I revisited the 1982 classic Thursday night, and last night the remake that was even more awful than anticipated:
I’m so old, I remember when TV stations used to go off the air late at night.
Last night I revisited this film on Turner Classic Movies; it was reviewed before way back in 2017. Poltergeist has been experienced a few times before in my life, including once at a revival screening presented nationally for one night via Fathom Events or a similar entity; thankfully its enjoyment & its impact has not diminished.
A key aspect in being enraptured w/ Poltergeist: it’s incredibly easy to root for the likable Freeling family that are the leads-even the children of the family delivered quality performances… and had the misfortune to live in a house built on an unfortunate spot. The supporting characters are all interesting, including the parapsychologist and especially the medium portrayed by Zelda Rubinstein; talk about a colorful role. The effects still hold up-obvious animation at times notwithstanding-and the movie is never dull despite taking its time because you’re invested from the beginning.
It's not fair to the movie to either dwell on “the curse” allegedly attached to the trio of films (the tragic deaths of two of the kids are nothing more than that, tragic happenstance) or even who authorship of the movie really should be tied to. Spielberg’s fingerprints are naturally over the film but as even those who worked on the film don’t agree (at least publicly) who directed what… it overshadows an effective horror blockbuster that was a hit at the time & the ghostly tale still has the power to terrify in 2024.
As there’s also a great Jerry Goldsmith score, I’m glad to have had that theatrical experience oh so long ago. It did not need to be graphic (the scene w/ the mirror excluded) or R-rated to satisfy genre fans.
Runtime: I saw the extended 100-minute cut
Directed by: Gil Keenan
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, random child actors who weren’t directed well
From: 20th Century Fox/MGM
Did people in the Amish community write the script?
There is no logical explanation as to why I decided to view this crummy remake when the average rating/general opinion of this picture was that of putrefaction. If there’s any solace in my lousy decision-making, the warning can be spread to avoid the film. BTW, it was decided to view this before revisiting the OG Poltergeist the previous night.
The Freeling family in 1982 were effortlessly charming. They were typical and the parents smoking pot was not a big deal, as they must have started during the hippie era of the late 60’s. It was a loving bunch and no one was irritating. The Bowen family here, in contrast… the very first scene was them in their minivan, driving to their new, shabby home that was a downsize purchase because dad lost his job.
Immediately, they were proven to be abrasive, annoying people who were created as such by both the typical bad modern “writing” we unfortunately have received in recent years and modern “humor.” I was appalled to hear the parents bemoan their own children late in the first act. I’m supposed to enjoy them like I did Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams in the 1982 movie because…? It did not take long for me to be fed up with them.
If that wasn’t bad enough, compounding the problem is that all the scares echoing the original are pale imitations, and the original scares are also pathetic unless you feel that jump scares are the piece de resistance of the genre. The usage of electricity as one of the physical manifestations of these spirits didn’t do much for the story, either—except to make me guffaw at imaging this as the ultimate horror for the Amish!
You know, I don’t know of too many horror films involving that sect of people (or knock-offs) aside from Deadly Blessing; speculating about films involving the Amish and electricity would have been a better usage of my time than focusing on a pathetic pastiche of a movie that proved to be awful if it was needlessly updated for “modern audiences.”
Not even the most highly-regarded members of the cast-Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris-could do much to save this disaster. There’s no further need to dwell on a film that likely will disgust those that love the 1982 original.
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