Poltergeist (1982)
- written May 2000
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Steve and Diane Freeling thought they had a normal home in a normal neighborhood. They were wrong! Carol Anne, the youngest Freeling child, seems to have a special relationship with the house. She talks to television sets and gets responses back, she slides across kitchen floors without help, and of course ends up with dead animals in her room. But her greatest asset to the house is when it ends up engulfing her into it. There is a spirit within the house, a poltergeist, and it wants her life force. And it won’t let her back into the real world without it. Steve and Diane try consulting all the best paranormal experts and only when Tangina arrives, does she have the real answers. But don’t mistake success for ultimate victory. These demons aren’t about to give up without a fight.
Overall: Definitely one of the all-time great horror films - and damned scary at that. Unfortunately for all the greatness of the film is that by the end of the series, 2 of this film’s stars were dead: Heather O'Rourke (Carol Anne) and Dominique Dunne (Dana). Also what is with the need for women to run around in long shirts and underwear - both done by Dana and Diane at the scenes which show the poltergeist snatching people up. Don't miss the scene of the UCI library (where I attended college) - it is just as Steven goes for spiritual help (and I don’t mean “new age” either). Since I wrote this, I caught the Twilight Zone Episode "Little Girl Lost." Needless to say, this film copied it almost line by line - even the chalk on the walls where they hear sounds in included. Takes a bit of the luster off. But hey, nothing is ever truly original, right? Comparison: Exorcist meets Amityville Horror |
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