POLTERGEIST (1982)
Featuring: Craig T. Nelson; JoBeth Williams; Heather O'Rourke
Director: Tobe Hooper
Unlike the movie we looked at last week, this one leaves very little up to the imagination. The scary stuff is very visual! But what makes this film stand out in the horror genre, is its subtle use of humor. Some horror flicks are all about the fear factor while other are so shocking that it becomes downright silly. But this Steven Spielberg production proved that you can see humor in any situation no matter how frightening it may get. And that, to my mind, is to a large extend responsible for the original movie's huge box office success.
Strange things start to happen in the Freeling family's new house: pieces of furniture start re-arranging itself; inanimate objects start moving around; a dead tree comes to life and attacks one of the children and finally, one of the others seems to have disappeared into the TV. Before long, dad Steve (Craig T. Nelson) begins to suspect it all has to do with the place where the house is built - on top of an old defunct cemetery!
The special effects (provided by none other than George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic company) is nothing short of spectacular, even at today's standards. And, as already mentioned, the excellent use of humor set the bar for many horror movie makers ever since. So, this one is well worth another look, even if you have seen it before.
I rate it 3 out of 5 stars.
Trailer link:
Jobeth Williams and Heather O'Rourke in the famous chair scene
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