelligent horror movies out there, but you know.

Speliberg's style is so apparent in this film.

And never forget: "before...after...before...after."
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post #3 of 39
9/5/07 at 2:04pm
Nobody dies and that is fucking amazing.
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post #4 of 39
9/5/07 at 2:05pm
As a little kid, I talked my mother into letting me watch this for a birthday sleepover. Afterwards we all tried to get some sleep but there was a big tree right outside my bedroom window that was scraping against the glass all night. We didn't sleep that night.

I watch it now and wonder how much Tobe Hooper was actually responsible for and how much was Spielberg.
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post #5 of 39
9/5/07 at 2:13pm
I just watched this flick the other day. Still holds up after all these years. And still find the nice little scene with the parents smoking herb and reading a book on Reagan hilarious. Reminds me of my parents. I wonder if the eventual remake of this will try way too hard. I'm thinking it will.
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post #6 of 39
9/5/07 at 2:27pm
The remake will take 25% of the runtime explaining that the ghosts are ghosts of disgruntled children who had bad parents. Then everything would make much more sense.
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post #7 of 39
9/5/07 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tieman
I watch it now and wonder how much Tobe Hooper was actually responsible for and how much was Spielberg.
I remember hearing once that while Spielberg was doing ET he'd come over to supervise the shooting of Poltergeist and effectively plan the shots but then have Hooper do the physical shooting. Effectively Hooper was a fancier version of a cinematographer.
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post #8 of 39
9/5/07 at 3:13pm
Masterpiece of a score, too.
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post #9 of 39
9/5/07 at 3:32pm
"It lies to her. It tells her things only a child can understand. It's been using her to restrain the others. To her, it simply is another child. To us, it is The Beast."

Just so scary, just a great movie.
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post #10 of 39
9/5/07 at 3:37pm
And to think, Michael Grais and Mark Victor went on to write MARKED FOR DEATH.
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post #11 of 39
9/5/07 at 3:40pm
I saw this when I was extremely young, and it still scares the ever loving piss out of me. I blame my fear of clowns solely on this film. I also cannot sleep with my closet door even cracked open. I am afraid of pools. The list goes on. Fuck this movie, and love this movie all at once.
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post #12 of 39
9/5/07 at 3:43pm
Thread Starter 
I'm afraid of kitchen chairs.

Another bone to pick, though. That fucking dwarf bitch says "this house is clean". Some thorough inspection there, munchkin, now our closet's turned into this Cronenbergian child-devouring vaginal opening from the spectral plane.
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post #13 of 39
9/5/07 at 3:52pm
I wouldn't blame her as much as I would blame the developers for building on ancient indian burial ground. Now that sir is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
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post #14 of 39
9/5/07 at 3:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll
... now our closet's turned into this Cronenbergian child-devouring vaginal opening from the spectral plane.
How else can you defeat the Manitou?


Love this flick. Just watched the poltergiest ep of SUPERNATURAL last night. Dean refers to the sassy black psychic character as the "Zelda Rubenstein" of this particular adventure. Similarly... she also mistakingly believes the haunted house is clean prior to the big climax.
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post #15 of 39
9/5/07 at 3:59pm
Can anyone explain why, midway through the film, there is a reversal of the "Stay away from the light!" policy (or is it the "Go towards the light!" policy)? I've never understood this.

Also, in keeping with this post:

Quote:
If you're watching this as an adult and looking for something scary, you're going to be at a loss. It's not scary unless you're a little kid. Heck, I didn't find it particularly scary as a little kid (including the clown scene... and clowns freak me right out). However, if you watch it for a sense of, call it, suburban eerieness and, especially, for a sense of innocence and wonder, well, Poltergeist (in my humble opinion) has that in spades. That's enough to make it all worth while.

As is Jo Beth Williams.

Especially Jo Beth Williams.

And, to a much lesser extent, Coach reading a Reagan biography while smoking a blunt (but, y'know, without the sexiness inherent to the aforementioned Jo Beth Williams).
I'll again say: mmmmm, Jo Beth Williams.
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post #16 of 39
9/5/07 at 4:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattioli
I'll again say: mmmmm, Jo Beth Williams.

It never hurts to say this everyday.

mmmmm Jo Beth Williams.




Also - This movie is fucking scary. Floating pool corpses, faces torn asunder....terrible!

While not a masterpiece...PART II is seriously underrated. Coach and Jo Beth are, again good and Julian Beck as the preacher/Beast is scarier than anything in PART I. The backstory is frightening as well. The only thing that derails it is the kids have gotten uglier, the grandmother is annoying, and the Indian is fucking floating feathered joke.
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post #17 of 39
9/5/07 at 10:03pm
The scene in part II where the kids braces freak out... scared the shit out of me as a kid.

Funny, the one I've seen the most is actually part III. For some reason, it clicked the most with me when I was very young. I'm sure it's shit, but I have fond memories.
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post #18 of 39
9/5/07 at 10:09pm
Saw thias when I was like 9 or 10, and the tree scene was the scariest bit about it for me. The face ripping scene, and the thing coming out of the closet on the end of Craig T's rope were also classic. Loved it. I oughta buy this. . . .
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post #19 of 39
9/6/07 at 3:35pm
I don't think I saw this film all the way through until my late teens, but it remains one of the few horror films that still gives me "the willies."

That being said, I am looking forward to seeing it on the big screen on October 4th.
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post #20 of 39
9/6/07 at 3:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by moovyphreak
I don't think I saw this film all the way through until my late teens, but it remains one of the few horror films that still gives me "the willies."

That being said, I am looking forward to seeing it on the big screen on October 4th.
What? Where?
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post #21 of 39
9/6/07 at 3:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll
What? Where?
Here here!

http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103799
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post #22 of 39
9/6/07 at 3:49pm
I need to see Part II again... the only things I remember are the creepy Reverend and the braces attack. Is it worth the watch?
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post #23 of 39
9/6/07 at 4:11pm
Yes, it's worth a watch.

More backstory, more Jo Beth, more Coach, SCARY FUCKING PREACHER.
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post #24 of 39
9/6/07 at 5:16pm
Quote:
Yes, it's worth a watch.

More backstory, more Jo Beth, more Coach, SCARY FUCKING PREACHER.
And a truly terrible finale.
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post #25 of 39
9/6/07 at 5:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattioli
Can anyone explain why, midway through the film, there is a reversal of the "Stay away from the light!" policy (or is it the "Go towards the light!" policy)? I've never understood this.
Zelda Rubenstein is trying to use Carol Anne to lead the lost souls trapped at Cuesta Verde "into the light." Craig T. Nelson doesn't care about the lost souls; he just wants his daughter back.

Amazing movie. In a way it was prescient way back in 1982 about the ghastly corporate suburban sprawl of the past couple of years that has been eating up open spaces like a cancer.
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post #26 of 39
9/6/07 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
The suburban sprawl is a favorite part of mine as well. It lends a great feeling of the darkness lurking underneath the all-american family (another is the weed smoking and the Ronald Reagan book in the same shot).
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post #27 of 39
9/6/07 at 6:47pm
As usual, nothing much more to add beyond saying that this is, indeed, a great flick. It's scary as hell, and insanely entertaining.

The only thing that really stands out about the second one for me is when Coach downs a bottle of Tequila, and then pukes up that armless/legless demon skeleton thing. That fucked my shit up.
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post #28 of 39
9/6/07 at 7:07pm
Thread Starter 
I love how it has fantastic moments of gruesomeness (that Cronenbergian closet door, rotting meat and face ripping), unnerving eerieness (that initial scene with Heather O'Rourke and the television), stuff straight out of nightmares (strangle-happy clown), and hints at a weird mythology (Zelda starts to explain the ideas about The Beast and The Light but doesn't bother when it's totally lost on everyone). It's got a little something for everyone.
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post #29 of 39
9/6/07 at 9:45pm
That's a damned insightful post. Gotta spread some more 'fore I can rep ya for it, tho.
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post #30 of 39
9/6/07 at 10:19pm
Quite the freaky flick. I remember seeing it as a kid like so many others, and being creeped out. The steak crawling along the kitchen table, the chicken with the maggots, the face peel, the clown, and the big bite mark on the guys side when he comes back down the stairs. All truly scary shit, and this is a PG rated movie. Can't wait for the 2 disc dvd release in October.
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post #31 of 39
9/6/07 at 11:54pm
I love the first one to death, the second one is decent, but I grew to fully appreciate the third film whilst loaded to the gills with morphine in a hospital. That film gave me hallucinatory nightmares that were both terrifying and fascinating.
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post #32 of 39
10/5/07 at 1:42pm
I went to the 25th Anniversary screening last night. I didn't notice the aspect ratio issues that people are complaining about over at AICN.

While not as scary as I remember it as a child, I still really enjoyed this movie, especially the first half, when you are first getting to know the family. The movie does a really good job of getting you to care for this family so that you really feel for them (especially Jo Beth Williams as the mother) when their little girl disappears.

My wife was seeing it for the first time, and although she also said it wasn't as scary as she had been lead to expect (she's not a horror fan), she also really enjoyed the story.

Upon rewatching, I am stunned to notice just how much of a fingerprint Spielberg puts on the movie (more like a hand print with arm up to the elbow).

Oh, and the digital projection was simply beautiful. Flawless.
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post #33 of 39
10/5/07 at 1:45pm
Thread Starter 
Last night I realised that the (intentional, mind you) humor in the movie is more effective than the horror.

Also didn't notice any aspect ratio issues, but that fucking jump-cut is still in it, which was a little unnerving.
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post #34 of 39
10/5/07 at 10:54pm
Saw it again today after reading this discussion. Some things I noticed.....

This is soooooo a Stephen Spielberg film. If he didn't direct it, then he produced the hell out of that movie. Let's see....

Schmaltziness......Check
Shameless Emotional Manipulation....Check
Looks of Wonder Shots.....Check
John Williamsesque score (did he do the soundtrack?)......Check

The movie has aged about as well as ET. Take that for what it's worth.

Shit, they got away with murder back in the day with the PG rating!

The Special Effects still hold up

Love the first act. Love Carol Anne's line where she says the canary doesn't like the cigar box smell. Later on we find out what the parents put in that cigar box. In fact all the humor holds up really well.

That last act felt really tacked on. Almost like they wanted to shoot a more exciting ending.

Zelda. Everything that came out of her mouth was awesome. The line that I loved and the one that shocked me a little was when she said....

"Will you do whatever it takes to get your girl back even if it goes against your beliefs as a human being and a Christian?"



Jo Beth Williams......MILF

"You moved the headstones but you didn't move the bodies!!!!"

Last shot was perfect!
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post #35 of 39
10/5/07 at 11:17pm
I love this movie, but I was always struck at how cheap the opening credits looked, like they just super-imposed them up on the screen while the film was running.

And dynamotv, the score was by Jerry Goldsmith and it rules. Especially the theme played over the opening credits.
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post #36 of 39
10/5/07 at 11:36pm
You mean Jerry Goldsmith composed "The Star Spangled Banner"? Just kidding......

I agree on the score. But it did sound kinda like something Williams would compose around that time. But a good score is a good score.

From the interview with Zelda on AICN, I think I have a better grip on the behind the scenes dynamics. Apparently, Tobe was using quite a bit during that time so it's my thinking that Spielberg had to carry a little more water than a producer normally would. That would include sort of helping the directing process along. Still I think the scenes of horror like the face peeling, the tree attack, etc were 100% Hooper.
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post #37 of 39
10/5/07 at 11:57pm
Luca S' comment is something that I find great about this film. So many horror films are just a group of people being killed one by one. It's the easy go-to. The fact that the film builds tension and fear without killing anyone is borderline miraculous.

And yes, Goldsmith was a golden god on this score. One of my all-time favorite horror scores, up there with Herrmann's Psycho.

I don't love Poltergeist unconditionally, unfortunately. I think it's very nearly brilliant up until the finale. Once Zelda Rubinstein declares the house clean, it sort of stumbles over the finish line for me. It spends too much time being mundane, and you just know something is about to happen. And when it does, I don't find it very scary. It goes way over the top, and turns into an orgy of people running from impressive special effects. It feels like a different movie, a much louder and more obnoxious one.
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post #38 of 39
10/8/07 at 11:49am
I went to the screening on Thursday night too and it had been a few years since I'd seen the film and to be honest, I don't think I'd actually ever seen the movie all the way through.

While the theater I saw it in didn't feature a digital presentation, the print was noticably cleaner and the sound was good.

And I have to agree that Jo Beth Williams was quite the MILF in the film.
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post #39 of 39
10/8/07 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dynamotv
I agree on the score. But it did sound kinda like something Williams would compose around that time.
Sorry but this is bullshit. Goldsmith's score sounds nothing like what Williams would've composed, around that time or any other. This is not to take anything away from Williams, but he's just a completely different kind of composer than Goldsmith, and their styles are nothing alike except when it's intentional (a la Goldsmith's leitmotivic approach for SUPERGIRL).
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