Many men my age appreciated JoBeth Williams' panties.
Poltergeist is a classic. It was special when it came out and it hasn’t been tarnished by a whole mess of awful television episodes and only one sequel worth a damn. A remake has long since been discussed, argued, cursed, and met with apathy.
Now it seems as if MGM is pulling the trigger on the thing and none other than Sam Raimi is set to oversee the production.
Mixed feelings. I went to film school because of Sam Raimi. The Evil Dead films ruled over my high school years (1987-1990). He hasn’t really made any bad movies, though his Ghost House unit sure did. I love Poltergeist and still like Raimi, but… it doesn’t seem like an ideal pairing. Raimi was working in the genre when Tobe SpielHooper made the original. He was making parallel work. His sensibilities have gone from manic to deadly serious but the hidden engine of Poltergeist is warmth. The love permeating that film makes it real, and rarely has a family unit in a genre film felt so genuine. Raimi has yet to pull that off, though as a producer all he has to do is lend his big name and protect whichever director gets the gig. On that basis he’s perfect.
But I like the idea of a remake. Though some of the effects in the movie are grand, there are a few that have withered with time. And though it’s scary and fun and magical, a remake could either crank of the darkness or amplify the mythology behind it and make it sing.
Bottom line: It’s happening. Might as well give up fighting it. Remakes are the rule now, not the exception. Here’s hoping this one is a winner.
Source: THR
9 comments
Wasn’t there a rumor years ago that this was happening? Or a miniseries version?
Oh, I HAVE given up. That’s why I don’t go to the movies any more.
if Spider-Man 3 isnt a bad movie i don’t know what is,
leave Poltergeist alone and do your own ghost movie if you must.
unless of course we get some Craig T. Nelson, if thats the case, then maybe it would be worth it.
Poltergeist doesn’t need a remake anymore than ET or Close Encounters does. Or Jaws. I don’t care if Spielberg and Hooper were doing it and they cloned the little dead girl so she could be in it again – IT’S A FUCKING STUPID IDEA. I’ve now lost all respect for Raimi. If Bay was behind this…I could handle that and would be totally apathetic. But Raimi, someone I once deeply admired – that hurts. Fuck him.
Totally Agreed re: the family unit and the general tableau of life in tract housing during that period – and those panties…
I’ve noticed Poltergeist’s influence on ED2 in the past. The “Door Head” creature is very similar as is the Vortex scene in general, so elements can be re-tasked for entertaining riffs. But my guess would be this will be Poltergeist by way of Paranormal Activity. You’d need a gigantic budget to match the original’s scope in a non-independent production. So it’s going to be either Paranormal Activity on an Old Cemetery or the usual mid-level budget/mid-level CGI glossy-ish affair we see from Raimi’s shingle.
And didn’t “Insidious” basically rip off 90% of this last year anyway?
Sam shut down a FREDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH flick in favour of an EVIL DEAD remake solely because one party offered more money than the other, so I adapted the “fuck him” attitude long before you did.
I’m all for this if for no other reason then studio may finally get a proper special edition dvd/blu release of the original film out there to promote the new one.
Don’t forget about the big dead girl.
I think a better choice, if they were looking for an established Hollywood director, would have been Peter Jackson of The Frighteners fame.
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