Horror is a genre built on being hard to watch, so if you’re trying to find the best way to ease into scary movies, you can’t do any better thanPoltergeist! This movie was built to create horror fans.Poltergeistis the meeting of the minds between two master filmmakers,Tobe HooperandSteven Spielberg. Hooper, being a master of terror, and Spielberg, a master of… well… all kinds of movies! These two teamed up and basically createdthe most terrifying family film of all time.Poltergeistis touching, chilling, exciting, fun, and most importantly, can be pretty scary. It won’t haunt your dreams, but this 1982 classic is sure to make you check under your bed for a freaky clown or two.
Poltergeistfollows the Freelings, a family of five who begin to notice supernatural occurrences in their suburban home. The family takes a fascination with the spirits, but soon after they appear, their youngest daughter, five-year-old Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke), is abducted by them. Now, the Freelings must bring on the help of spiritual mediums to try and bring Carol Anne safely back into their world.
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More than Anything, ‘Poltergeist’ Is a Fun Horror Movie
Poltergeistwas released on June 4th, 1982, duringone of the most stacked movie monthsof all time. It opened the same day asStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, a week before Spielberg’s biggest 1982 release,E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and three weeks beforeBlade RunnerandThe Thing.The summer of ‘82 was jam-packed in general. That summer saw loads of classics be released, includingRocky III,Tron,Annie, andConan the Barbarian. It’s one of the ultimate years for genre movies, andPoltergeistacts a bit like an amalgamation of all of these films. It has a real crowd-pleasing, blockbuster sensibility to its filmmaking, rocks some pretty incredible special effects, and some killer scares (definitely not as intense asThe Thing, do not start there). If there was ever a right time forPoltergeistto come out, it was June 1982.
Spielberg Brings the Family Element to ‘Poltergeist’
It’s often debated whether Spielberg was the true director ofPoltergeistor not. He initially wanted to direct the film, butcouldn’t because of his commitment toE.T., so he regularly visited the set during filming to maintain a great degree of creative control. It’s been disputed by both Hooper and Spielberg that the former is the true director of the film, but the latter’s influence is felt immensely. You’re likely familiar with many Amblin productions likeThe GooniesandGremlins, films that Spielberg had a heavy influence on but didn’t actually direct. If you felt his presence in those films,Poltergeistis no different.
At its core,Poltergeistis a family film. It’s the most terrifying family movie ever made, no doubt about it, but it’s a family movie! Spielberg brings his specific touch of havingaudiences connect deeply to his films, with the goal of havingPoltergeistrepresent all aspects of a family — parents, a teenager, a pre-teen, and a young child. Before stuff hits the fan, you get to see the Freelings living like anybody else. The kids are seen getting ready for school, Steven Freeling (Craig T. Nelson) has to deal with frustrating neighbors, Carol Anne and Robbie (Oliver Robbins) share a room and have trouble going to bed, it’s all there! The film is set up perfectly to draw you in and have every viewer relate to a character to some degree! It’s a fantastic horror movie to watch with your family. This isn’t to saythis movie is for little kidsor anything, but if you’re willing to let your kids watchStranger ThingsthenPoltergeistwill be along the same lines.
Tobe Hooper Brings the Terror to ‘Poltergeist’
Where Spielberg brought the Amblin feel toPoltergeist, Hooper brought the terror. By the early 80s, Hooper had directedThe Funhouse, an adaptation ofStephen King’sSalem’s Lot, and of course,The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Up until this point, most of his films had been bleak and violent, but collaborating with Spielberg made him lean more into the supernatural horror ofPoltergeist. So don’t worry — this is not another nightmare-inducingTexas Chainsawtype of horror film. The film was backed with a pretty hefty budget (for an 80s horror film) of $10.2 million. In some ways,Poltergeist’sscares arekind of like a suburban versionof the end ofRaiders of the Lost Ark, just with all the horrific stuff spread out over two hours. You see some ghostly apparitions floating around occasionally, there are loads of eerie noises heard around the house, and someone’s face even gets horribly mutilated! Throw in a scary clown, an evil tree, and a bunch of skeletons, and you havePoltergeist!
It should ease the minds of horror newcomers to know thatPoltergeistnever getsthatintense. Instead of being a terrifying, nightmare-inducing horror ride, it’s really just a spooky haunted house movie. There are a few shocking scenes of violence and some scares that prey on common childhood fears, but nothing ever gets to be too much. The movie’s scares are so highly acclaimed because of the work Spielberg and Hooper put into making sure that audiences care about the Freeling family. If the movie had a less engaging story or unlikable characters, you wouldn’t be so worried about this family once the ghosts start wreaking havoc. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part,Poltergeist’sscares are pretty tame and made stronger by the movie’s emotional core.
Even though it never gets that scary, it’s pretty shocking thatPoltergeistreceived a PG rating. Its moments of violence and the general feeling of terror seem to warrant the movie an R-rating,a sentiment that the MPAA originally agreed with. Spielberg fought to have his production brought down to PG though, and eventually landed it. Things start to make more sense when you take into account that this was before the PG-13 rating came to be. A few years later, movies likeTemple of DoomandRed Dawnwould make a new rating between PG and R essential, but there’s no doubt thatPoltergeist’srelease had a hand in pushing towards this change. All of this to say don’t be fooled byPoltergeist’sPG rating, it’s a fairly tame horror movie by the majority of the genre’s standards, but it’s still full of effective scares!
If you’re looking to get into horror, there’s really nowhere else to go other thanPoltergeist. Spielberg anchors the movie emotionally and keeps things from going too dark or violent, but Tobe Hooper helps pull things in the opposite direction, probably delivering more scares than his collaborator ever would have dared. Instead ofstarting your horror journeyout with a gore fest, a home invasion movie, or a piece of trash, try starting things out easy with a haunted house movie from two filmmaking masters.Poltergeistis sure to make you a horror fan like the rest of us sickos!
