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Overall Rating : 8/10
Directed By : Tobe Hooper
Heather O'Rourke (Poltergeist II : The Other Side)
Craig T. Nelson (Blades of Glory)
JoBeth Williams (Crazylove)
Zelda Rubinstein (Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon)
Supplied By : Warner Home Video
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : October. 31, 2007
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| PLOT POLTERGEIST tells the haunting story of suburbanites Steve and Diane who suddenly experience paranormal activity in their home. What starts off as minor excitement quickly turns into nasty ghostly encounters. The disappearance of their daughter Carol Anne forces the Freelings to bring in parapsychologists and a professional exorcist to exorcise their home. |
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| THE REVIEW Over the 25 years since it's completion and 25 years after little Carol Anne Freeling wandered off into her living room and pressed her hands against her TV screen POLTERGEIST has since become one of the most celebrated Horror films amongst Horror fans alike. There are the casual and also there the most die-hard followers of this film(as well as the series itself), and no matter how much you enjoy it, if you are a Horror fan, I am willing to bet that POLTERGEIST effect you in some way or another. The Freelings get the life changing experience of a lifetime, when a supernatural brood of ghostly beings are released upon their happy Suburban home, It is late one night, when, Carol Anne, the youngest of three children is awaken by the family pet. The little girl heads down stairs to the family Television located in the living room, as it seems as if an otherworldly force is calling out to the child of only 5 years old. From there Carol Anne begins to hear some sort of communication resonating from the TV set - which commences the now infamous "hands on the screen" scene, thus forming a bond with whatever being or beings they are. The very next night the same thing occurs, but the evil force now wants to be known and makes it's presence felt by forcing it's way onto the other side and within the Freeling home. From then on, the family begins to experience some rather bizarre happenings; from the comings of a menacing storm, to the moving and arranging of kitchen furniture in very strange ways, among other things., But when the spirits decide to take young Carol Anne to the "other side" with them, the suspense builds, prompting the Freelings to call on a group of Paranormal experts, whom ultimately bring in, Tangina, whom is a Medium, to exorcise their home, ridding it from all evil, in hopes of bringing Carol Anne home safe and sound. A ghost story has never been that uncommon, but i'd go as far as to say that POLTERGEIST brought the ideas of hauntings and ghosts directly to our attention The story focuses on a family; the Freelings, whom could just about represent any household in the world.... a working class family like the majority of us. We watch as their life of normalcy is virtually shaken up by something truly, and genuinely scary - and what the most scary thing about the story is that the force that has overcome the Freelings is that of the unknown. POLTERGEIST is probably one of the most tame Rated R flicks ever released (in my opinion), and if it was filmed and released this day and age, would most likely be rated PG-13 by today's standards. But saying this isn't downplaying POLTERGEIST in the least bit, as a matter of fact, I believe it(along with THE EXORCIST), to be one of the most highly effective Horror films of all time - it is also one of the 1980's best films. POLTERGEIST compared to today's films may not be the most complex and technical(which it may have been when it was made), but it produced an eerie and realistic feeling of fear, and along with an equally haunting score brought to us by the late-great Jerry Goldsmith, it is a film that truly draws the viewer in, as if you are there. But POLTERGEIST's effectiveness didn't end with it's first entry, it would by followed by two sequels that would continue the POLTERGEIST legacy - and even today still exists a theory, much debated over by POLTERGEIST fans, know as "The POLTERGEIST Curse" So when it comes to a film that has done so much for so many fans over the years and has so much to talk about, debate over it, and dispute - the question is - Does this "25th Anniversary" edition of this classic stack up to all in which it deserves? The answer is an astounding NO. The 25th Anniversary repackaging is nothing more than a sham, and offers nothing of what the fans truly want or deserve. The lone Special Feature, a Featurette,documenting real poltergeists, has little to nothing to do with the film itself, and is nothing more than anything you could probably catch on your average documentary channel - it's hardly worth buying this particular edition for. Sure the newly restored picture makes the film look better than ever, but where is the 2 DISC Anniversary edition that was promised earlier this year? For a film with such a history and so much to say about it, all Warner is gracious enough to give us is only a single disc, with some Documentary most fans could care less about - and on top of that, not even the original trailer that was on the previous release of POLTERGEIST is included....Warner has really failed to please fans with this release. THis one may go down as one of the worst Anniversary editions ever released, and I sense that the studio pulled the two disc release in order to release the film yet again down the road, costing the fans even more money - just how nice are they over at Warner? | ||||
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| GORE
METER N/A Frightening scares without the gore - POLTERGEIST achieved it the hard way, |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 8/10 Absolutely stunning and outstanding score, it essentially becomes just as important as anything else in the film, making you a part of the on-screen action. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM POLTERGEIST is just a great, in every sense of the word, Horror film, that is still as powerful as it was 25 years ago. We watch an innocent family get put through the ringer for nearly 2 hours and after the credits roll, the viewer feels like they have just gone through an adventure - which films these days rarely accomplish. I love the POLTERGEIST series, and over the past few years, have become even closer to it, due to my work at the Official Heather O'Rourke Memorial Site(in which I design graphics). {www.heatherorourke.net} As for the DVD itself, besides the fantastic restoration, this disc will still leave the fans hungry for more content relating to the actual film - as the Documentary about real Poltergeists offers nothing too worth while, and as I said, has little to do with the film(it only uses it as a reference). 8/10 for the movie itself, but only 3.5/10 for the pitiful "Anniversary Edition". |
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