Poltergiest: 25th Anniversary Edition – DVD Review

Film, Reviews

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Warner Bros. presents Poltergiest: 25th Anniversary Edition. Written by Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais & Mark Victor. Story by Steven Spielberg. 114 minutes. Rated PG for scary scenes and frightening images. Originally released in 1982.

Directed By:

Tobe Hooper

Cast:

Craig T. Nelson. Steve Freeling
JoBeth Williams. Diane Freeling
Beatrice Straight. Dr. Lesh
Dominique Dunne. Dana Freeling
Oliver Robins. Robbie Freeling
Heather O’Rourke. Carol Anne Freeling
Zelda Rubinstein. Tangina

The Film:

Anyone can make a horror film. Some ghosts or zombies or what have you, some teenagers, some death and blood and sex thrown in and you’ve got nearly every horror film made in the last ten years. It takes a film master to make a horror film that is rated PG, has no murder or sex in it, yet still manages to be truly terrifying.

While Tobe Hooper is the director of the film this is a Spielberg vehicle. He came up with the story, he co-wrote it, he co-produced it and he was on the set almost every day taking on much of the directorial work himself. It feels like a Spielberg film and easily ranks up there with many of the films he fully directed himself.

In case you don’t know by now, the story of Poltergeist revolves around the Freeling family. The haunting begins small and harmless, chairs moving around the room and such. But soon trees are attacking their son and their daughter Carol Anne (O’Rourke) is dragged off into another dimension. Now it’s up to them, with some outside help, to figure out how to get their daughter back and find out why all this is happening.

For a horror film the acting is pretty good, especially on the part of little Heather O’Rourke. She is very creepy and her “They’re here” line is among the most memorable ever. By today’s standards some of the special effects are a little dated but they were the best they could be at the time and they still stand up. This movie makes something as harmless as a static TV seem scary.

This film also blends in a perfect amount of humor to even things out. When the haunting is in full force Steve’s (Nelson) boss comes over. Steve wants to keep the haunting hidden from him, which is hard when pianos are scooting around the room. It’s a subtle moment but breaks the tension. You want to laugh at that point and you do.

One can’t think about the film without thinking about the “Poltergeist Curse.” After the film was released, actress Dominique Dunne who plated the eldest daughter was murdered by her boyfriend then after the release of the third film Heather O’Rourke died. This “curse” about the film has been speculated to stem from the fact that real skeletons were used the pool scene at the end of the film. Knowing this fact makes the whole film seem a little creepier.

The film really is scary. Not jump out of your seat and scream scary, more of a tingle up your spine hair on your arms raised kind of scary. There are some truly creepy moments in this film. This is a top-notch horror film that is one for the ages, however I question the PG rating. There was no PG-13 at the time and they were able to keep it from being R, however this is way too scary for most young kids and the film ought to be re-rated PG-13.


Carol Anne delivers her infamous line.

The DVD:

This film is presented in 2.20:1 widescreen. Sound is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. Also has French and Spanish Stereo and Portuguese Mono. English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese Subtitles.

Extras:

They are Here: The real World of Poltergeists Revealed Documentary in 2 parts: Science of the Spirits and Communing with the Dead: This is a 30 minute documentary about Poltergeists in the real world. The first half interviews people who chase down ghosts and prove their existence with science and the second half is about mediums who can actually commune with the dead. There is a whole lot of talky-talky in this documentary and no actual proof. They just keep saying it’s real. This isn’t going to change anyone’s mind and is pretty much a waste of time.

For a 25th Anniversary Edition this DVD is seriously lacking in the extras department. I want interviews with Craig T. Nelson and Speilberg. I want juice behind the scenes gossip. Hell, I’ll take a trailer! Alas, we get nothing worthwhile.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Poltergeist: 25th Anniversary Edition
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

8.5
THE VIDEO

9
THE AUDIO

9
THE EXTRAS

2
REPLAY VALUE

8
OVERALL
7.5
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

The Inside Pulse
This is a classic horror film that has received a lackluster DVD release. If you already own the moving there is nothing here to promote an upgrade, however if you don’t have it, why not get this one? Either way this film should be seen by everyone.

Mike Noyes received his Masters Degree in Film from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. A few of his short films can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/mikebnoyes. He recently published his first novel which you can buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Days-Years-Mike-Noyes-ebook/dp/B07D48NT6B/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528774538&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+days+seven+years