Poltergeist

Though it’s not quite able to live up to its reputation as a seminal horror effort, Poltergeist is nevertheless a compelling and consistently creepy piece of work that boasts an impressively cinematic sense of style and several above average performances. The movie follows the Freeling family – which includes Craig T. Nelson’s Steve, JoBeth Williams’ Diane, and Heather O’Rourke’s Carol Anne – as they find themselves forced to contend with malicious spirits within their home, with the disappearance of Carol Anne triggering the arrival of several paranormal experts (led by Zelda Rubinstein’s Tangina). There’s little doubt that Poltergeist‘s opening half hour stands as its most effective and enthralling stretch, as director Tobe Hooper does a superb job of establishing the central characters and their seemingly placid suburban neighborhood – with the title creatures’ appearance on the scene initially viewed as nothing more than a playful disturbance. Hooper, working from Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, and Mark Victor’s screenplay, effectively ensures that the movie remains plausible even in the face of several increasingly outlandish elements, though it’s worth noting that the sluggish midsection does prove a test to one’s patience (ie nothing much of interest occurs in the stretch between Carol Anne’s disappearance and Tangina’s arrival). There’s no denying that the uniformly strong performances go a long way towards compensating for the sporadically puzzling behavior of the characters, with the family’s less-than-horrified reaction to the Carol Anne situation and their head-scratching decision to return to the house following Carol Anne’s return certainly ranking high on the film’s list of baffling inconsistencies. The special-effects heavy finale remains quite potent all these years later, while the inclusion of several impressively brutal sequences (ie the notorious bathroom-mirror interlude) ensures that one is still forced to marvel at the movie’s PG rating. Poltergeist‘s myriad of positive elements ultimately makes it relatively easy to overlook the film’s few missteps, with the ineffectiveness of the two sequels only cementing its undeniably accomplished nature.

*** out of ****