REVIEW: Poltergeist

Ever since I was a child, I've found 80's horror fascinating. Growing up through the end of the 90's into the 2000's, I couldn't help but notice how kids my age never seemed to show any interest in the horror of the time. Movies like The Blair Witch Project and Final Destination were seldom discussed around the playground, but everyone knew about Freddy, Jason, and Chucky. Even when something like Alien vs Predator managed to pique our interest, it was part of a series that took root long before any of us were even born. Whether this was due to the films finding immortality in the form of perpetually relevant Halloween costumes, or just a certain special something that captured our prepubescent interest is certainly up for debate. I recall Poltergeist being one such movie; I first watched it, for whatever reason, at a very young age and recall finding it inherently fascinating for reasons I couldn't exactly place. Well over a decade later, nothing has changed, save for my ability to pinpoint precisely why I was so fascinated with this film. Put simply, Poltergeist is a very good movie.

Set in the heart of West Coast suburbia, the film follows the Freeling family, an everyday clan living their everyday lives in their everyday neighborhood. This of course changes when the youngest daughter, Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke), begins conversing with ghostly entities by way of the family television set. The house is unquestionably haunted; at first the supernatural occurrences seem innocuous (if mildly irritating) at worst, but things soon escalate when the entire family is targeted and little Carol Anne is abducted into another dimension. The rest of the film follows the parents (Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams) trying everything in their power to get their daughter back. It's a plot heavily reminiscent of the classic Twilight Zone episode, Little Girl Lost; just as much of the story focuses on aspects of metaphysical theory as it does on more traditional haunted happenings.

The curious thing to note about Poltergeist, I think, is the overall tone. The only way I could describe it is a thoroughly feel-good horror film. There isn't exactly a lot of "humor", in the traditional sense, but there are plenty of moments that will inspire a knowing smile. The kids' bedroom is loaded with authentic Star Wars merchandise, the parents have plenty of back and forth banter, and there's generally tons of candid-style moments that really help to sell the authenticity of this family dynamic. One of my favorite scenes in the movie involves JoBeth Williams demonstrating the newly-discovered ghostly influence to her husband; first with a simple chair, then with their youngest daughter (kept safe by an oversized football helmet). It sets you up for one of those classic "the event won't replicate itself and the witness will look crazy" moments, until the chair goes sliding across the floor, exactly as planned. The mother's reaction is so genuine and funny that I can't help but chuckle whenever I see it. It's just so real.

At the end of the day, this is a film not about ghosts, but about family. They don't "just leave the house" because of what's at stake; they refuse to vacate their home until they get their little girl back. There's no instances of protagonist stupidity on display here. We're as lost and frightened as the Freelings as they deal with their haunting, and we genuinely feel for their plight. Heather O'Rourke is a strong contender for the cutest child ever committed to film (if you aren't endeared to her after she casually gnaws on a Luke Skywalker action figure, you might just be made of literal stone) and the fact that she's placed in very genuine (yet very vaguely-defined) danger helps sell the sense of tension. We want to see Steven and Diane Freeling get their daughter back just as much as they do. The characters come off, not as characters, but as a real family who genuinely cares about one another and reacts to these horrifying events in realistic, believable ways.

While this is assuredly thanks to the direction of Tobe Hooper and the writing/production of Steven Spielberg, it's inarguable that credit must also be given to the main cast as well. Heather O'Rourke manages to dodge all the pitfalls that young child actors usually fall into, coming off as effectively cute and precocious without grating on anyone's nerves. Nelson and Williams have a fantastic dynamic as Steve and Dianne, utterly selling their roles as the married heads of a run-of-the-mill 2.5 child household. The other members of the Freeling family, Dana (Dominique Dunn) and Robbie (Oliver Robins) leave less of an impression, though this is to be expected, considering they aren't exactly the main focus of the plot by any means. They work well with what they're given. The most iconic role, however, is easily that of Tangina Barrons, played by the irreplaceable Zelda Rubinstein. This was Rubinstein's second ever film role, and she completely and utterly owns it here. She's by far the most out-of-the-ordinary character in the entire movie, which is why she works so perfectly. If there's a breakout role to be found here, then this is definitely it.

Poltergeist is a film that has most assuredly earned its place in the annals of horror (and indeed, movie) history. By combining the talents of Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg (with the former bringing his knack for editing, use of sound, and ability to unsettle and unnerve, and the latter bringing a large budget and his talent for writing endearing, relatable characters), the film manages to be both a genuinely frightening horror movie as well as a truly touching family drama. It's a jack of all trades, master of most. If you're interested in taking a look at one of the cornerstones of the haunted house genre, step right over the fetid corpse of the 2015 remake and see why Poltergeist continues to be seen as the classic it is.