Poltergeist (1982) is a horror classic that I'm glad I've seen now. That's partially because I understand all the references and parodies now. Every time I see a black and white fizz tv screen, I'll think of Poltergeist. <minor spoilers may follow>
👻STORY: A family starts to notice strange disturbances in their home. It starts to get dangerous and action must be taken.
I'm under the firm mindset that Steven Spielberg is the greatest filmmaker of all time. It was a pleasant surprise to see that he produced and wrote the screenplay for the movie. Although he didn't do the directing (it's Tobe Hooper), his handiwork is obvious.
This is a horror movie, and it's only PG. That's not a sentence often uttered. At first, the MPAA gave it R, but the filmmakers protested. Remember, PG-13 was not yet a rating. All this being said, I think it would be rated R if it first came out today, so don't compare this PG to a Frozen PG.
Poltergeist does an excellent job of affecting your sensations. One is your hearing. It earned a sound effects and score nomination for a reason. Each little sound was carefully edited for the full effect. It's especially sufficient when there's a sudden cut away from spooky tension building to birds chirping and sunny skies. Jerry Goldsmith's score <Carol Anne's Theme> somehow creeps me out and calms me down at the same time. Listen below to decide if I'm crazy or not. Here are some more thoughts on this from a music major.
The score is fairly standard and vanilla. The Poltergeist theme sounds like something you would have heard 200 years ago plus this is reflecting Carol Anne's innocence as a child. It's all in major keys which generally conflicts with horror movie themes. Most are minor with unexpected moments throughout. - John Baker
Another is vision. Again, it earned a visual effects nomination for a reason (only to be beaten by
Spielberg's other movie ET). Many practical gimmicks were employed combined with the best CGI available back then in '82. An infamous scene involves a "face peeling" is a practical effect, and you did read that correctly. None other than Spielberg himself used his hands for the shot. Also, the tree is pretty scary. It's actually a nightmare from Spielberg's youth about a tree attacking him. There are many other moments too.
While a movie can't literally affect your sense of smell, touch, and taste. Believe me, there are moments when you can perceive all three of those.
Plus, you're not going to think of seeing static on TV ever the same way again.
I don't want to say too much more because I want you to truly experience the movie. You'll witness many iconic cinema moments and maybe catch some references you've missed made on TV shows over the years. I was proud to finally hear the famous "They're here!" line. My film rating is A+.
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