Delayed Reaction: Poltergeist

The Pitch: They guy behind Jaws and the guy behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre want to make a haunted house movie.

A family discovers that their house was built on top of a grave yard and is being haunted by a poltergeist.

It's funny how much of the discussion around this film is over who actually directed it. It's credited to Tobe Hooper. Since he was still technically working on E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg wasn't allowed to direct this because of his agreement with Universal. Instead, he took on an active role as a producer. A very active role. There's an endless debate raging still about who really was in charge on the set. I don't get why this matters. For years, Joel Coen was the only credited director of the Coen Brothers' films. Often writers like Aaron Sorkin have a lot of influence on their films. Producers like Michael Bay have so much influence on their movies that people just assume they directed the movies. All movies are giant collaborations. Can't both men just be credited with the success of the movie? Frankly, if I was Tobe Hooper and I had Steven Spielberg available to help, I'd be happy to get his input as much as possible.

The final product speaks for itself, and that's all that matters. Coming from a 30+ years-removed perspective, much of this plays differently than I imagine it did at the time. I knew a lot of the beats already, thanks to references in pop culture. Numerous beats have turned into tropes. What most impressed me was the playfulness of it all. They have fun with it. The wife is excited at first about how the spirits push people across the kitchen. The family treats the haunted rooms more like a freeloader they can't evict than a supernatural event. How about when the mom and Tangina argue about who should cross into the spirit realm? While the movie goes for big scares, it doesn't take itself too seriously. That's not my favorite kind of horror, but I can appreciate when it's done well.

Heather O'Rourke is a pantheon-level creepy kid, mostly because she isn't really all that creepy. She's got the stillness down. She can delivery a line like "They're here" perfectly. She isn't trying to terrify anyone though. Zelda Rubinstein is the other bit of great casting. Her look is just perfect for the movie.

This is one of the better fake-out endings I've seen. I think it works so well because the first "ending" is big. It's bigger than most horror movie endings. Somehow, the actual ending tops it. The first sequence is all in one room. The later one is all throughout and outside of the house. First there's the clown. Then bodies as coming out of the ground. Everyone is screaming. The neighbors all see what's going on. It's nuts.

I enjoyed this movie so much that I'm not going to ruin it by seeing any of the sequels.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend